What Makes This Car So Special?

What is your dream car? Austin Healy 3000, Porsche Speedster? What if these cars could be reimagined as a modern EV that can even power your house in-between Sunday drives? That's actually a reality right now as ⁠Gary White⁠, CEO and co-founder at ⁠Sebring Works⁠ can attest. 

He shares his journey from IT to automotive innovation, discussing the challenges and triumphs of creating a unique electric skateboard platform that offers classic looks with stunning performance that the originals could only dream of. 

While that may be heresy to some, the marketplace says otherwise. The conversation also explores the balance between nostalgia and modern performance, the emotional connection to classic cars, and the practicalities of electric vehicle ownership.

The TTAC Creators Series tells stories and amplifies creators from all corners of the car world, including culture, dealerships, collections, modified builds and more.

An AI-generated transcript of the podcast, edited by a staffer, is below.

[Image: The Image Party/Shutterstock.com]

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This podcast episode of the Urban EV Podcast features an interview with Gary White, co-founder of Sebring Works, a UK company building electric sports cars styled after iconic 1950s and 1960s classics. 

Main themes and discussion points

Origins of Sebring Works

• • Gary White explains that he and his wife were longtime classic car enthusiasts frustrated by the unreliability of older vehicles
  • After exploring EV conversions for their own classic car, an MGB GT, they realized:
    • Conversions solved reliability issues
    • But the cars still suffered from outdated suspension, braking, and structural limitations
  • This led them to build entirely new EV platforms underneath retro-inspired bodies instead of modifying old cars

The Sebring Works concept

• • Sebring Works creates modern EV sports cars that visually resemble classics like:
    • Austin Healey 3000
    • Porsche 356
    • AC Cobra
  • The company uses:
    • A modular “skateboard” EV chassis
    • Fiberglass/composite body molds
    • Off-the-shelf OEM suspension and braking components
  • Their platform is designed to support multiple body styles with scalable production

Philosophy: modern driving with vintage looks

• • White emphasizes that the cars are not intended to recreate the authentic feel of old classics.
  • Instead, they aim to:
    • Drive like modern EVs
    • Be reliable daily drivers
    • Preserve nostalgic styling and emotional appeal
  • Buyers are motivated more by emotional nostalgia than technical specs. 

EV performance and sound debate

• • The discussion covers how different customers want different driving experiences:
    • Some want relaxed cruising
    • Others want high-performance EV replicas like the Cobra
  • Sebring Works can electronically tune performance levels on the same platform
  • They also discussed artificial engine sound simulation:
    • The company offers optional synthetic V8 sounds
    • But White admits the team has mixed feelings about fake engine noise 

Technical specs

Typical vehicle specs include:

• • 55 kWh battery pack
  • 0–60 mph in under 6 seconds for standard models
  • Up to 150 mph and sub-3-second acceleration for high-performance variants
  • Performance is software-controlled on a shared platform

Vehicle-to-home (V2H) capability

A major topic was Sebring Works integrating:

• • Vehicle-to-home charging capability
  • Using the car battery as backup home energy storage
  • White describes this as part of the broader EV lifestyle transition toward renewable energy and home electrification

Business growth and market plans

• • Sebring Works currently:
    • Builds about one car per week
    • Has capacity for up to 200 vehicles annually
    • Has nearly 40 cars in its build queue
  • The company sells in:
    • The UK
    • The United States
    • Both right-hand and left-hand drive markets.
  • They are considering opening a U.S. assembly facility, likely on the East Coast

Pricing

• • Vehicles start around:
    • USD $143,000 delivered (depending on taxes/state)

Entrepreneurship insights

• • White says his background in software and entrepreneurship helped more with:
    • Running scalable businesses
    • Product strategy
    • Data/software systems than with engineering itself
  • Sebring Works also developed software for:
    • Vehicle monitoring
    • Diagnostics
    • Over-the-air updates
    • Usage analytics

Overall takeaway

The episode presents Sebring Works as a niche but growing company blending:

• • Retro automotive design
  • Modern EV technology
  • Daily usability
  • Emotional nostalgia
  • And software-driven vehicle platforms

The hosts frame the company as an example of how EVs can preserve automotive passion while modernizing the ownership experience.

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