The E-Legend EL1 shows promise for car enthusiasts in an EV world
By Phil Royle – July 2, 2021
We’ve posed the question many times on our podcast: When it comes to capturing the imagination of true automotive enthusiasts, can any EV match the “soul” of an ICE performance vehicle? The guttural pops and thunderous roar from the exhaust, the vibrations of a lumpy cam at idle; in almost every way, these sensations utterly define performance automobiles targeted at enthusiasts. The scream of a flat-plane crankshaft, for example, has become the battle cry of many an ultimate performance car. But with the automotive world rapidly trending toward EVs, where does that leave the enthusiast?
I’ll be honest, I’ve been worried. And if you’re a dyed in the wool longtime car nut, you should be too. After all, EVs deliver amazing straight-line performance, but they do so silently. Where’s the character? Where’s the soul?
Over the last year or so, there have been numerous boutique EV concept cars, and while those have caught my eye, the one I stumbled upon this week – the E-Legend EL1 – made me realize everything is going to be alright.
OK, the E-Legend EL1 is far from perfect, especially with a price tag exceeding $1 million, should you even be able to import one of the 30 the German manufacturer is planning to produce (assuming, that is, the EL1 even comes to fruition). But I’m not so much in love with the EL1 and its spectacular Audi Sport Quattro retro vibe specifically, as I am the idea that EVs will be able to offer the flexibility needed for boutique enthusiast car builders to flourish.
The EL1 is slated to perform. Acceleration of this retro throwback is calculated at 2.8 seconds from 0-62 mph, running all the way up to 158 mph. Underneath the all-wheel-drive Audi lookalike will be a 90 kWh battery that can DC fast charge at a maximum of 150 kW, with a 22 kW AC/DC onboard charger.
E-Legend is aiming to make the EL1 capable of performing two full laps of the Nürburgring without performance degradation. That might not sound impressive on its own, but that equates to 26 miles at higher speeds and full throttle. I’m sure the relatively lightweight projected 3,700-pound curb weight will aid in achieving that performance and make this more than a 0-60 mph one trick pony.
What is also a welcome addition is the lack of additions. Safety and technical features on the EL1 are listed as airbags, ABS, stability, traction control, high-performance brakes, a rear-view camera, power windows, HVAC controls, Bluetooth, navigation, and, if you believe the photos, center-lock wheels. And while no specific size was listed, the multimedia screen is slated to be small and tilted toward the driver.
As far as I can tell, there are no intrusive radar, camera, or LiDAR autonomous driving nannies to distract the enthusiast from the experience at hand – just 805 hp, the driver, and the road. Cars like this are akin to the first-generation Dodge Viper, or basically any TVR. Except the EL1 utilizes a carbon fiber monocoque and pumps out near-instant torque.
In the coming decades, consumer vehicle emissions will become a thing of the past, and EV batteries and motors will likely be commodities that any small auto manufacturer can select from a catalogue. From here on, boutique auto manufacturer budgets that were once eaten up by the complex logistics of internal combustion engines and emission controls can flow into tactile design, both inside and out, as well as the driving experience.
Indeed, I’ll miss the scream of a finely tuned engine running at insane rpm, and even the smell of high-octane gasoline at the track, but with EVs like the EL1 (regardless of whether E-Legend makes its 2022 EL1 production goal), you can count me as a happy enthusiast.
Some aspects of the old motoring world I will forever miss, but the benefits of going EV are pretty darn awesome too.
(Images courtesy E-Legend)
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