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CHICAGO - Ford is showing off its F-100 Illuminator at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show – a zero-emission all-electric vehicle that is actually a conversion of a vintage 1978 F-100.
The Illuminator has two electric traction motors powering the front and rear wheels, packing 480 horses with over 630 pounds of torque all coming courtesy of a crate motor from Ford's Mustang Mach-E – a motor that's available for purchase online right now for under $4,000 – but that's where you'll need a mechanic.
"What we're trying to do here is to show people that the world of electric vehicles is not as scary as we think," said Ford team leader Mark Wilson. "We're taking out the engine and the transmission in this case and we're putting in an EV motor."
Now it's not hard to imagine what you're thinking: an old pickup chassis with a supercharged electric engine – this thing can't be street legal, right? Well, pump those breaks because it's good to go in all 50 states.
In case you were wondering, that Illuminator cost well over $100,000 and is not available for sale.
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