As I’ve said before, SEMA is not usually a place you expect to see lots of alternative fuel vehicles. But in recent years there has been a paradigm shift, and increasing floor space has been devoted to debuting technologies and cars that conserve gas, rather than waste it.

Factory Five, out of Wareham Massachusetts, is a well-known maker of kit cars based on classic Shelby designs including the Cobra and Daytona. Amp=D has taken one of their kit cars based on the iconic ‘33 Ford and built a powerful electric drivetrain around this handsome hot rod.

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There seems to be a craze catching on with matching classic metal with modern, alternative power sources. I guess not everyone wants to drive a Smartcar or a Prius, but at the same time doesn’t want to pay for gas. That is the case of software engineer Raul Atkinson, who finally decided that since nobody made an electric car he would want to drive, he’d simply build one himself.

Of course, it couldn’t look like an electric car. We are all entitled to our opinions, but I still live in America, home of the muscle car, luxury SUVs, and a seemingly endless series of scenic roads. So Atkinson’s idea of dumping an electric powerplant into a Daytona kit car is not only appealing, but downright sexy…in an Earth-friendly way.

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