ecently, I was asked by a fellow automotive industry person—one who has been in the aftermarket suspension business for over 30 years—what I thought about electric-powered muscle cars and if I have heard anything lately regarding this new-ish technology; and if, in fact, there is any recent news on the subject. While asking the question his voice carried a nervous tone as if he wasn’t sure he really wanted to hear what I had to say. But what I did have to say wasn’t much more than “I don’t really know.” His voice became more at ease as my answer had likely been what he did want to hear. Being on the editorial side of the aftermarket industry, I sometimes catch wind regarding the latest muscle car trends, but must admit, it’s been quite a while since I’ve heard anything regarding GM’s e-crate motor, which by now we should be seeing more of. In fact, as of this writing, there is nothing new on the Chevrolet Performance website beyond eCOPO Camaro concept, which was announced at the 2018 SEMA Show and the E-10 truck from the 2019 SEMA Show. Earlier this year there was information released regarding the fact that GM had selected Lingenfelter Performance Engineering as the first aftermarket company to develop a certified e-crate Connect & Cruise installer program, but that was the last I heard anything on that front.

Innovation is inevitable, and I would suspect there are more than a few people who are intrigued by EV technology coming over to the classic muscle car side of the hobby, but the only electric cars I’ve seen at any cruise or event has been some Teslas and one Ford Mach-E. Although, I have come upon photos online showing vintage rides with an electric motor (not the e-crate), but that has been very few. And if there is any question as to what lures people to hot rodding, the dude with the Tesla carried a remote in his hand that triggered the sound of a V-8 engine coming from what I would guess to be the sound system of said Tesla. That was just strange, and it just confirms my belief that the sound of a V-8 with an aggressive cam and pronounced exhaust note is one of the main draws to the muscle car hobby. It’s the rumble that gets our attention and what got many of us into cars in the first place. Sure, going fast is part of the equation that contributes to the thrill, but without the sound, there’s just something missing.

Now, I have yet to see or hear (wait, electric motors make no sound) a vintage muscle car at a local cruise or show with an electric motor between the framerails, but I understand there have been a couple spotted at some major car shows recently, but it’s safe to say electric-powered classic muscle cars will not be taking over our hobby anytime soon. Sure, there will be those with some knowledge and expendable cash to perform the swap as they become more readily available, but those will be few and far between. Now, there’s nothing wrong with clean-running hot rods, but I really don’t see electric motors taking the place of traditional internal-combustion engines in first-gen Camaros anytime soon.

So, fill’er up and get that good ol’ V-8 running strong because in our world of big- and small-block, LS, and LT engines, you just can’t beat the sound of a healthy mill exhaling through a set of open headers, or a nice sounding exhaust.

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