Collector electrifies a 1955 LaSalle Roadster

Just months after Joe Bortz's unveiling of the restored 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne, the auto archeologist and collector is moving into the second phase of restoration with another General Motors Motorama concept car: the 1955 LaSalle Roadster.

But here's the key difference--the LaSalle is going electric.

As the LaSalle's motor was never completed, the roadster is considered a “push mobile.” To prepare the car so that it can be driven--rather than pushed--on the road, Bortz has teamed up with Pioneer Conversions, an Illinois business focusing in the electric conversion of various vehicles.

Before the LaSalle is sent to a restorer to finish the body and the interior, Pioneer Conversions will first install an electric hybrid motor in the roadster's trunk.

Chuck Derer will be documenting the project on his YouTube Web site, Rides with Chuck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnE0-ZVX4Ho

By Izzi Bendall