Mechanic Steering Vintage Vehicles Into The Future

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Electric cars are growing more popular, but some drivers can't bear to part with their old classics.

Matthew Quitter is helping those people keep their old rides. He's converting classic cars into electric rides at his London based garage. "We have customers from all over the world," he says.

Converting gas guzzlers helps the environment. More than a million cars in the UK end up on the scrap heap every year, according to EMR Metal Recycling, one of the world's biggest recyclers of metal.

"Scrapping cars is not a good thing to do. You know, it's sort of fairly well-known now that half a cars lifetime CO2 output is during manufacture," Quitter says.

CBS News correspondent Ian Lee took a ride in Quitter's electric 1953 Morris Minor.

"You become slightly more aware of how stinky other cars are," Quitter says.

Guy Willner didn't have a problem swapping motors in his 1969 Land Rover Series 2A.

"The Land Rover engine was never very exciting to me. What's exciting is the gear box. The fact that you sound like you're rattling a toolbox wherever you drive," Willner says.

The electric touch didn't disappoint. "It's brilliant fun, it's brilliant fun. It's absolutely hilarious. I mean, it's a hilarious car," Willner says.

Converting a car with used parts from crashed electric vehicles can set you back at least $30,000. But for Quitter it's not just about the money. "Once they get in the car and it's converted, you get a big easy grin - and that's it - they're never going back," he says.

Leaving gas in the rear view mirror as they drive their converted classics into the 21st century.

Even James Bond is going green. The company Lunaz is converting a limited number of 007's classic Aston Martin with electric power. The price tag? About a million dollars.