A new world record for fastest street-legal electric vehicle has been set this week. But the new benchmark hasn’t been set by Tesla or any other major manufacturer in fact.
Instead it’s a modified Enfield 8000 which has set the new world record and you’d be forgiven for not being familiar with that name.
Originally built on the Isle of Wight between 1973 and 1977, the Enfield 8000 was made so that people could still drive during the oil crisis which was going on during its production run. Just 120 examples of the Enfield 8000 were built. The compact city car seated just two people and the wheelbase measured just 68 inches long.
The original models offered 8bhp from their electric motor and had a top speed of 48mph plus a projected range of around 40 miles. The Enfield 8000 also used suspension parts from the Hillman Imp, adapted doors from the original MINI and a rear axle obtained from Reliant three-wheelers.
How was the new record achieved?
The man behind the record-breaking Enfield 8000, motoring journalist Jonny Smith, rescued one of the original examples a few years ago and went about restoring it. He also fitted 188 lithium-ion battery cells in the bonnet and boot, specifically cells from a Bell Super Cobra attack helicopter. These cells boosted the output of the rear-wheel driven Enfield 8000 to over 800bhp.
Renamed the Flux Capacitor, the modified Enfield 8000 also had new treaded tyres fitted to make street legal under modern day regulations and the car completed a 26 mile drive on the public highway to prove its roadworthiness.
To set the world record for fastest street-legal electric vehicle, the Flux Capacitor completed a quarter mile sprint of Santa Pod Raceway in just 9.86 seconds, averaging a speed of 121mph. This beats the previous world record set by a converted electric Datsun, which completed a quarter mile sprint in 10.25 seconds.
It also means that the modified Enfield can easily outsprint the Tesla Model S P90D, as well as non-electric supercars such as the Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 Turbo S.
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