[Closed] A Real Sleeper

A Real Sleeper

Electric 1978 Ford Pinto

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http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/vintage-speed/4330284
"I wanted something that was made in America, rear-wheel drive, lightweight and had the `shame factor,'" says Mike Willmon of his 1978 Ford Pinto drag car, "If you get beat by someone driving a Pinto, that's just shameful." Willmon's fun and funky electric Pinto is ferociously fast. He says it will hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds; his best quarter-mile time for the 3200-pound Ford is 12.47 seconds at 105 mph. The Pinto runs 60 EnerSys XE-16 lead-acid motorcycle batteries that deliver close to half a megawatt of power. The Pinto develops over 1200 lb-ft of torque from the twin electric motors on the dyno, though Wilmon says that they generate closer to 1500 lb-ft of torque right at zero rpm--where electric motors have their peak torque. The Pinto runs a Ford 9-inch rear axle with 4.11:1 gears--and the electric motor torque combined with this aggressive gearing means Willmon can lift the front end off the ground at launch. Willmon lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and is the president of the National Electric Drag Racing Association, so this Pinto is built more for that task than it is for long-distance commuting. "I can go about 25 miles on a charge," he says, "That's enough to get to work and back with a few stops along the way." Willmon's real daily driver is also electric--a converted Mitsubishi pickup that delivers about 40 miles on a charge. Next up? Willmon plans to replace the lead-acid packs on the Pinto with expensive but potent lithium-ion units.