01-03-2023, 09:26 PM
As far as I know, at least 2 A7 EVs have been built: one in a Box saloon and the other in a Ruby. The Ruby (painted a fairly bright yellow) was at the Beaulieu rally last July and had been made by the people at the Austin Motor Co. who were at the Centenary rally. They had made a very neat job of the Ruby - all there was under the bonnet was a fairly large square aluminium box and some electronics in a heatsink box on the bulkhead. They said that the car could be restored to original in a short time and that the torque was controlled so that the halfshafts would survive. The gearbox had gone, so there were just accelerator & brake pedals. A small 3-way switch was mounted between the front seats (F-N-R). I have to admit that it was an absolute hoot to drive - the acceleration from zero was immense and everyone who tried it out came back with a big grin on their faces. The range was quoted at c.70 miles, so it would make a great 'shopping trolley' type of car for local use.