RetroFuture! "Best of the Best."– Robb Report
California-based Zelectric® transforms midcentury Volkswagen models and early Porsche classics for 21st century driving.
It started off simply enough. We always loved those classic VWs and vintage Porsches. Way back in the summer of ‘06 we thought…wouldn't it be cool: the juxtaposition of past/future. Take that sweet German design and throw in a high performance electric powertrain. That would just blow us out of the water. Outrageous! We wanted that in our garage.
Bonnie Rodgers, David Benardo and Chief Inspiration Officer Percy. Living in the RetroFuture.
6 years passed. Thinking about it. Wondering if it could be done. Researching possibilities. Then we dove into it. We set out to transform our vintage 63 Ragtop Bug into a fast, dependable car. It would have to be a total stock sleeper, and radically fun to drive. Almost no maintenance. Plus, we wanted to go 100 miles on just $3 dollars worth of fuel.
In 2012, we gathered a network of seasoned experts, top drawer specialists in their fields - high performance EV engineering, VW restoration, and wizards - mechanics who know these vintage air-cooleds inside and out. As work began on that first Vdub, we named it the ZelectricBug.™
Two and half years of testing to perfection produced our initial turnkey offering. Today, the Zelectric rebuild features a custom-designed electric powertrain paired with select mechanical upgrades, retrofitted into investment-worthy vintage VW models and early Porsches. We can Zelectrify your current ride or find the perfect candidate for you among vintage German originals.
The transformation begins with the 100% electric powertrain, then select proprietary modifications complete the Zelectric Performance Package. The addition of upgraded suspension, lights, brakes and more provide the most awesome retro-electric drive imaginable.
There are three ways to go. If you don't currently own it, we can find it for you. We routinely round up excellent candidates, and may even have one or two on hand, commission-ready or rebuilt Zelectric and turnkey-ready to go. Or send us your own vintage air-cooled classic for a Zelectric retrofit, starting at $78,000 and up - depending on your model and options.
It’s been called “retro-futuristic experiential art on wheels.”
Want to see it in motion? Watch the video below.
Zelectric Motors is not and never will be a factory assembly-line operation. Each vehicle is meticulously transformed by hand. By the nature of the business itself, production will always be limited to bespoke creations, each somewhat unique and built to order.
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Zelectric is the brainchild of award-winning designer-producers
David Benardo and Bonnie Rodgers, partners in life and business since 1986.
Lifelong aficionados of the VW and Porsche brands, they've owned, driven and loved vintage Microbuses, Karmann Ghias, 50s-60s Beetles and one very special Porsche.
”Roads and Rides” video by Robert Angelo
Photography courtesy of Matt Avery, thetransmission.com