Photo: Barrett-Jackson
Electric drives have changed the way vehicles are being designed, and sooner than later they will probably change our world altogether by (hopefully) significantly cutting down emissions resulting from personal transportation. But there is one other thing batteries and motors can do for our world: preserve or bring back incredible vehicles from the past without the hassle that comes with the use of internal combustion engines.
Several companies have already embarked down this road, swapping ICE powertrains for electric ones in cars as diverse as Jaguars and Mustangs. If you ask me, though, not enough of them are doing that at the moment, so we're still flooded with builds rocking small blocks, big blocks, and everything in between.
If more custom shops would go down the electrification path we'd probably live in a world that looks as classy and clean as this here 1966 Cadillac de Ville.
You may know the car as it was a big hit on the floor of the SEMA show in 2021. It was put together for the event by an Arizona-based shop called Legacy EV, a company that is in the business of offering aftermarket EV solutions.
1966 was at the start of the series' third generation, a time when the de Villes packed under the hood massive powertrains, either 429s or 472s. It's the former kind of engine this particular model had on, but what it rocks now is nothing of the kind.
Legacy pulled out the engine and everything related to it and replaced it with electric power. That would be a battery pack and a set of three electric motors.
There's a major disconnect between what the battery offers and what the motors put on the table: the battery is only good for 100 miles (160 km), but the three motors are good for 394 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque at the rear differential.
The disconnect is there because the de Ville in this form was not meant to be driven as a daily, but was conceived as a promotional vehicle meant to advance Legacy EV's reach.
Elsewhere on the Caddy, although the main design lines of the original were kept, subtle changes were performed. They include the fitting of an air-ride suspension, custom wheels wrapped in whitewall tires, and LED headlights that hide their nature very well. The interior is all red, because no one can really go wrong with that.
As far as we know, the de Ville has never been sold until now. It will however go under the hammer at the end of the month in Scottsdale, Arizona, where auction house Barrett-Jackson will try to find a new owner for it in a no-reserve sale.
It's worth mentioning the auction house has different numbers for the de Ville, saying the motors develop 400 hp and the range is 150 miles (241 km).
Update: sold for $99,000.
If more custom shops would go down the electrification path we'd probably live in a world that looks as classy and clean as this here 1966 Cadillac de Ville.
You may know the car as it was a big hit on the floor of the SEMA show in 2021. It was put together for the event by an Arizona-based shop called Legacy EV, a company that is in the business of offering aftermarket EV solutions.
1966 was at the start of the series' third generation, a time when the de Villes packed under the hood massive powertrains, either 429s or 472s. It's the former kind of engine this particular model had on, but what it rocks now is nothing of the kind.
Legacy pulled out the engine and everything related to it and replaced it with electric power. That would be a battery pack and a set of three electric motors.
There's a major disconnect between what the battery offers and what the motors put on the table: the battery is only good for 100 miles (160 km), but the three motors are good for 394 hp and 1,000 lb-ft of torque at the rear differential.
The disconnect is there because the de Ville in this form was not meant to be driven as a daily, but was conceived as a promotional vehicle meant to advance Legacy EV's reach.
Elsewhere on the Caddy, although the main design lines of the original were kept, subtle changes were performed. They include the fitting of an air-ride suspension, custom wheels wrapped in whitewall tires, and LED headlights that hide their nature very well. The interior is all red, because no one can really go wrong with that.
As far as we know, the de Ville has never been sold until now. It will however go under the hammer at the end of the month in Scottsdale, Arizona, where auction house Barrett-Jackson will try to find a new owner for it in a no-reserve sale.
It's worth mentioning the auction house has different numbers for the de Ville, saying the motors develop 400 hp and the range is 150 miles (241 km).
Update: sold for $99,000.
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