(During the month of October, we’re publishing a series of stories on the “futureproofing” of collector cars through the use of electric powertrains, which also are coming to seemingly every automaker’s vehicle lineup. As always, your comments are welcome, and if you have converted a vintage vehicle to electric power, we’d love to share your story with others. Contact us at journal@classiccars.com.)
All-electric vehicles, whether those emerged from an OEM assembly plant or those converted to motor-and-battery power, are eligible to take part in the inaugural “High Voltage Experience” being staged November 13-14 at Sonoma Raceway in northern California by Holley.
In its announcement, the company said the event “will be a playground for EV owners, drivers, and enthusiasts alike, offering multiple high-performance driving events and an opportunity for the emerging EV culture to come together.”
Added Holley’s chief marketing officer Sean Crawford, “Community, performance, and fun is important to automotive enthusiasts. With a growing population of EV owners, we want to provide a place for them to get out and have fun with their vehicles and community.”
In addition to a variety of motorsports events — autocross, lapping the road course, drag racing and more — the event will include a Wine country cruise, a car show, and “an unprecedented look at a wide variety of personalized vehicles and impressive EV conversions.”
Among the vehicles already registered are King of the Hammers champion Kyle Seggelin’s electric-powered 1986 Toyota 4Runner off-road truck, and a Porsche 935 converted by Bismoto Engineering, and the Salvage to Savage 1985 Chevrolet C10 pickup.
Randy Pobst and other professional drivers will provide road course driving instruction.
Holley is a more-than-century-old company now based in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and known for producing and distributing high-performance parts, especially such things as carburetors, ignition systems, etc. It began with a single-cylinder 3-wheeled vehicle built in 1896 by brothers George and Earl Holley. They also produced 4-wheel motorcars, more than 600 of their Holley Motorette model, but in 1903 began producing carburetors for Henry Ford, and in 1905 re-established the company in Detroit.
Holley annually stages a series of automotive events, including the Hemi-oriented Moparty, the LS Fest for high-performance GM vehicles, the Ford Festival, and now the High Voltage Experience.
“Ever since the 2008 Tesla Roadster proved that an electric vehicle could be both efficient, usable for more than around-town driving, and jaw-droppingly fast, there has been a segment of the automotive world that has taken an interest in what an electric vehicle can do,” the company notes on its website.
“The Holley High Voltage Experience is a two-day celebration of all-electric power and what it is capable of.”
Please do more on electric conversion. I have a 2010 Lexus IS250c I am looking at conversion.