GM may be going the way of their defunct brand, Oldsmobile, but it will be survived by a long list of great cars. Of course, I wouldn’t consider the ACE one of them, at least not in its original state (we joke, ‘cause we love), but with a conversion to an electric motor and a bunch of 21st century modifications, this vehicle can be considered a new classic. We’d drive it to the office on Fridays to show it off. The Oldsmobile brand is gone (“sniff, sniff”), but there are some car customizers that will bring these cars back to life.

This vehicle is co-owned by comedian/actor Tommy Chong and Evan Singer of Hippy Motors. The latter was responsible for converting this gas guzzler into an electricity fueled automobile, the "First Fully Electric Powered Lowrider", as it’s been deemed—it has the pin-stripping by well-known car artist “Doc” for added credibility.

Hippy Motors is credited with making the first electric-powered Camaro, a ’67, and the first Toyota Prius Lowrider (also built for Tommy Chong) and the world’s fastest nitro-methane hybrid dragster that has a top speed of 330 mph. You might have seen that on a show on the TV network, "Planet Green". You might have also seen the Olds on TV a while ago, but that was before Chad Utt of Epic Motorsports (and formerly of TLC’s “Street Customs”) got his hands on the vehicle.

Utt figured it already has an electric motor, might as well give it an electronic brain to complement  it. With its computer-driven A/V system featuring an actuator-controlled monitor that motorizes  from top of the dash to monster Orion subwoofers in the trunk, this Oldsmobile was transformed into a car of the future.

The brain is the Drivesoft in-car computer with the 10” touchscreen that’s sunk in the dash. It provides all the standard functionality you need, plus like any computer it allows you to use various software and connects you to the Internet as well. The passenger can plug in a keyboard via USB and utilize Drivesoft the same way you would any PC-based computer. The main task that this “source unit” handles though is entertainment, namely music playback, with some signal processing help from AudioControl’s 6-channel line driver, the Epicenter Plus, and the 3.1 half-DIN EQ with sub control.

As for the speaker system, it is comprised of Orion components, subwoofers and amplifiers. Utt custom fabricated fiberglass kickpanel enclosures for the Orion HCCA 62 component set to handle the mid to low range response. He also made custom pods for the rear speakers, full fiberglass enclosures to increase the  mid-bass response. The pods fit perfectly into the corners of the rear seat area with the memory foam seats and custom upholstery.

In the trunk are the heavy-duty Orion HCCA 12” subwoofers in a 5 cubic ft. enclosure with a port tuned to 38Hz. It’s made of 1.5”-thick MDF with 1/8” aluminum lining the interior of the box. The top of the enclosure holds the drivers and the port is sealed to the interior of the car so no pressure is lost in the trunk. Naturally, beforehand, Dynamat Xtreme, Dynapad, Dynaliner were extensively used for sound deadening the entire vehicle. All the panels were removed to access body panels and other areas that needed damping.

There are two of the new, massive Orion HCCA 50001 mono amps and a 4-channel HCCA 10004 amp that powers the speakers and subs. The amps are located in the floor in an aluminum tray that holds all three amplifiers. The top is covered with half-inch acrylic with the Orion logo cut in for proper cooling. The total system rating is a whopping 21,000 watts @ 1 ohm. With that much wattage some powerful batteries were required. There are four Kinetik HC2400 and two 1800 models in the trunk of the ACE. Of course that’s nothing compared to the array of batteries under the hood!

Connecting everything are speaker cables and interconnects, plus distribution blocks, from Orion, part of the company’s new line of products called Orion Wired. And finally, protecting the car as well as the A/V, computer system is the Viper LC3.

Earlier in the year the ACE (“A Chong Electric”) was on display at CES and since then it has received a few minor tweaks before being shipped back to the better half of Cheech and Chong. This Oldsmobile may be co-owned by a comedian, but it’s no joke! The audio system in the car can play plenty loud and with a high degree of sound quality. I did ask Tommy Chong what he thought of the audio quality (especially since he started in the entertainment business as a musician and still plays guitar) and he explained (and this also is no joke): “I have suffered some hearing loss in my right ear. But it sounds great to my tired musician's ears.” That reminded me of a funny bit from one of C & C’s comedy albums. A character voiced by Chong says he can’t go to school because of an earache—probably because he had really bad car audio typical of the times. The Orion system is not likely to give anyone an earache, unless of course they play it constantly at, say, 120dB, which is a temptation with the system.

Once we finished the story, Tommy Chong responded to some of our questions. Below you’ll find a brief interview conducted by email. Our thanks to Tommy and Evan Singer for their help with this story.

Hippy Motors ( Evan Singer) is responsible for this whole project. Evan shares my concern for the environment and we envision a converter kit that will change existing autos into pure electric power within a few years if not sooner. Every auto in America will be electric. Gas cars will be museum pieces in a few years.  The Ace will be appearing in the next Cheech and Chong movie slated for production this fall....—Tommy Chong

Motormusicmag: Where you did find the car?
Tommy Chong: I found the Ace in Gardenia California in Aug. 2000. Paid $4,000. It had been stored in a garage for years under a tarp. I learned to drive in my father's 1942 Buick Roadmaster straight eight and at first glance I thought the Ace was the old Buick.
Motormusicmag: What made you do the engine conversion?
Tommy Chong: My friend Gadget had converted gas cars into electric so he convinced me that I should convert the Ace.
Motormusicmag: What do you listen for in an audio system?
Tommy Chong: I like high end with a touch of bass. I can't take the "boom box" approach. The deep bass notes hurt my ears so I opt for the equalized sound package with stereo and/or surround sound.
Motormusicmag: What guitars do you play?
Tommy Chong: I play a Paul Reed Smith through a Fender Deluxe amp. I play every night in the Cheech and Chong shows when I do Blind Melon Chitterling.
Motormusicmag: What type of music do you listen to?
Tommy Chong: I listen to Sirius Jazz every chance I get… And I listen to  88.1 [KJazz] in Los Angeles, the Jazz station.
Motormusicmag: Who are some of your favorite musical artists?
Tommy Chong: John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Miles Davis, Nora Jones, Lenny Breau....Cheech and Chong.
Motormusicmag: How do you listen to music when not at home or in the car?
Tommy Chong: I have my music on my Mac computer that I carry everywhere.
Motormusicmag: What cars do you own?
Tommy Chong: Right now I just have a 2007 Prius and the Ace. Thats it! I am looking to buy a new truck but I want it to be electric so I shall wait until there is one.

[Maybe Tommy Chong should get together with Ed Begley Jr. and arrange to customize one of those Phoenix trucks. –Ed.]