Ford electrified a 1978 F-100 pickup to show off its new electric motor for DIY car projects

• Ford built a 1978 F-100 pickup with motors from the electric Mustang Mach-E GT.
• It's called the F-100 Eluminator.

Ford on Tuesday unveiled the F-100 Eluminator concept: a 1978 Ford pickup that runs on pure electricity. But this wasn't just an idle exercise in making cool stuff.

Ford built the vintage-themed Eluminator to showcase what can be done with the new electric motor it's selling to the public. The idea is anyone with the right skills, tools, and know-how, can buy an Eluminator (that's what the motor is called) off the shelf and stick it into a custom-built electric vehicle or classic car.

The F-100 Eluminator one-off has two such motors - one at each axle - giving it all-wheel drive. It shares its innards with the Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition and puts out a claimed 480 horsepower and 634 pound-feet of torque. That's around triple the power of the original gas-powered pickup.

The Eluminator motor is based off of what's in the speedy Mustang Mach-E GT SUV, Ford says, and produces 281 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. For now, Ford is selling just the motor for $3,900, but it plans to eventually sell everything people need for their DIY EV projects, including battery systems and controllers.

Revamping vintage vehicles with high-tech electric motors isn't a new idea - it's a thriving industry.

California-based Zelectric, for example, specializes in old Volkswagens and Porsches. England's Lunaz Design meticulously restores classic Bentleys, Jaguars, Rolls-Royces, and Range Rovers. EV West sells a huge array of components and electric swap kits for brave tinkerers and professional conversion shops.

And as established automakers double down on selling electric cars, they're getting into the electric restoration and modification game as well. General Motors in 2020 said it plans to sell a kit that includes a battery pack, motor, and various other components out of the Chevrolet Bolt.