This Electrified Triumph Vitesse Is British Ingenuity At Its Finest

Jerome visits conversion guru Richard ‘Moggy’ Morgan in Wales, UK, at ‪@ElectricClassicCars‬ to discover a one-off conversion for a Triumph Vitesse aficionado.
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[@ElectricClassicCars]

Another great episode. Thanks for stopping by. ⚡️❤️👍

[@levelcrossing150]

One of my most memorable experiences when I was in the motor trade was to collect a 1970 2 litre Vitesse Convertable with overdrive. That six cylinder engine sang a beautiful song all the way back. What a sad outcome for this lovely example, well I suppose we are in the 2020's aren't we.

[@Molishious]

I liked the lesson on how to shift in an electric car as I’d wondered about that and the turning circle was pretty amazing. Must be a fun drive with the top down.

[@Kirby1969]

This is awesome!!!!! Would have loved an EV conversion in the 1963 Spitfire I used to own!!!!!

[@seantaylor9758]

Great video and workmanship from ECC. The straight 6 engine was the Vitesse so for me the main reason I would keep the vehicle has now gone. Great for some people but not for me.

[@peteohead]

I wonder about the noise of wind, drivetrain and rattles, which previously were mostly masked by the exhaust note, but nevertheless the restoration and conversion look unmatched in their quality.

[@urbanstrencan]

Another great episode with ElectricClassicCars and another great conversion by them. Would love to see Moggy get his hands on Lada Niva and do EV conversion on it :)

[@jeromeandre4915]

I’m sure he’d love to do a Niva!

[@nodrog630]

My first car was a Bond Equipe, same chassis, no boot lid and an 11/47 motor, rustproof as it was fibreglass, wish I'd kept it

[@Thankz4sharing]

"Party piece." I noticed that you kept moving before you turned the steering wheel to full lock. I worked at a US Rambler-Volvo-Triumph dealership in the late 1960s and learned that it was very difficult to get moving from a dead stop at full lock. We sold more Spitfires than Heralds. Both were regarded as essentially disposable by our service department. I don't think that the front wheel was quite at full lock at 3:18. To remain brand authentic, there should be provision for a bit of an oil leak. Perhaps using artisan hempseed oil to keep free of nasty petroleum distillates.

[@peteohead]

The point of the different shaped switches is to be able to find them using tactile feel alone, whilst leaving eyes on the road. Something that 1970’s interior designers understood, but our current day ones do not. Modern touchscreens are awful, and arguably a safety issue as to touch the right part of the screen requires you to look away from the road.

[@ptonpc]

That is one of the many things that put me off modern cars. Too many distractions.

[@peteohead]

@@ptonpc Yeah I have had a Tesla for the last 2 years, and my Vitesse since 1985. Essentially the mindset to operate both cars is completely different. There’s lots more information in the Tesla and systems to manage, so one either leaves things in ‘Auto’ like high beam, lights, wipers etc or set them, and the nav route, prior to departure. Then you just use the autopilot appropriately (ie on major roads) and comfort is high and workload is low. In general, I like to ‘go for a drive’ in the Vitesse for fun, but if travelling any sort of distance, the Tesla is a far better mode of transport.

[@lordleonusa]

The Chassis on the Herald was almost the same, but the Spitfire and GT6 were different.

[@lordleonusa]

The suspension and handling WERE perfectly good on the Mk.2 Vitesse because by then they had sorted it out with lower rear wishbones etc! Don't let your ignorance and desire to knock these cars get the better of you!

[@bidon5037]

Another extreme comment offsetting others... Another wonderful and respectful build, enjoyable every day with no fear of being stuck. Thanks for getting rid of the nasty oily smelly engine. No matter its nobility, stop burning stuffs!

[@peterking2794]

'No fear of being stuck'? Until the battery goes flat!

[@levelcrossing150]

@@peterking2794 In my view it's no longer a classic car, might as well buy a Nissan Leaf.

[@peterking2794]

@@levelcrossing150 Agreed!

[@johnbrereton5229]

At least he has installed this electic kit without butchering the car. Therefore, in the future it can be restored to its original form quite easily if an engine can be found. 😢

[@notroll1279]

I'm not totally opposed to restomodding a car, especially if it eliminates genuine weak spots of the original design. But a Triumph Vitesse was defined by its six cylinder engine in its time and all the design cues like the added ventilation openings and twin headlines mainly served to underline that the "special engine" was at work here. Why didn't they just take a humdrum Herald and replace its unremarkable 4 cylinder engine instead?

[@jeromeandre4915]

Hey- give us a sub and a like if you want more of this content, guys!

[@corvanha1]

Now for an electric Daffodil! Top speed in reverse!

[@charleswillcock3235]

Everyone would know what this car is!

[@lordleonusa]

The Standard-Triumph Company, British Leyland from 1962 was NOT the same company as the Motorcycle company, and had not been for man years.

[@colonelfostershado9705]

I had 5 Vitesse’s. All Mk 2’s that handled, were quick and sounded great. Mr Sideburns was quite disparaging. Disappointing.

[@matthewjenkins1161]

I know it is so fashionable to bash British manufacturing gone by, but the reason the Vitesse and Herald had fins, is due to them being designed in the 1950s. Suggesting typical of 70s Britain, when manufacturing ended in 1971 and 12 years of Herald production, is just plain wrong.

[@TheEulerID]

It's a 60s car really, as they were made from 1962 to 1971, and the Herald on which it was based dates from 1959. Lousy handling, albeit a lot better on the later ones, but good turning circle and quite pretty, like most Triumphs.

[@lilianecasner3336]

Sad you converted it ,that lovely six cylinder engine!

[@towerdave4836]

Had two of these back in the day. The attraction was the 2 litre six engine. Without it ……lost its appeal I’m afraid.

[@bernarddegrasse8753]

Don't keep doing that you will wear the tyres out.

[@SabotsLibres]

I could accept an electrified Herald, but the Vitesse was built in much smaller numbers and was an almost unique combination of small car with a six-cylinder engine; and not just a six, but in original form, a tiny six - just 1.6 litres. Even the later 2 litre was small by more modern six cylinder standards. Such a shame to essentially destroy an absolute classic and create something to plug into an already overloaded electricity grid...

[@22pcirish]

Most of us charge at night when it’s cheap and the grid NOT overloaded.

[@SabotsLibres]

@@22pcirish "most of us" don't have electric cars; when most of us do have electric cars, even charging at night the grid will not be able to cope. But "most of us" still won't be a be able to charge at night - or even at home - due to logistics.

[@22pcirish]

@@SabotsLibres I am fortunate to have a home charger but I don’t need one. Charging can be done anytime at any charger. I often have a graze when at the shops. Battery tech will soon improve to being able to charge in a matter of a few minutes and about the same time as filling a car with fossil fuel. As to grid overloading, how on earth do we cope in winter…..

[@SabotsLibres]

@@22pcirish it is because we barely cope in winter... and in summer, more and more people are using aircon...

[@matthewjenkins1161]

@@22pcirish You get it cheaper at night, because you pay double for everything else during the day. But EV drivers never seem to acknowledge how they've doubled their domestic electricity costs.

[@paulharrison7761]

The ruination of another classic car.

[@billmitchell7904]

Vandalism and sacrilege!

[@pugmanick]

Richards cars use the original engine mounts etc. as he described in the video. This means it can be reverted if desired. If anything its sympathetic and considerate modification, unlike some conversions. Far from vandalism.

[@mickcooper8605]

sacrilege

[@peterstudley1804]

Why ! That would have been a gorgeous practical classic, what you've forgotten, EVs are an impractical solution to an imaginary problem.

[@grabagranny7006]

How could you, you should be ashamed.

[@peterking2794]

Yet another lovely classic car RUINED!!! I've always dreamt of having a car like that (I had a scruffy Herald 1200 in my youth which I loved), but wouldn't touch any electric car with a barge pole!

[@jeromeandre4915]

Yet you’re watching and commenting on an EV channel 😁😎

[@peterking2794]

@@jeromeandre4915 Out of curiosity. I watch quite a few EV channels, but it doesn't mean I'm interested in them. Cheers!

[@barriewilliams4526]

Another classic car ruined!

[@paulhorscroft1471]

What's the point of putting the top down when you can't hear fuck all another classic ruined

[@michaelgoode9555]

You clearly do not understand the true pleasure of a convertible. The sun on your back, the wind in your hair ... And the biggest benefit is that you don't have to snort a few lungfulls of toxic fumes from your car's exhaust.

[@paulhorscroft1471]

@michaelgoode9555 borrowed my old man's 2 litre convertible a while back don't remember toxic fumes coming from it just a great exhaust note coming from the straight 6