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Will hot rods survive the electric revolution? Top automotive designer says "absolutely"

Top custom car designer David Eckert says the future for the hot rod community is bright thanks to the versatility of electric technology and artificial intelligence.
Posted at 9:45 AM, Mar 08, 2024
and last updated 2024-03-08 11:45:47-05

WEST BOISE — The Boise Roadster Show coming to Expo Idaho illustrates how the industry is changing from a fossile fuel dinosaur to a clean and versatile source of creativity.

  • Boise Roadster Show runs Friday through Sunday at Expo Idaho.
  • Some of the top custom car designers in the world will be on hand.
  • Top designers say electric cars make future hot rods a world of opportunity.

(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

The hot rod scene consists primarily of modifying old cars to make them new and fast and different.

Welcome to a brand new world.

“I brought a mach 40 today. Which is a 69 base mustang with all gt40 running gear.”

The gt-40 was a remake of a legendary car from Ford that beat Ferrari at lemans.

And David Eckert spent 11 thousand man hours to make this look classic.

In the back is a supercharged 850 horsepower engine that runs on gas. But Dave is ready for something different.

"Well manufacturers right now are really starting to produce electric engines for us builders to use." said Eckert, "As more manufacturers do that and the batteries become better, I can see going to electric no problem.”

Eckert says future hot rodders will be able to use AI and 3d printing to build their own designs.

"Kids will be building cars from scratch. They won't be like the Mach 40 but totally different."

And Eckert says as long as there are cars with wheels , there will be hot rods.

"From the beginning w3e took gas cars and souped them up. So what are we going to do to electric cars? We’re going to soup them up"