Slapping electric motors into classic cars is unquestionably the way of the hot-rodding future — but some of these builds are, naturally, more successful than others. So, what does it look like when an old car gets blessed with modern power, suspension, and gets the look absolutely right? You might just be looking at it. Meet Matt Brown and his Tesla-powered 1950 Jaguar Mark V sedan that rides on air!
“Superfast Matt” as he’s known online, gets his one-of-a-kind Jag to sit low by installing a set of Ridetech Shockwave airbags, which help get his one-of-a-kind machine to sit significantly lower at stops, while also making the car more drivable. How? The airbags can be inflated to lift the car over speed bumps and rough roads, and softened or hardened to improve ride quality and/or handling whenever Matt wants.
The best part? Matt put almost his entire build online, from welding the Tesla drive units up to the Jaguar’s chassis to the Shockwave air suspension installation process. Matt also shares how he set up the RidePro E5 control system, which is great information if you plan on building something similar for yourself down the road.
Air Ride Suspension Fabbed Up
Image courtesy Superfast Matt (via YouTube).
Image courtesy Superfast Matt (via YouTube).
So, a few things. Obviously this kind of build isn’t for everyone. If you’re a Riddler guy/gal/whatever, you’re probably horrified by the juicy welds and lumpy bodywork on Matt’s Jag. That’s a different animal, though — and, while not quite a rat rod, this build looks to me like someone effectively dropped an old Jaguar Mark V body onto a modern Tesla chassis then slammed it to the ground. I even dig the factory Tesla rims, which add to that impression.
That’s just me, though. You can check out one of Superfast Matt’s installation videos, below, which talks about how he chose whether to reuse the old Jaguar parts or build up his own, and what that thought process might look like for anyone else looking to build a Tesla Hot Rod of their own. Give it a watch, then scroll down to the comments section at the bottom of the page and let us know how you’d build up your own electrified classic hot rod!
DIY or Off The Shelf
Source | Images: Superfast Matt, via Ridetech.
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