The trend of electric cars in the world does not only come from major automotive manufacturers, the world’s modifiers are also “stimulated” to prove their abilities. One of them is the Tommy Pike Custom which converts a 1987 Nissan Sunny into an electric pickup and uses a power source from a Nissan Leaf. The pickup was exhibited at the Special Equipment Market Association (SEMA) 2022 event in Las Vegas, United States.
The idea of converting an old pickup like that was actually done and was present at SEMA 2021 by presenting the Ford F-100 Eluminator Concept. The pickup is implanted with an electric motor from the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT which produces a maximum power of 480 hp. The modifiers managed to combine the classic value of the vehicle with modern technology taken from the latest electric cars.
Back in the 1987 Nissan Sunny which was exhibited at the 2022 SEMA event, Tommy Pike Customs embeds a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery belonging to the Nissan Leaf as a power source. As a result, the classic truck has a maximum power of up to 147 hp with a peak torque of 319 Nm. Maybe this figure looks normal, but looking at the dimensions of the Nissan Sunny, it seems that the power is three times greater than the original car.
Nissan Sunny 1987 itself is a compact pickup equipped with a 4-cylinder petrol engine with a capacity of 1.5 liters and has a maximum power of about 84 hp with a peak torque of 122 Nm. The engine package is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission that delivers power and torque to the front wheels. Reportedly, the modifier also continues to embed the manual transmission system on the Sunny EV, although it is not explained how it works.
In order to provide a more dynamic and comfortable driving experience, Nissan also supplies the Nissan 240SX front suspension for this Sunny EV. While the rear suspension system uses leaf springs with stronger specifications to accommodate the needs of the rider.
Turning to the exterior, the Nissan Sunny EV has a design that is quite attractive and striking. This is influenced by the wide-body which makes it look more boxy. There is a touch of contrasting colors of red, white and blue throughout the body as well as paying homage to the Datsun belonging to Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) in the 1970s. On the other hand, the Sunny EV uses LED headlights that also give the classic 80s modern look that is thicker. While on all four wheels, 17-inch Rotiform wheels are installed which are inspired by vintage motor sport.
Currently the Nissan Sunny EV may be the only one in the world, but there is a possibility that Nissan will include it as one of the models produced. The reason is that Ford has also done the same thing through its Eluminator which also took part in the 2021 SEMA by using electric power.
