Sonic didn't arrive as a project car. It arrived as a white Model 3 and a list of ideas.
The Leaf That Got Me Hooked
Our first electric car was a blue Nissan Leaf Tekna, the top-of-the-range one. It was mainly my wife's car for her commute.
After about a year, the range was so poor we had to replace it. But the Leaf had already changed my mind about EVs. It was so torquey it actually pulled the front suspension apart on both sides.
I liked the quietness, the comfort, the acceleration, the convenience and how cheap the EV lifestyle was. From that point, I was hooked.
Finding the Money
Luckily, our house was up for remortgage at the same time. I talked my wife into releasing £7,000, borrowed another £7,000 and went out and bought Sonic.
In February 2025, that meant a white 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD. It had to have Acceleration Boost already installed.
The One That Got Away
While I was searching, I came across another Model 3 that was £100 over my budget. I asked the seller to drop the price, but they wouldn't budge.
That car already wore an aero body kit, and I really liked the way it looked. I bought a different car, but that look stayed with me. The same body kit is now fitted to Sonic.
The First Changes
Within a month or two, I'd already bought several mods:
- Rear quarter-window louvres, the slats you see on rally cars.
- New wing mirror covers, styled to look like BMW M3 mirrors.
- A wood-grain wrap, cut down to cover the silver centre console so it matches the wood grain on the dashboard.
- Extendable charging cables, front and rear.
- Mounting pods on the back of both front seats, so rear passengers can attach their phones and watch films.
- Rear passenger windows tinted as dark as I could get, applied myself.
None of it was expensive. Little bits and bobs, but each one made the car feel a bit more like mine.
The tint is my own work and it isn't perfect. It needs doing professionally, but that's expensive, so for now it'll do.
Next: the bigger changes.
VOLT-AGE — THE CURRENT
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