Monterey Car Week 2024 — Aug. 9 to Aug. 18 — was another exhibition of how far electric vehicles (EVs) have come. Plenty of legacy automakers unveiled new luxurious electric cars, niche brands showing off powerful hypercars, and displays of the potential of electric motor conversion. Here are some of the highlights from Pebble Beach.
Photo Courtesy Kindred Motorworks
Kindred Motorworks And Its Ford Bronco
Based in the Bay Area, Kindred Motorworks proved that classic vehicles can still run like clocks with electric conversion. The company showed off an old Ford Bronco with a modern EV upgrade. The old V8 engine was replaced with an 80-kilowatt-per-hour (kWh) battery. It was unveiled at Monterey Car Week a few weeks ago.
It’s not the first time Kindred Motorworks has converted a timeless classic into electric power. They have successfully done so with a Chevy 3100 pickup truck and the Volkswagen bus, the “hippie van.” They also restore gas-powered cars and sell them for a pretty penny.
The Bronco, available at the base price of $225,000, will also have modern technology in the interior.
It comes with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, keyless entry, power windows and locks, and a wood floor bed. The battery can accept level 3 direct-current fast charging. LED lighting has replaced the incandescent bulbs of the past.
“In under three years, we’ve evolved from an idea inspired by the complexities of restoring a classic vehicle to a fully realized company that is now producing and delivering turnkey, fully modernized vintage vehicles,” Rob Howard, CEO and founder, said upon the Bronco’s delivery to the customer.
Photo Courtesy Automobili Pininfarina
Convertible Battista Targamerica Debuts
Automobili Pininfarina showed off the Battista Targamerica at Monterey, its open-top version. It was a specialty order for a client who owned another Battista model.
The car was unveiled for the client at The Quail, one of Car Week’s locations, on Aug. 16. It pays homage to another Pininfarina convertible, the B95 Speedster, and the Ferrari Testarossa Spider. The EV also takes inspiration from the Rimac Nevera electric hypercar.
The Battista Targamerica is the pinnacle of zero-emission luxury driving and speed. The interior comes with fine leather seats, and the center console has a cigar humidor. The doors are butterfly, rising diagonally. The Battista has around 1,900 horsepower across four electric motors.
Photo Courtesy Acura
Acura Unveils Performance EV Concept
The Japanese-American luxury brand is planning a future vehicle that was shown off at Monterey. For now, it’s known as the Acura Performance EV Concept. It will be an SUV developed by Acura Design Studio in Los Angeles and will be assembled at the Honda EV Hub in Ohio.
Details about the car are scarce. All we know is the shape, what the exterior looks like, and some of its LED elements. It follows in the footsteps of the ZDX, which was unveiled at last year’s Car Week.
It was presented at the The Quail on Aug. 16 and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Aug. 18.
“The Acura Performance EV Concept is the archetype of Acura Performance in the electrified era, taking full advantage of the extreme design freedom of stance and proportion offered by our next-generation EV platform to push the boundaries of Acura design even further,” Dave Marek, Acura design executive, said.
Photo Courtesy Rimac
Rimac Nevera R
Speaking of Rimac, the Croatian sports car maker also unveiled some upgrades to the Nevera. The Nevera R is the next generation of the acclaimed electric hypercar. The company is making the new R edition in a limited batch, so good luck getting your hands on one.
Rimac says only 40 Nevera R units will be manufactured. Each will cost $2.5 million. The EV debuted at Monterey in a nebula green color scheme with a spoiler attachment. This hypercar will have around 2,107 horsepower across four electric motors.
The Nevera R can reach 60 mph in 1.7 seconds and 186 mph in 8.7 seconds. According to the carmaker, it shed a few pounds and increased downforce by 15%. The company says it will be faster than the standard Nevera, which held the EV speed record until the Aspark OWL SP600 broke it.
Range estimates suggest the hypercar will have 250 miles of range before recharging.
Photo Courtesy Cadillac
Cadillac Opulent Velocity
Cadillac is dipping into the pool of luxury with its latest electric concept car, the Opulent Velocity. It’s an appropriate name for the vehicle, being an ultra-sleek, almost-razor-thin coupe. It was unveiled on Aug. 16 to show the direction Cadillac hopes to go.
The Opulent has self-opening butterfly doors and sleek headlights prominent on other Cadillac models and will have Level 4 hands-free driving.
According to Green Car Reports, it could possibly be built on GM’s Ultium battery platform.
“It’s the future vision of luxury performance, incorporating Cadillac’s leadership in hands-free driving capabilities, electrification, and performance excellence,” Bryan Nesbitt, executive director, Global Cadillac Design, said in a statement.
Judging by the pointed exterior, Cadillac intends this EV to have some kind of high acceleration. The interior has an augmented reality head-up display and a 3D information-enabled widescreen infotainment system.
Given the price of the Cadillac Celestiq, the brand’s current EV offering, this coupe will likely cost a few hundred thousand dollars.
