OK guys, I gotta say.... I found that netflix video on the pinto build and that guy paid $75K for.... and he got taken to the bank. I'm not that impressed. I did this 16 years ago in my garage.
First of all when you say you got a 9 second car in the dragster world that usually means in the 1/4 mile. They promised the guy a 9 second car, they didn't tell him it was in the 1/8th mile. They did get him a 7.8 second car which really is not all that bad, it should still turn 12 something in the 1/4. That's the same thing we run with lead acid batteries.
They used fancy AC motors which are not ideal for drag racing. DC Motors would give more instantaneous torque. Coupling two motors together is not hard to do, I saw the $80 spline coupling.
You never see the car do a burn out. They got wheelie bars and it doesn't even lift. I got Hoosier 10.5" drag radials to fit under the stock fenders. Of course I have a built Ford 9" under the rear. The stock 8" would have stuck those tires out far enough to need fender flares. Which makes me think they used the stock rear end. All that guys money went to the crappy orange peel (but in purple) paint job and hood scoop which made the car look ugly ;-)
Its not a 1 of a kind because there are several electric pintos that have been built over the years. Ours is a 12.5 second car (7.80 in the 1/8th) that dynos 1500 ft-lbs. Even with that much torque I don't even run wheelie bars.
And we only got $50K in the car and we're still on lead acid batteries. Going to lithium would make it a 10 second car in the 1/4 mile, but that battery pack adds another $25K
So if they got lithium batteries in it, at $75K they made no profit. I think they made bank on that guy, but I guess he still gets a cool car.
A Pinto is actually a pretty light and relatively strong platform (with a few minor mods) to do this kind of stuff with. It is infinitely safer without that gas tank in there.
We may go to lithium soon and step up the game.
www.evalbum.com/popupimg.php?9317https://www.dragtimes.com/1978-Ford-Pinto-Specs-15453.htmlhttps://www.dragtimes.com/Ford-Pinto-Timeslip-15453.htmlhttps://www.thefoat.com/electrabishi/ride/Ford/Pinto/1978/ride_id-IOEWsgmKDb4J3UYXMEoXbA%3D%3D/