The ‘quickest rear-wheel drive production electric vehicle’ on earth

‘The quickest rear-wheel drive production electric vehicle on the planet’ is a re-designed Shelby Cobra Daytona.

At a time when electric supercars are all the rage, Silicon Valley car company Renovo Motors figured they’d join the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren and BMW by unveiling their own take on the non-internal combustion principle. Their inspiration came from the Shelby Cobra. Naturally…

The new Coupe has been built on a genuine Shelby CSX9000 Daytona chassis, Renovo Motor’s tribute to Shelby’s 1964 GT category win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with all-American stars Dan Gurney and Bob Bondurant. But, in making what it claims to be ‘the quickest rear-wheel drive production electric vehicle on the planet’, there is more to Renovo’s new Coupe than shameless publicity.

In place of the 4.7-litre Ford V8 traditionally found under the Cobra Daytona’s hood are two mid-mounted twin sequential axial-flux motors, which run in conjunction with a Renovo HVP 740 volt lithium ion battery pack and kicks out more than 500hp. Impressive, but a figure put in the shadows by the 1000lb ft of torque figure, the linear acceleration from which making it possible for the Coupe to hit 60mph (97kph) in just 3.4 seconds. Top speed is unconfirmed, but is said to be more than 120mph (190kph).

HRE-design wheels shod with Michelin Sport tyres help guide that devastating pace to the asphalt, and while that classic Shelby silhouette remains, Renovo Motors has updated the body, frame, suspension and cabin for that all-important contemporary twist. Cue also four-wheel independent suspension and Öhlins TTX36MKII adjustable dampers for improved road handling, plus a single-gear transmission.

Deliveries are due to kick off next year, with customer orders having already taken at this weekend’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Source – Renovo Motors