eSpeedster: A “Tesla” For The Classics Crowd

I love pure, unadulterated, completely original Porsche 356 cars. They’re the essence of Porsche and represent such an important part in Porsche history. That said, I have a confession to make that likely will not come as a surprise to anyone who’s read PorschePerfect for any length of time. I’m quickly getting to a point where I love customized or reinterpreted Porsche 356 cars just as much as original examples. Now before all you purists out there send me hate mail and delete my feed from your RSS reader, at least hear me out.

I think the thing I love about 356 Outlaws and modified cars is the blending of old and new. I love the 356, and there’s just something about maintaining all those classic lines and Porsche-essence while also increasing the personalization and enjoying of the car with some modern touches. Just my own personal feelings.

I came across Duke’s Garage a few weeks ago and have been back a few times to look at the classic cars on the site, especially the Porsche 356 and 550 Spyder relicas. Duke’s Garage seems to specialize in replicas, with a particular focus on electrifying the classics. One of their prime projects is the Porsche 356 eSpeedster. I have to say this is one sexy looking car.

Their goal is to achieve what they call the 70-7-70 rule. A range of 70 miles on a single charge, a recharge time of 7 hours, and a top speed of 70 mph. An eSpeedster would be a great commuting and local driver car.

The eSpeedster even puts up some respectable performance numbers:

• 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds
• Quarter mile time of 14.8 seconds at 92 mph
• Top speed of 130 mph

(figures based on the inclusion of a CB Performance built 1915 cc 125 hp engine and stock gearbox ratios)

Overall these are great looking rides and run around $50,000. You can view more pictures and some video at the Duke’s Garage website here: Duke’s Garage eSpeedster.