Check Out This Gorgeous EV from Totem Automobili
Italian start-up Totem Automobili has launched a gorgeous electric vehicle that you’d swear was a vintage Alfa Romeo Giulia GT Junior. Totem’s car, called the Giulia GT Electric, is a hand-built electric restomod wearing a redesigned carbon fiber body. The body weighs just 209 pounds, and with lines designed to look smoother and more modern while at the same time maintaining the GTA’s authentic look.
Riccardo Quaggio, a former Alfa Romeo designer, founded Totem Automobili. He loves vintage cars and also has a passion for a zero-emission future, so wanted to redefine classic Italian cars. He and his team—21 engineers (mechanical and electrical), nine craftsman and about 150 suppliers—spent several years designing and crafting and thousands of hours testing prior to the first GT EV.
The conversion process started with an Alfa Giulia GT Junior 1300/1600, built between 1970 and 1975. Totem took a car completely apart and stiffened the frame enough to handle the power increase from the original 192 hp to 590 hp (good enough for a 2.9-second 0-to-60 mph time). The EV uses 10% of the original chassis and has an aluminum suspension, double wishbones front and rear. The roll bar is made of a micro-alloy steel approved for aeronautics. The electric motor sits in the rear, while the 63.9-Kwh battery pack (for now, at least; the exact specs are still being finalized) is good for 242 miles of range according to the company.
Totem claims that using gaming algorithms and internal combustion engine calibration, it can make engine torque, gear ratios, power band, engine brake, and sound and vibration sound “realistic and customizable.” Even the gear lever can be made to have a conventional shifter’s mechanical feeling. Engine sounds are customizable as well.
“It will be possible to choose from unlimited sound layers, building your own and unique experience, even those that exist only in the creative mind,” Totem says. There is a “very wide possibility of customization in every engine point.”
The hand built interior uses instruments that look vintage but are in fact digital displays, designed in classic round shapes and enclosed in carbon fiber rings. The seats are based on 1750 Giulia GT buckets but are molded to each customer’s body shape, while the position and size of the pedals are designed and built in line with the customer’s shoe size.
“This jewel is the result of the collaboration of a passionate team dedicated to perfection, attention to detail, technological performance to bring the iconic car to a level never experienced before to provide classic car lovers the best Italian vintage car thought for the future,” the company said, adding that it only plans to build 20 cars. Expect to pay between $500 and $600,000 depending on how much customization you want.
Log in to the comments and tell us what you think of this EV!
