1981 Jet 007: Retro Chrysler-Based Electric Car On eBay

By Antony Ingram

Antony Ingram

Contributing Writer BIO

Antony is an automotive obsessive: Whether it drives, sits there looking pretty or intrigues from afar, he'll talk and write about it. Automotive... More

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Electrica 007 in junkyard, by Mike Bumbeck, Clunkbucket

Enlarge Photo

A common misconception about electric cars is that they're a fairly recent phenomenon.

Anyone who ever lusted over GM's EV1 will tell you that isn't the case, and Jay Leno might inform you otherwise too, no doubt parading a line of early 20th Century electric cars past you as he does so.

But even if you know about those, you may not be aware of some of the gems of the 1970s and 1980s.

One such gem is the 1981 Jet 007 currently sitting on eBay, with a little under three days to go.

If the name Jet 007 means very little to you, you might be more familiar with Plymouth Horizon TC3 Coupe, as that was the car that lent itself for professional conversion by Jet Industries in the early 1980s.

This isn't the first time we've featured a Jet either--back in 2009 we found one abandoned in a junkyard, and more recently we found a Dodge Omni-based Jet Electrica on eBay too. Jet also did conversions of old Ford Escorts.

They're evidence of the occasional, flash-in-the-pan startups that come and go with changes in the market, but often the cars they leave behind are characterful and endearing.

The five sealed lead-acid batteries of the Jet 007 may seem old-tech now, and a top speed of 70 mph is borderline for modern highway driving. However, a 50-80 mile range is enough to worry modern EVs like the Mitsubishi i, and a charge from the 20 amp charger takes seven hours, according to the advert.

It's not in perfect condition, and the pictures leave something to be desired (we've had to use our junkyard image of the Jet 007 to head this story, lest our readers fear their computer screens have broken...) but the Montana-based car has no reserve, so you may get it very cheap indeed.

If you cling on to cars of the past but want a little modern technology, retro EVs like the Jet 007 could be just what you're looking for.

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