Zombie History

---------------------------------------- 1996 LATE VERSION ----------------------------------------

  • Motor:

    9 inch ADC (143 lbs.)

  • Drive type:

    Datsun 5 speed (from '81 Datsun 210 fastback). Shaved & lightened flywheel with with heavy duty 'Nissan Competition' racing clutch.

  • Driveshaft:

    Custom made heavy duty type drive line with stronger universal joints.

  • Rear axle:

    Heavy duty Nissan from '67 Datsun SSS 411 sedan, chopped and narrowed, 4:88 gear set from a '66 Datsun pickup.

  • Wheels & tires:

    Front - 13 x 5.5 classic American Racing 4 spoke with 175/50/13 Pirelli P7.

    Rear - 13 x 7 classic American Racing 4 spoke with 195/50/13 Pirelli P7.

  • Batteries:

    15, 12 volt Optima Red Tops (SLI type) @ 180V nominal, 585 lbs. total pack weight.

  • Controller:

    Removed Sevcon SCR controller and installed Otmar's 'Brick' 1200 amp monster high voltage controller (prototype for the Godzilla). This high powered controller needed liquid cooling, so a quick and easy solution was the nifty device in the center picture. We took an empty cable tie plastic container, filled it with water, and dropped in a compact submersible aquarium pump! A small 12 vdc to 120 vac inverter supplied the AC juice to run the pump's motor.

  • 12 volt system:

    Due to the very high currents the new controller could pull, sustained accelerations would sag the pack below the DC-DC converter's operating threshold and the 12V system would 'brown out'. Removed the Todd DC-DC and installed a 45 lb. Optima Yellow Top (D750) 12V battery in original SLI battery location (lower left corner in above photo). External charging required.

  • Other Mods:

    Installed dash mounted 0-15V, 12V system monitoring gauge.

  • Car weight:

    2150 lbs. (weighed on scales)

  • Races and EVents

    8-11-1996 First 'EV Awareness Day'...Zombie takes on a charge (left). Famous burn-out on Oregon Street (right). Footage of this burn-out is at the 'Videos' page.

    9-21-1996 'Ride Fest '96 Alternative Transportation Festival' in Portland, Oregon...White Zombie on display.

    10-9-1996 White Zombie featured in Washington state's 'Columbian' newspaper and creates excitement about high performance electric cars. The caption reads..."Tires are for smoking: Capable of burning rubber with the best of them, E-Car's Datsun 1200 is a high-voltage hotrod running 0-60 in four seconds and turning 13 second runs in the quarter-mile":

    Of humerous interest, when asked by the reporter what kind of acceleration the car had, he was told that the 1/4 mile times could be in 13s with more improvements ...of course, it was printed that the car 'could' run 13s. It would take three more years before White Zombie would actually break into the 13s...three years exactly to the month when on October 2nd, 1999 the car broke into the 13s for the very first time with a 13.5 @ 93 mph. A week later on October 9th, 1999 (precisely 3 years from the date of the newspaper story) White Zombie ran 13.47 @ 95 mph.

  • Carnage:

    none

  • Plasmaboy Quote:

    EV Awareness Day..."Otmar came to Portland with an ugly off-red/brown box that was 'supposed' to be this badass new controller that was 'supposed' to impress me. Oat said, "I was thinking of calling it 'The Brick'. I said, "Gad, what a stupid name that is!" Burning the rear tires into white-smoke hell and doing a 360 degree smoking spin in the middle of Glisan St. near the 102nd Ave. intersection in morning rush hour traffic (Otmar at the wheel)...I'm panting now, perspiring a bit more, eyes wide open....he's got this child-like but evil grin on his face....all others on the roads have halted their vehicles, and with their mouths gaping open they have a total look of fear on their faces. That's when it came to me...I've seen this same response of total fear before-those screaming people running for their lives from Godzilla in the movies! I looked at Oat and said, "Brick my ass, that's no ordinary controller under the hood...it's a monster...no, it's Godzilla!"