We're suckers for electrified versions of classic and iconic vehicles, whether it's a fun-loving VW Microbus or a timelessly sporty Shelby. A few months ago, it was a 483-hp Mercedes G-Class with close to 200 miles (322 km) of range. Now, Kreisel, the Austrian company behind that E-G-Class, has revealed an entirely different kind of electric vehicle... a 1960s Porsche 910 that channels electric power toward modern-day supercar performance.
In 1966, Porsche was in the midst of transforming from young, hungry marque chasing the big boys to all-out Le Mans tour de force. It had had plenty of success in small engine classes, but as far as outright victory, it found itself on the outside of the great Ford-Ferrari battles, watching from behind as the GT40 drove through its glory days.
The 910 was not destined to be Porsche's Le Mans 24 Hours breakthrough (that was the 917 in 1970), and it didn't even serve as Porsche's main car at the 1967 event. Its successor, the 907, was more purposefully designed for the race and served as the primary 1967 car. Fittingly, the 907 finished 5th behind a sea of Fords and Ferraris, the 910 6th.
The 910 did have a few impressive showings in roughly a year of racing in '66 and '67, including 1-2-3 finishes at the 1967 Targa Florio and Le Mans 1,000 km, but it's not necessarily the first race car from that era you might expect to see revived today. Then again, it isn't a car we're complaining about seeing 50 years later, especially when it masterfully pairs the flowing curves and bulges of a 1960s race car with the supercar performance of a modern, cutting-edge electric powertrain.
The journey began last year when Evex Fahrzeugbau GmbH restarted a line of work it had abandoned back in the 70s: building 910-based replica cars to street-legal specification. Those standard Evex 910s come powered with a 320-hp 3.2-liter gas engine, but Kreisel had another idea. It teamed up with Evex last August to develop an Evex 910 running an all-electric powertrain. The partners call it the 910e.
The 910e isn't just electric to be trendy; it's actually a higher performance model. It packs the same 483 hp as Kreisel's G-Wagen, but the slippery race car makes more efficient use of that power than the boxy utility vehicle. Kreisel estimates an exhilarating 2.5-second 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time and top speed over 186 mph (300 km/h). The 910e's 568 lb-ft of torque is channeled out to the wheels through a newly developed automated two-speed transmission with self-locking differential and integrated electric oil pump for lubrication and cooling.
With a 53-kWh lithium-ion pack, Kreisel reckons the 910e will be able to roll around 217 miles (350 km) before it needs to cozy up to a charger. Interestingly, Kreisel has added a DC bidirectional fast-charging system that allows the car to feed battery power into the grid when desired, and it looks well prettier doing it than an exhaust-spewing box wheeled out from the garage.
The Evex 910 frame was modified to accommodate the battery pack and electric powertrain. The standard air cooling system was swapped out for a new liquid cooling unit. All told, the 910e weighs 2,425 lb (1,100 kg) compared to the gas Evex 910's 1,764 lb (800 kg). Both the 910e and Evex 910 have removable targa roofs.
Kreisel and Evex debuted the 910e alongside an Evex 910 and original Porsche 910 race car at last week's Techno-Classica Essen. Plans are to build a limited number of 910e models for buyers willing to drop a cool €1 million (approx. US$1.06 million). Kreisel will also sell the two-speed transmission as a standalone offering.
Source: Kreisel
