The motoring industry is arguably undergoing a revolution, as it prepares for a world where combustion-engined cars will be considered as prehistoric as the fuel that powers them.
British carmaker Morgan, however, is championing vintage vehicle styling with its all-electric EV3 sports car, due to reach production next year.
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The EV3 is based on the company’s 3 Wheeler sports car, which, in turn, was inspired by the three-wheeled Morgan Super Sports from the mid-1930s. The new model includes the original’s open cockpit design, side exhaust and leather-lined interior.
But instead of the old car’s front-mounted V-twin engine, the Morgan EV3 is powered by a battery-electric motor supplied by Frazer-Nash Energy Systems - the company behind the new electric London cabs.
The battery system is liquid-cooled, says Autocar, boasting a power output of 53bhp and a claimed range of 120 miles. Considering the small sports car weighs “less than 500kg”, the EV3 has all the ingredients to be as quick - if not quicker - than its combustion-engined sibling.
Morgan’s chief executive, Steve Morris, said: “We have been working closely on optimising the EV3’s architecture in every way to develop a car which will offer proven reliability range and cooling performance, combined with the pure driving experience that is expected of every hand-crafted Morgan.”
The retro-electric sports car is on course to arrive in autumn of 2018, although Morgan has yet to announce prices.
The world may have outgrown the combustion-engine, but the EV3 could prove that vintage-inspired sports cars can coexist with the next generation of autonomous production models.