Martin has done an amazing restoration and electric conversion to create POPP-E, a practical daily driver Ford Popular

Small Ford Spares is the leading parts supplier for the British-built side valve Fords from the 1930s to 1960s. We were very interested to learn about a customer’s E-Pop conversion. Martin Weis from Frankfurt has been kind enough to answer all our questions and provide many detailed photographs of the project.

Some purists may disagree with the conversion, but we think Martin has created a fun daily driver without altering the look of the classic Ford.

If you want to follow Martin and his E-Pop, he can be found on Instagram as rumgugger

What made you want to convert an old vehicle to electric drive?

In Germany, the road traffic regulations are quite restrictive when it comes to engine conversions, especially compared to England. That’s why it couldn’t be a V8, and I didn’t want an internal combustion engine either, as all my cars are now electric. I can understand if that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but who says that all conversions should look the same? I also didn’t want to build a racing car, but an everyday car that I could use to get to work, and also have fun on short trips at the weekend.

And why did you choose a 1954 Ford Popular?

Back in the 1980s and 90s, when I discovered the drag racing at Hockenheim, I had the idea of one day owning a Ford Pop. I liked the variety of these colourful boxes and I really liked the shape.

Which parts had to be replaced/modified, apart from the engine, tank and gearbox?

Well, that’s quite straightforward with the Pop, as there are no electronic obstacles. Instead of the combustion engine, there’s an electric motor, I screwed the battery pack in place of the back seat (I wanted to keep the boot) and the accelerator pedal was replaced with an electronic one. The gearbox, clutch, brakes and chassis all remain original. That was also important to me, I wanted to keep it as close to the original vehicle as possible. Perhaps with a few fun compromises ;-)

I did a lot of the work using tools and techniques from the 1950s. This was not easy, e.g. the engine compartment seal is original with the copper rivets and the roof was brazed in 2 cracked places, gradually all visible screws will be changed back to slotted screws and a few ornaments will also be reminiscent of the time before. So it’s not a typical hotrod, but also not 100% factory original either.

I’m not one to say electric vehicles will save the world, but believe that if everyone shakes their heads and says “you can’t do that”, then you’ve done it right! In this respect, the PoppE lives a little of the classic modern spirit and is another splash of colour in today’s colourful horde of pops.

Where did the electrical components come from?

After a bit of research on the internet, I found a company nearby called LOREY, which has been doing all kinds of road-legal conversions for almost 20 years. So I took a closer look at this workshop. I quickly realised that I could get all the components I needed from a single source and that I could also carry out some of the conversions myself in their workshop under supervision. Minor restorations and modernisations included. So I ordered a box of original parts or replacements for the worn parts such as the roof, doors, brakes, wheel bearings, gearbox bearings, handbrake, seals, locks, lighting etc. The rest came from LOREY.

Electric Ford Popular - electronic control gear

Can you share the technical details?

Everything is air-cooled and has a main voltage of 100 volts. A Li-Fe battery pack with a capacity of just over 20kwh, a 220V charger with 2500W max and a German motor from LINDE, specially adapted for use in cars, were installed. It has about 160Nm, max 35kW and turns at 6500rpm. Of course, it also has an emergency stop, buzzer, electric heating and safety systems.

I charge it at home as normal via a normal socket, just like an e-bike or laptop. No wallbox, no special cabling. Takes 5 seconds to plug in at the evening and 5 more to unplug in the morning. I charge it with my home-generated solar power.

What is the car like to drive now?

Of course, the car accelerates considerably better than with the original engine, but to protect the small gearbox we have had to greatly reduced the power output so that the whole thing doesn’t crumble at the traffic lights.

Top speed is voluntarily throttled back to 100 km/h with the foot, which seems appropriate with the original suspension and brakes. In summer, I get about 200 kilometres range. I normally drive around 50-100 kilometres a day and it’s fully charged in the carport every morning. The whole load weighs 680kg (fully charged!) and thanks to braking regeneration, the car also brakes better than before.

What were the costs involved? and how long did it take to convert the Ford Popular into an electric car?

I converted the whole thing in several stages. I did the drive system first, as I was sceptical as to whether it would be feasible. Next came the bodywork and paint, as well as a number of 3D printed materials. The interior is still pending and the new roof just won’t seal properly!

I was helped by a couple of garage friends, without whom the result would not have been as good. I can do a lot of things myself, but not as perfectly as someone who does it every day. Especially the paintwork and sheet metal. In total, the conversion has probably cost around €30,000 in addition to hundreds of hours. That’s about as much as a small electric car would have cost anyway. But – hey – I have an e-Pop!

In the meantime, I have been to many exhibitions, trade fairs and classic car meetings, even at the Concours d’Elegance at Schwetzingen Castle, at the Eco-GP at the Nürburgring, on television, in the press, radio and social media, there is a rum (!) with the PoppE on the label, photos have won competitions, one photo is even floating through space on an SD card (thanks to the Tesla referral programme and SpaceX), I am working on an appearance in a feature film, a record cover and much more.

It’s just a shame that there are hardly any Pops in Germany, or they’re just standing around in collections.

With an electric conversion, you can drive such vehicles in everyday life as many problems with maintenance, adjustment, starting and lack of power are eliminated. Turning the key and go full throttle, even warming up etc. is a thing of the past.

Diagram of electric Ford Popular conversion

But you do reach the mechanical limits of the original parts: I’ve already broken the gearbox mount twice and the wheel bearings ran dry after 80 kilometres at full throttle on the ‘German Autobahn’. But I hope the car lasts for many more years, because it’s so much fun to see children waving at the bus stop on the way to work every morning and to see smiling faces in the car park when shopping.

Martin would like to thank all the supporters, Lorey, the NSRA UK, and dealers like Small Ford Spares that make all this possible. Ask to follow him on Instagram @rumgugger