Building the World's Quickest Street Legal EV
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2024
- Nearly 10 years ago Jonny Smith embarked on this extreme electric project car build - which became the world's quickest street legal EV. Starting with the least likely of base cars, a British electric city car from the 1970s and rebuilding it with almost 1000hp.
This project cars episode tells the retrospective story of why and how Jonny went about converting the 1974 Enfield 8000 ECC (Electric City Car) to become an extreme electric drag car, which went on to clinch the world record in 2016. 9 second quarter miles in a 9ft long car with no traction control or launch control. Fancy it?
Thanks for stopping by The Late Brake Show...
For further information on this old project of Jonny's (2012 - 2016) head to the original blog site www.flux-capacitor.co.uk.
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Jonny records a weekly podcast with friend and car author/Grand Tour script editor Richard Porter. Loosely based around car chat, Smith and Sniff often deviates into idiotic directionless banter, yet is reasonably respected amongst its listeners. Listen via the YT channel or Podcast outlets:
/ smithandsniff
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast...
shows.acast.com/smithandsniff
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Filmed and edited by: Matty Graham @ Pixel Click pixel-click.com
Archive images by: Jonny Smith
Thumbnail design by: Matt Tarrant www.matttarantdesign.com
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Jonny Smith
Creative content maker, car presenter & car pervert for hire since '98
Website: www.carpervert.com
Instagram: / jonnycarpervert
Twitter: / carpervert
CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:30 Back in 2011
2:38 Why an Enfield?
3:00 Enfield EV history
3:35 Connection with Thrust 2
4:25 Construction of original car
4:45 1970s safety testing
4:58 18 months to find base car!
5:47 Flood damaged
6:00 Ex Tomorrow's World. ex Quentin Willson
6:25 Bankrolled by a Greek shipping tycoon
7:00 Possible to build a drag car?
8:08 Body strip down
8:30 Electricity board pool car
8:58 Uses existing car parts
9:30 Built on the Isle of Wight (and then Greece)
9:55 Original full tech spec
11:25 Featured in Autocar
12:10 The battery building
12:55 Battery packs being charged
14:00 Military helicopter batteries required!
15:30 First season of racing
16:19 New paint
16:35 Bespoke windscreen saga
17:24 New bumpers moulded
18:08 Bespoke braking system
18:24 Wolfrace slot mags and street tyres
18:50 Chassis mods
19:18 Twin DC motors
20:07 Tiiiiny propshaft!
20:23 Original dash and headliner
20:35 Heads up drag racing series
20:55 Mandatory street cruise
21:37 Mate Rimac
22:10 First season of racing
22:24 WORLD RECORD RUN
23:30 John Wayland's White Zombie Datsun
24:00 Run flats, heated windscreen, onboard charger!
24:24 FULL TECH SPEC
25:23 www.flux-capacitor.co.uk
25:42 The EV time forgot
26:09 Would I do it again?
26:38 Thank yous
26:58 Why I sold it...
28:00 FULL SPEED PASS!
#worldsfastestev #quirkyelectriccar #streetlegaldragcar 
Авто/Мото
As a former drag racer, and current EV owner, and long-time subscriber, this is no doubt my favorite JS video!! What an amazingly improbable, impressive tale... blown away
Agreed. One thing I did wonder though is how the Hyperdrive pack is being looked after if it's on static display, or is that back in Sunderland? Those Kokam cells won't like being left to fully discharge
after 2+ years, how is the ev? what car and what year?
I was at Santa Pod the day you broke the record. It was amazing to watch. I had an idea of what was possible with EV but this blew my mind. This car was a game changer for me and I'm sure lots of others. You should be very, very proud of what you achieved with this little Enfield 8000
I'm so glad you finally told the full story Jonny. I've seen snippets over the years, but it's great to be able to see the full story in one place.
I was thinking “why is Jonny re-hashing this old story” but it turned out to be one of the best episodes in a while (the normal standard being quite high tbf!!). All the details of what it took to pull the build together and the personal commitment involved was great. Cheers Jonny.
Unbelievable that something so short can look so stable at that speed. It clearly took a steady hand and a degree of fearlessness to do that. Respect to you.
Thanks David. To be honest I just found the right people to help build the car properly. It never let me down. Felt weirdly stable at 130mph.
@@TheLateBrakeShowlikely those balls of steel lowering the COG
Can't be easy on "something that short" when factor in them lugnuts protruding from the bounce ....Very Team Pilkington (with out the zapp) and now over to Monkey news auto update
Great as always. Conspicuously absent in this is the costings. The thought of the price of the windscreen alone made me wince
Batteries lifted from attack helicopters! Ooft 💰💰💰
@@dizzy2020 if you want to be a millionaire, be a billionaire and start a racing team
If you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it sir.
Hello! I was thinking about you recently, memories from old videos back in the day.
You’re such a great storyteller, Jonny! Congratulations on making something so special, a legacy.
Absolutely fascinating Jonny….great to see the whole story
Love the LEGO safety gear, such a Jonny solution, functional and fun.
Jonny knows that "quickest" and "fastest" have different meanings. I like Jonny.
what's the difference? (not native english speaker here)
@@Imthefake Quickest = least time / best acceleration
Fastest = highest top speed
If a car has great acceleration, it's quick. If it has a high top speed it's fast.
To be honest though, most native English speakers treat both words as interchangeable, so it's usually seen as pedantic to point out the difference between the two. In drag racing though, they do have different specific meanings that actually matter.
In drag racing, quick = seconds, and fast = mph. So if you do a pass that's "9.86 seconds @ 121 mph", and someone else does a "10.12 @ 128 mph" pass, then your car is quicker, but their car is faster.
You might even hear someone mention a car being "the quickest and the fastest", which means it has both the lowest time and the highest speed.
I was lucky enough to have worked on a couple of these when they were trialled by the State Electricity Commission in Victoria, Australia back in the late 70s. It was an eerie feeling driving silently down the road with only the sound of clacking solenoids to disturb the peace. They werent fast, but they accelerated ok. As i recall, they had a whole bunch of series connected golf cart batteries that didnt give a big range and didnt last long either. I thought they were marvellous and really sparked my interest in electric cars. Back then i was an ekectric forklift technician, so it wasnt much of a sidestep!
I wonder where they are now? Might be gathering dust in a little museum somewhere in Victoria.
Wow, that's cool!
John was a lovely friendly clever man. He was so approachable and really wanted to you to understand what he was doing. My signature is inside the record breaking landspeed racer.. Built in Wooton on the Isle of Wight.
I don't know what is the most amazing with this car: that you modified it very well to go so fast, or that it was so advanced when it came out in early 70s.
Just the sheer effort and work that went into this project is truly incredible, especially considering how relatively small the electric scene was, let alone classic electric conversions. Very inspiring stuff Johnny, been wanting to know the full story for years now!
Amazing story, I'd never heard of this car previously. Trend setter built not bought
Track down the Fully Charged episode on the Flux Capacitor. They give it a spin and its infectious fun.
This episode got me a bit emotional. Back when I first got interested in EVs I stumbled across a video of this car. I knew of the model S but this very car opened my eyes to the possibilities of the EV powertrain.
I figured that if a bloke with limited resources could turn a micro car into a track weapon, there was no reason why a big manufacturer with deep pockets could make a compelling EV.
For me personally, this car is genesis.
I’m now subscribed to anything Jonny produces, RUclips, podcasting, the lot. Thanks for the episode Jonny.
Why Jonny doesn't have his own TV show is beyond me. He always had interesting segments on 5th Gear.
Who needs TV now anyway!
He does, it's right here and he has (pretty much) all control of it.
This is TV now. I'm ready to ditch my TV licence and support the creators I appreciate with Patreon and merch.
@@goosegog I've refused to pay the rip off tv license for over 10 years now. It's a joke.
He has one, it’s just on RUclips.
Jonny's such a colossal legend. Plenty of folk, myself included, dream of becoming motor journalists and broadcasters but this guy actually built his dream based on truly innovative and fascinating projects. Brilliant story and car...respect is due
I really enjoyed revisiting this wonderful car, Jonny. It's a real credit to your vision and those who helped make it happen. You're lucky to have been a world record holder.
One of the best car channels on RUclips with all the barn finds, garage reviews and car reviews. Keep up the smashing work Jonny 👍🏼👍🏼 the 007 car spotting one was absolutely brilliant me and my little sister went out at the weekend trying to see what bond cars we can find because of your video 😂 amazing work
Great to see the whole story, this is what makes you such a good car journalist - can't imagine Clarkson managing to wire a plug without help
This is just great, Jonny, always much more interesting to see something with a personal angle. Thanks a lot 👍
An amazing project Jonny showing us all what's possible. It also highlights how understanding and supportive Chops is. A big thank you to chops and the kids.
Dear Mr.Johnny Smith , you really earned my respect and blessing with this reveal video (for me personally ) of yours .
Until now I was just following you as an interesting , different kind of motor journalist but now you are some one special in this motor and EV world .
I absolutely love this museum. Not just the cars but the rooms and shop windows which are fitted out to the era with toys, games and all sorts of randomness. We visited the museum last year as South Lincolnshire Mini Owners Club and Cambs Mini Club.
A true testament to what a man with a vision can accomplish. Sure, you didn’t get there alone but you built the team that built the car that saw your vision through to success. Just a great story. Thank you for sharing it.
Phenomenal. I've seen the website and I broadly know the story but, that was a great insight into your world for those few years.
This continues to be my favourite show on RUclips, well done Jonny.
Very impressive doing this 10 years ago! Great to hear the backstory, it must have been quite a head turner on the drag strip!
Fantastic story. I only knew a few details about this car but now realise that the back story is amazing, especially what the car was before it was modified.
Thanks Jonny.
Jeez, Jonny...
You absolutely had me tear-ing up watching this... happy tears, but tears nonetheless... 😢
Your passion for this project and the emotions it evoked in you - and, subsequently, in me - were palpable.
Thank you for sharing this most intimate of motoring stories 💖
WOW!!! Jonny, there is no mistaking your enthusiasm for that little yellow beasty, I thoroughly enjoyed that video.
I always loved this project. There's an integrity to it that's just a bit special. Sums up Jonny's approach to things for me. Wanting to do something that, on the face of it, doesn't really make sense and is far from easy... honouring the original engineering without being beholden to it and ultimately producing something that surprises everyone.. Really good stuff.
What an interesting story. I have seen one Enfield 8000 ECC (Electric City Car) in South Africa at the James Hall Museum of Transport.
Also see guy Martin's attempt to set an Electric Record in a converted V.W. Beetle.
Been waiting for this since literally the second after you announced the formation of the Car Pervert channel. This did not disappoint. That segment on Fully Charged is still one of the all time great interviews of the series. Thank you for sharing the journey, Johnny.
Amazing project! Awesome to hear of the great teamwork and inspiring companies helping along the way. 👍🏻
My old bike (ZZ 1100) once did a pass of 10.02@138mph at east kirkby and it felt bloody fast.So to do the times you did are nothing short of incredible Johnny. I knew nothing about this story(how did I miss it because I am just as big a perv as you). Awesome job mate!!👍🏁🇬🇧🇬🇷
I'd not heard of the Enfield or Jonny's Flux Capacitor before, but this is a remarkable story. It deserves a whole documentary to itself, to embed the project in the history of the car (and not just the electric car).
Thank you for doing this vid. Had no idea you did this, or even that this car existed. Respect for all the effort
Never realised you did this. Definitely ahead of the curve on modern EV’s. Really interesting.
This episode has been my favourite of all your amazing videos to date, love the story love how you developed a concept into an amazing EV that showed the world to take ev,s serous
Always loved this Jonny, probably my favourite episode so far. Great bit of kit.
Instant subscribe - fascinating story, very well told. Captures exactly what it like to be gripped by a left-field car project. Driving around and winning competitions in a car you have build and modified yourself is one of the greatest feelings you can ever have.
Loved this video. It’s a very British tale of bits and bobs and ingenuity. I need a late brake show T-shirt in my life. Thanks Jonny.
John Wayland is a stand-up guy and an inspiration, glad you were both inspired by him and had a chance to collaborate with him internationally. Also, thanks for putting your story out as it's genuinely cool and enlightening!
A great piece of history from yourself, very nice to return to this beauty and tell the story behind and beyond it all.
Thank god for this project that probably helped make you who you are, made you get into fully charged (where I discovered you) and now makes you be the creator of this awesome channel.
Massive props to all that were involved
Another great video of a Jonny Project and backed up by an awesome story.
Inspiring to see your commitment and devotion to the project...although, to be fair, I'd expect nothing less. As one of your thousands of fans of everything Late Brake Show, we see and feel your passion and commitment...and of the people around you...in every one of your videos.
Proud to be a fan.
I had no idea about this car thanks Jonny for this amazing trip down your memory lane. Always love the old ideas made new again and now more relevant than ever
Brilliant as always. I'm sure I could listen to Jonny talk about pretty much anything and find it interesting.
I remember the car from the time. Bloody brilliant bit of kit. So glad you made this happen and have the success with it you did.
No wonder chops got a shiny new jimny, 😄. Behind every great man and all that!.
Jonny, sincerely speaking: I think that car marked you and all the ones that surrounded you for an era in your life. I think that beautiful Enfield should stay in the museum because it also marked an era of evolution. There are new things coming up... I think you could look toward a new project. And be creative like you always are. Thank you for showing this bit about your life. I really praise it. Thank you!
Half an hour that's packed with fascinating content ... too good for TV! Brilliant.
Simply Brilliant . . . first time I saw EV's at Santa Pod was a R-W-Y-B Event that the Tesla Owner's club attended [don't remember the year] . . . and seeing those 'whip the ass' of 60's muscle cars was mind blowing . . . but Jonny seeing you live at the strip in this Enfield 8000 must have been AWESOME! . . . Jonny you HAVE TO bring this car out of retirement
Wow. Simply wow! Same timeline as the Norwegian Pioner Electric Car which became PIVCO in early 90's then built TH!NK City across two generations and thousands of cars. Fantastic story and effort by Jonny!
What a great vid and a cool as car. Glad you have found some time to talk us through the history of it and hope it can get out on the roads and drag strip again. Cheers.
I
Jonny, I remember seeing you at many SE events at the pod. You put together a great video, which is easy,in comparison, but putting together a world record is many years of work and planning. A fantastic achievement. A truly passionate experience, thanks for sharing
As one of your Australian subscribers, having come to you in the past two years via sniffpetrol and fully charged, this was my favourite show of yours yet. I now understand why you get the access to remarkable custom builders and niche suppliers. You’ve established credibility and more importantly know how to tell a good story. Many thanks for sharing.
I'm so glad you did a comprehensive vid on the flux Capacitor! great story and legend.
Brilliant. I was vaguely aware of the project but it was great to hear the round up of how it came together. Nice work Jonny !
Great video of a fantastic little car and the huge effort that went into building it thanks for posting
Well .... that was quite emotional! What an uplifting story from origin to final result. Awesome!
Thanks! There's nothing more inspiring than a genuine labour of love.
Great story and incredible effort to put such a car together. Thank you for this video.
Loved this and it's so apparent from the video how much you did (and still do).
What a car and what a film! I genuinely can’t remember the last time I sat transfixed to a 30 minute RUclips video. Utterly brilliant Jonny…
Wow, cheers Paul!
Well I love a good background story and information about your old project car, the best The Late Brake Show to date 🙂 thanks
What a machine, this is the content that keeps me watching the channel.
Have followed the story of this car since the early days of the flux-capacitor blog. Love the engineering and guts to blaze the trail for EVs.
TLBS is such good quality, glad it exists and surprised the channel doesn't have more followers yet. But keep the faith and keep doing what you're doing.
Inspiring, an excellent episode that makes your passion for EV obvious and well-founded. Super!
That was utterly fascinating. I SO enjoy your channel, Jonny!
This is a fantastic video Jonny. I loved this car when you used to run it at Santa Pod and you're so on top of your game when it comes to presenting enthralling videos.
the sincerity on display in this video is a thing of beauty. superb .
Great story jonny! Man of many talents I struggle with many things electrical so can imagine the task you had putting all that together!. 👏👏
Mankind doesn't make things because it's easy, we thrive in the challenge of doing so. In a way Johnny has re shaped our future transport needs.
what a great documentary. Wonderful car and story. So passionately presented. Thanks.
One of the best channels on RUclips! Well done, love your relaxed presenting style and quirky interests. keep things the way they are...
Great video. I've wanted to know more about this car for a while. Thanks for sharing.
Brilliant Jonny, great to see how you where 'ahead' of the ev drag game back in 2012 👍
Yet another great video 👏👏
What a wonderful video! The most interesting thing I have seen in ages. Very very VERY impressive. Thank you so much.
Fantastic story. As an engineering student in the 90’s I had a class mate that was an EV enthusiast, and he had an Enfield. That was my first ride in an EV. Lot’s of clicking going on from the engine management system :-)
Well!!!
If ever there was a more determined and dedicated man to a cause then it's Jonny Smith!!! I've said before that I was slightly ignorant of Jonny's past exploits but you can tell from this film that straight away he wasn't going to give up, and that can be said of the TLBS as well, total dedication and like the Flux Capacitor project it's paying off. Well done Jonny and of course well done Chops for supporting it all the way. You guys are an inspiration to us all.
Thoroughly enjoyed this video, the style, the story, and the admiration of the time spent with such an interesting car and project. Not to mention the others that were involved, who were obviously passionate about it too. And the culmination of it heading back to the lineage that brought the original to the world to begin with (although I wish Johnny could have held onto it given its significance for him) was wonderfully poetic.
This is fantastic, I remember reading your blog a while back, and it’s nice to hear more of the story.
What an amazing and fascinating adventure this must have been, wish I had the balls for such a thing. Great it’s been saved for posterity and what a connection!
Can't wait to watch this through as I'm building a TVR EV conversion 😉⚡💪
Chimaera?
A TEVR?
@@BaddaBigBoom I do have a Griffith as it goes that was on Late brake show channel over covid but no. A 350i Wedge. Some videos so far on my channel. Some exciting vids to come 😉
@@benholroyd5221 yes or a Wedge-E
@@chargeheadsuk Ooooh! The only TVR I've ever been in (1980s) :-) Good luck with the project, will visit your channel.
EPIC! Thanks Jonny - and the team!
Loved hearing the story and seeing the emotion the car obviously still stirs in you.
That was literally like a mini documentary. Absolutely fabulous from start to finish. A great story, beautifully told! A wonderful watch, well done Jonny! and Chops too for being so supportive of your husbands crazy dreams! Cant tell you how much I enjoyed that :-)
Behind every good man etc...
Fantastic vid Jonny. I remember following your blog and was so convinced you were going electrocute yourself we came down to Santa Pod to watch. Fantastic achievement and thanks for putting the whole story together it’s totally fascinating.
Superb, excellent story, awesome to follow, great film mate, thank you.
I did enjoy that Jonny, well done and thank you for sharing. Worth every minute of watching
This was an episode I was hoping you'd make, Jonny. Wonderful look back at a monumental achievement.
I enjoyed every last second of this! I saw the car recently and this video was a delight, watching Jonny chart the journey of the little Enfield
Awesome project 👊
Great stuff Jonny. Every video inspires and excites without fail. You the man!
I'd say it brought more than a smile, I'd say it was one of the cars that changed people's attitudes towards EV's and what they can do. Certainly in the car world. I know I'm a bit late to this, but it's brilliant.
Brilliant show. Thanks for the excellent detail. A couple of weeks back my son and I did a short 20-30mph test in the e-golf. Punches you back into your seat. So much fun EVs. So much fun driving past petrol stations. You and Edd ought to team up and do an EV shoot-out series. I bet between you, you could concoct a really exciting EV out of some vintage banger.
Great vid Jonny. Just shows how far ahead of the times you were in creating this epic little motor. Would defo love to see it back on the road again 👍🏻
You are The Man, Jonny!
As far as Im aware, the first production electric car was the Baker electric from 1902(?). Shows you how old the concept of an electric vehicle really is.
This was brilliant; I've no doubt that it could be twice or three times the length in telling the story. A fantastic addition to the channel, and a bit more background about you Jonny!
What an amazing, well-told story, that I knew nothing about. A recent convert to the channel, loving the the content and sharing with my mates.