John's Electric 914: "It's All Torque"

John Benson didn't rip the engine from his 1970 914 and replace it with an electric motor for performance. In fact, he rather messed it up, from a traditional gearhead point of view, dropping big money in to make it heavier, slower and healthier.
"It's about trying to do the right thing, which is to get gas cars off the road," said the computer graphics artist by telephone from his home in Portland, Oregon.
Still, we get the idea John isn't all save the planet. He says the torquey electro 914 lurches him into the seat from the launch and will more than keep up with traffic. I forgot ask if it will smoke the tires.
John did the conversion in 1997, back when most folks into electric lived in California (he was in Berkeley). He chose the signal orange 914 not for the killer '70s styling, but because the mid-engine two trunk layout provides adequate room for 1,300 pounds of batteries. He's now on his third setup, this time with sealed lead batteries, which he says have become more expensive as the price of lead rises.
The sky's the limit as far price for a backyard electric swap, but John says a 914 owner could replicate his car for under $15,000. Not cheap. "You don't do it for the economy, thinking I'm going to save all this money on gas," he says.
John's 914 is way heavier than stock and with the batteries packed up front, the car has lost its neutral handling. But John says it's a blast to drive. "It's marvelous. You hear the road. You don't hear anything else," he says. "The torque comes on from zero RPM. It accelerates like a roller coaster."
It may not be a Tesla, but we would really like to give this 914 a drive.