This 1940s-Inspired Race Car Has Classic Looks But Is Actually An EV

The world could have been a very different world if electric cars had taken off a century ago.

During the formative years of the automobile, heaps of electric models were on the market, and at one stage in the early 1900s, EVs actually outsold gasoline-powered vehicles. Due to a series of factors, including the discovery of large petroleum reserves throughout the United States and the falling cost of petroleum, the internal combustion engine quickly became the norm and the EV didn’t return in force until just a few years ago.

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Intrigued by the idea of what a race car from the early 1940s could have looked like were it to feature an electric powertrain, designer Alexander Imnadze Baldini created a special concept which he dubs the Helvezzia Tipo-6.

The vehicle has been designed as a racer, albeit one that could also be used on the streets. It has a shape similar to classic race cars from the period and, despite the electric powertrain, sports a large chrome grille up front. It also has an open-wheel design and is sports a set of thin tires, along with a spare wheel strapped to the side, just as one would expect for a vehicle of this age.

Being a race car, the Helvezzia Tipo-6 has just a single seat. Located in front of the driver is a three-spoke steering wheel that houses three different gauges and a set of switches, while behind the steering wheel there are five additional gauges.