Saturday, May 13, 2017

Droolworthy Vintage Electric: The Ian Motion Mini

Old cars. Every few months they get to me. It’s the old-car jones that creeps into my bones Yes, new cars are nice too, but there’s a far-from-logical appeal to a car that has stood the test of time and still gets the job done. Lately, it’s been a little Ford Fairlane sedan I pedal past on most weekdays. In my head, I’ve already pulled the gas burner out and replaced it with an electric motor. The gas tank is gone and replaced with salvage cells from a Nissan Leaf. (I love the old cars but not enough to keep trashing our planet!)

Yep, I'd drive it!

But, as a guy who owns a few half-finished, homegrown conversions, I understand that those projects are best left with those who have a surplus of time and/or money.

So, I sigh when I ride past the old Ford on a vehicle I have successfully converted to electric – a 250-watt bicycle. But there is hope out there for guys and gals like me. One example hit the social media circus just this past week -  The Ian Motion Mini.

The website

One look and I was hooked. Ian is a French company that restores and converts old Austin Minis into slick little modern electrics. The specs look to be fairly similar to those of a new Nissan Leaf. The creature comforts are minimal, but holy moly that thing looks good and would have to be fun to drive. And the Ian is not somebody’s rough-draft experiment. This is a company that focuses on converting one car so they can work through the evolution process before they send out a car. It’s a beautiful new old car that quietly screams how good life can be when we get rid of the gas pump.

From their website:


Enjoy the promo video

May we all not-so-quietly scream how good life can be until we get rid of the gas pump and go renewable. And may you truly enjoy the journey!

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