Tesla Joined In Turning This 1949 Mercury Into An Electric Car

Electric vehicles are not necessarily built from the very first part. Also, for electric vehicles, they don't need to be in fancy shape. You don't believe, do you? ICON - a resto-mod company in Los Angeles has revealed a classic at that time - SEMA, a 1949 Mercury coupe. It runs on a Tesla battery pack.

Yes, the company restored the 1949 car's look to its glory, it's obviously not fooling around. The conversion was supposed to be proof of the company's engineering prowess. So a senior client of ICON did its job on the 1949 Mercury, separating the car into parts and restoring it with new rubber parts, supplemented with insulation and new chassis.

In terms of powertrain, ICON cooperated with electric vehicle solutions company Stealth EV in giving the car a dual electric motor without any conversion. The new engine runs at 400 horsepower, allowing the car to reach 193 kmph top speed.

With an 85kWh battery manufactured by Tesla, the coupe can run a total distance of 240 to 320 km range and take 1.5 hours to recharge. Hence, its gas filler was replaced with a Tesla supercharger plug. Stealth EV also worked on battery safety with thermal management.

The classical engine enclosure was recreated and without the engine, of course. Instead, they put battery controllers as well as some Tesla modules under the enclosure. Besides, it was supplemented with an electric AC.

ICON wanted to maintain the vintage look for the interior too. The hides were selected from Moore & Giles as well as Relicate Leather and fabric was taken from Knoll Textiles brings about the exact appearance that Jonathan Ward pictured. Power windows operate through the original analog window cranks. Though the gauges are modern digital Andromeda, the car's design still references the original analog units.

Finally, it is undeniable that this 1949 Mercury would become one of the more beautiful electric cars on market.

Let's admire it a little more