Building a modern hot rod requires thinking outside of the box. That's exactly why the folks at Hot Rod Magazine were willing to yank out a big supercharged V8 from their iconic '57 Chevy before dropping in a smooth torque-rich EV motor.
It's tough to think of another classic American car with a richer history of modification than Project X. The folks at Hot Rod bought this thing back in 1965 for just $250.
Since then, it's stood as a testbed for just about every different automotive technology to touch the hot rodding world. It's used carburetors before progressing to fuel injection.
It was originally powered by a straight-six before a V8 found its way under the hood. Then it went from naturally aspirated to supercharged. Now, it's taking the next logical step, electrification.
“Project X has always served the car community by pushing the envelope with groundbreaking technologies... the auto industry shifts rapidly toward electric vehicles, this Project X build is just the latest in its celebrated legacy of adapting hot rodding to the powerful technology of tomorrow." says group content director at MotorTrend Group Douglas Glad.
What's fascinating, though, is that it isn't getting some run-of-the-mill EV system. This setup includes parts that are being evaluated as next-generation Chevrolet Performance products.
The electric motor still sits up front and produces 340 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. Chevrolet has stayed true to the hot rodding culture too.
The quick-change differential can be swapped easily to provide more brutal acceleration or conversely to provide more range. The battery is a product in testing as well.
The 400-volt lithium-ion battery holds just 30 kWh worth of electricity, which Chevy says is enough range for weekend cruising. Cagnazzi Racing, the company Chevrolet employed to complete the swap can be seen in the video below as they contemplate the job ahead of them.
As they point out, removing the old engine and drivetrain is the easy part. Fitting the EV powertrain required rethinking how to use the parts provided.
Overall, Vic Cagnazzi thinks hot rodders will mostly come around to this type of platform. "We see this next leap into EV performance propulsion as a natural evolution for hot rodding. Our goal with this conversion was to maintain the look and integrity of the classic hot rod while modernizing the propulsion technology."
From the outside, you'd never know it was different from any other '57 Chevy. Its yellow paint, classic five spoke wheels, and chrome accents are as timeless as they've ever been. Now it just has instant power and torque from 0 miles per hour. Of course, you'll never hear it coming so keep your eyes peeled at SEMA for this one of a kind custom car.
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