BMW E9 Coupe Brought Back To Life With 450-HP Tesla Motor

Mar. 27, 2022 7:40 PM ET by Chase Bierenkoven Electric Vehicles / 10 Comments

EV power and a skilled mechanic work wonders on old cars.

The BMW E9 is Bimmer royalty. It's far rarer than just about any BMW M3, 2002, or BMW Z8. Only around 30,000 of the things were produced from 1968 and 1975. Predictably, time has not been kind to these incredible little coupes, with many ending up either so lavishly restored no one can afford them, and probably more still ending up in an early grave.

But one was saved and given a new lease on life; with a twist. That twist, both in terms of literal torque and within the context above, comes in the form of a Tesla motor. Don't go thinking someone bastardized this poor "Batmobile." First off, the car was in rough shape when Electric Classic Cars got a hold of it, and second, it's not actually a CSL car. Now you may be upset if necessary.

Now that you're done being upset (if you were): The car was restored from pretty poor shape, with it being left in a barn, sunroof open. The interior was beyond saving, making it the perfect candidate for a restoration and Tesla motor swap. That comes courtesy of the Tesla Model S drivetrain and batteries, which sit both wherein the rear and where the straight-six once lived.

Of course, given that water and time had worked their magic on the interior, that was fully restored as well. The brakes of the E9 were upgraded to a set of larger Wilwoods, and Alpina wheels with sticky tires were fitted over them. ECC claims the weight hasn't changed much, with the car being marginally heavier. But with 450 hp and a 0-60 of three seconds flat, no one is complaining. There's even some decent trunk space so you can fully utilize the 200-mile range.

Had a pristine E9 been ripped up and given a Tesla drivetrain, we'd be a bit more upset. Given that this car was practically beyond saving, it's incredible to see that someone has gone to the trouble of giving it a new life. As EVs creep further into our lives, swaps like these may one day be the only thing keeping classic cars out of the junkyard.

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Tags: #Tesla News #BMW News #Classic Cars #Electric Vehicles

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