The Baja 1000 is one of the most punishing endurance races in the world. Covering (you guessed it!) 1000 miles of desert across Mexico’s Baja peninsula, the race is the perfect proving ground for new technologies whose longevity and range might be called into question. It’s little wonder, then, that EV West – in a bid to prove the endurance of their electric product offerings – is headed to Baja in the VW Beetle-based electric beastie you see here.
In addition to being a highly-publicized, ultra-endurance off-road race, the Baja 1000 is notable for something else: VW Beetles still regularly compete! The little air-cooled
Nazi staff cars “Baja bug” runabouts are often highly modified, and this EV West conversion is out to prove that the TransWarp electric motor that’s being used in the race is more than up to the challenge of commuting around southern California.
If it’s good enough for Baja, in other words, it’s good enough for Rodeo Drive!
You can check out the EV West Baja bug doing fast burnouts in the company’s teaser video, below, showing the prototype launching HARD off the line. No surprise, given electric motors’ 0 rpm torque peak, but still absolutely wild to see – and to think, I could have had this in my ’73 Super Beetle …
Source: EV West, via TechVehi.
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