Iconic 1949 Mercury Coupe powered by Tesla, crashing into Jay Leno's garage.
Icon founder Jonathan Ward likes to hide modern technology under layers of antiquity. He calls his fusion of old and new "Derelicts," and recently brought the most radical car in the series to Jay Leno's garage.
On the surface, it may look like a worn-out 1949 Mercury coupe, but this ultimate sleeper is powered by an electric powertrain that combines Tesla technology The Derelict Mercury made the cover in 2018, and in this video you can see this ingenious You can see the build in more detail in this video.
A pair of electric motors are mounted where the transmission once stood, while the stock rear-wheel drive system is retained. Some electric conversions of classic cars retain the factory transmission, but Ward says that Mercury's factory-installed three-speed manual transmission was made unnecessary by the dual motors' combined 500 lb-ft of torque.
In the space vacated by the engine, the controller, cooling hardware, and part of the Tesla battery module (located further up the rear axle) are arranged like a classic V-8. Ward said he wanted the look to appeal to those who love old-school hot rods, while at the same time optimizing weight distribution. The battery module has a total capacity of 85 kwh, and Icon said it has a range of 150-200 miles in 2018.
A cooling system based on a semi-truck air conditioning compressor will manage temperature and air conditioning for the battery, motor, and controller. Like other Derelict builds, Mercury has a custom chassis with state-of-the-art suspension and braking components.
The paint is in the same condition as when this Mercury was purchased on Craigslist from an owner in Southern California. This generation of Mercury was so popular with car customizers that many of the survivors were chopped and carved into lead sleds. Ward, however, kept the stock look because both he and the car buyers found it attractive. The only styling changes were a lowered suspension and 18-inch wheels with stock hubcaps.
Ward and Icon found some clever ways to keep it old school. The factory fog lights were reworked with LED elements, and the charging ports for the CHAdeMO and Tesla Supercharger plugs were hidden behind the front license plate and at the factory fuel filler, respectively. In addition, the interior leather upholstery is new but has been aged to match the rest of the car.
Icon has built several delete builds over the years, including a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL powered by the heart of a C6 Corvette ZR1, all of which were gasoline-powered. The engineering behind Mercury's EV conversion and Ward's commitment to the derelict theme stand out among other builds.
