It is very rare to see a muscle project car stay one for over 60 years! But that's what this particular bright yellow 1957 Chevy 210 has achieved. This is the most famous Chevy on the planet right now but the reason is quite splitting. These are classic cars and retaining their originality would be the way to go for many who have an emotional connection to this era's automobile art.
It sure has evolved over the last 5 decades to stay up to date and still preserve the classic charm. But the latest makeover that this Chevy got raises more eyebrows than ever. This collaborative project between Chevrolet Performance, MotorTrend, and Cagnazzi Racing has created the most famous and questionable EV hotrod. Yup! There is no rumbling V8 or a shaker scoop here. The powertrain has gone silent with an electric powertrain that churns out 340 HP and this bold conversion was done by the new E-Crate Solutions branch started by Cagnazzi Racing.
Converting this classic into an EV is a task for broad-minded people, but given the fact that this Chevy 210 a.k.a Project X was the testbed for new technologies over the years, this challenging makeover is the most befitting that the yellow classic has gotten in its existence. Even this car's long-time owner - Popular Hot Rodding magazine would have expected things to get this wild.
The guys at Chevrolet, Motortrend, and Cagnazzi Racing have managed to fuse the past and the future with this iconic hotrod project, just in time for SEMA 2021.
Project X: A 64 Year Old Project Car
The Chevy 210 has been an easy canvas for rat rods and hot rods. And the legend in question here started with Popular Hot Rodding magazine buying a 1957 Chevrolet 210 with a noble cause to entertain its ready by making it the canvas for interesting modifications. Something that started slowly, gains traction, and never left the house. The stock engine was a humble 235 cu. in. inline-6 with 123 horses. Over the last 5 decades, bigger inline-6s and brawnier V8 have found their home in this famed yellow Chevy.
It has seen days of carburetors, fuel injection, and supercharging as well. In short, this car is like the Shifu of the automobile world, lucky and wise to have lived and experienced all forms of mechanical wizardry. And all this while, the hot rod charm remained intact. The latest evolution was a challenging one for Project X as this wasn't just a new pair of shoes that it was wearing, it was a whole new set of legs!
Bold And Controversial EV Conversion
Cagnazzi Racing took up the challenge to convert this historic test-bed and things were not at all easy. For starters, this car is over 60 years old and the only electrical components it had a scene in stock form were the alternator and basic electrical layout of the car including lighting. So, an EV conversion for this car was a monumental feat. With the help from Chevrolet Performance and MotorTrend, Cagnazzi Racing stripped the famous '57 Chevy down and started from ground zero.
There was a lot of painful cutting involved but it finally fared out well, thanks to advancements in technologies that made things way easier. Chevy Performance handed over an under-development E-Crate for the project. This package packs 400V Li-Ion batteries developed around a modular concept called Connect & Cruise eCrate Propulsion System Concept. The trunk bed was cut to pack the battery pack low that weighed around 700 pounds. The powertrain churns out 340 HP and 330 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels in silence.
The Most Electrifying Chevy. Literally And Figuratively
There are a lot of cool and electrifying modifications done to this Chevy. To sway away from being 'boring' was the fitment of a quick-change differential allowing the final-drive ratio to be adjusted based on usage. A shorter final-drive ratio gave it quicker acceleration whereas a taller final-drive gave it cruising potential and extended range.
So, this was a silent hot rod that could be your cozy weekend getaway companion as well. Another cool fusion done here is the push-button gear selector that is straight out of the 2021 Chevrolet Corvette. The exterior was cleverly left untouched and it would be very tough to see this in person and say that there isn't a V8 slapped under the hood!
The Only All-Electric Chevrolet 210 In The World
There has been a lot of ambitious EV-conversions with classic hot rods (some even mimicking a V8 shell!) but nothing as challenging and bold as this bright yellow Project X. It is very rare for a car to stay intact for over 60 years, and this one has been a project car for most of its life. This EV conversion was a one-way ticket as the chassis was heavily cut and modified to fit in the electric powertrain and make things work.
This classic canvas also houses an electric brake booster, an electrohydraulic power steering pump and sits 2-inches lower with the help of suspension bits from a 6th-Gen Corvette. The guys at Cagnazzi Racing also gave it a custom badging and a neatly integrated charging port in the left tailfin. This is Project X turning a new leaf and hopefully being the testbed for all upcoming EV experiments.
Sources: Media.chevrolet.com, Insideevs.com, Motortrend.com