Eight horsepower, a range of forty miles (give or take) and a top speed that might have hit 48 miles an hour if the winds were on your side…there is a reason why it’s taken a car like the Tesla Model S to make believers out of EV power: cars like this 1974 Enfield 8000 showed the world what was wrong with the standard, lead-acid electric vehicles. Range anxiety was a legitimate concern even if you lived in a small town, charging took damn near forever, and you’d get run over by the likes of a Mini or a Maverick. Though, we have to put one huge caveat on that last statement: any Enfield besides this particular car would get run over. This bright yellow bolt, “Jonny’s Flux Capacitor”, is owned by former Fifth Gear host Jonny Smith, and it will put a hurting on pretty much any street car that is willing to line up against it.
If you have to ask why, Smith spells it out in no uncertain terms: “Because we want the Flux Capacitor to be Europe’s fastest street legal EV. It was never going to be the prettiest.” Can’t argue with that logic. The eight lead-acid batteries were dumped in favor of Kokam lithium-ion units that…get this…power the mini gun on a Bell SuperCobra attack helicopter. Those batteries spin up two DC Current Racing 9″ racing motors mounted in series. The car is direct driven, and while the 120MPH speed isn’t anything to sneeze at, it’s the acceleration that is something to behold: with north of 500 horsepower and 1,000 ft/lbs of torque on hand, the Enfield can now run…well, make a guess and click play below. Here’s a hint: it is significantly faster than what Smith claims it will run.
The Super Cobra should exterminate this vile yellow slug before it even leaves its garage….
Cute like a little yellow slot car. It even has a dangling ground strap so nobody gets fried by all the batteries.