This 1970s British Electric Vehicle is Faster Than a Lamborghini Aventador
Would you believe this little car runs a nine-second quarter mile?
Starting its life as an Enfield 8000 with just eight horsepower, serial car modifier Jonny Smith has transformed it into the world’s quickest street legal EV. Now called Jonny’s Flux Capacitor, the Enfield 8000 features an electric powertrain with more than 800 hp and 1,200 pound-feet of torque, quietly rocketing the compact to a quarter-mile time of 9.86 seconds at 121 mph. To put that into perspective, it’s faster than today’s expensive exotics, including the Lamborghini Aventador, McLaren 650S, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Nissan GT-R and even the Tesla P90D with Ludicrous Mode.
The previous record stood at 10.25 seconds, and was originally set by the car that inspired Smith to create his, an old Datsun owned by John Wayland from Oregon.
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What’s even more interesting is that many racers were telling Smith that the 68-inch wheelbase car would never safely go as fast as he wanted. “Originally the car was designed to drive up to speeds of 40 mph,” said Smith. “Now it triples the speed within quarter of a mile without any aerodynamic alterations – which is testament to the original design.”
The Enfield 8000 was rescued by Smith after becoming a flood-damaged write-off four years ago. The car was first restored before adding the all-electric powertrain that features 188 lithium-ion batteries built into enclosures under the hood and trunk, generating 2,000 amps and 400 volts to a pair of DC 9-inch motors driving the back wheels.
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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