Funky Friday: Flux Capacitor Charges Up Historic Electric Drag Racing

By Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

1,032 views Jun 29, 2012

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Every Friday, those of us who work at GreenCarReports like to kick back a little with a story that, if you’ll forgive us, is more about indulging our fun side than it is educating you about green cars. 

In keeping with that tradition, we felt it time to combine two of our collective loves -- vintage and electric cars -- and give you an update on the rather unique electric drag car being constructed by British motoring journalist Johnny Smith. 

Back in March, Smith purchased a flood-damaged 1974 Enfield Electric car which hadn’t been on public roads for more than five years.

1974 Enfield 8000 Electric Car

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His plan, he told us, was to restore this rare quart-sized electric curiosity, turning it from a rare vintage runabout into a spark-flinging street-legal electric racer capable of an 11-second quarter mile. 

With all of its original electronics irreparably damaged by raging flood waters, Smith knew the tiny car -- of which only 120 were ever made -- would never be the same again. 

Nick-named the Flux Capacitor in honor of the insurance company sponsoring the project, the tiny British electric car has undergone some serious surgery since we last heard about it.

In the past few months a specialist drag-racing garage has removed the car’s original 8 kilowatt motor, replacing it with a set of twin 9-inch direct-current motors capable of producing an astonishing 340 kilowatts of power.

Enfield Drag

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The original rear axle has gone too, replaced with a custom-built solid axle capable of withstanding the immense torque the new siamese motors will produce. 

With a pair of 12 inch front and 14 inch rear Wolfrace slot mags and some specialist suspension wizardry, the Flux Capacitor is starting to look like Smith’s wild claims might just become reality after all. 

At the moment, the car is still undergoing the rest of the structural modifications required to keep the tiny car safe with such a high amount of power going to the wheels, but Smith promises the car will soon get repainted and refitted ready for its first trip up the strip.

As some have commented, the tiny dimensions of the Flux Capacitor means it can’t legally be classed as a drag car. 

That isn’t a problem, says Smith. He intends to use the car as a daily driver for short distances, racing it at open drag strip events designed for any road-legal car. 

It’s certainly a change from the vintage electric car we saw sitting in an English shed a few months back, but we can’t help but get a little excited about seeing this particularly british display of eccentricity light up the track in a few months time. 

Watch this space. 

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