The world’s coolest electric car was ready to roll. The battery was charged. The software was updated. The tires were fresh. But all that leading-edge tech was undone by the most mundane of parts.

The tie rods.

Mike North and his crew discovered the rods were buggered while checking the alignment. No problem, North thought, we’ve got spares.

They didn’t fit.

The clock was ticking. North had booked Infineon Raceway north of San Francisco for one hour to give E-Rod a shakedown. Phil Sadow, the electrical engineer responsible for making the 1933 Ford run, grabbed a chop saw and set to work.

“We’ve got 26 minutes,” North said as sparks flew from the saw. “Tell me we’ll be ready.”

Sadow leaned into the saw, willing it to cut faster. After what seemed an eternity, the blade cut through the rod. One down. One to go.

“Is it gonna work?” North said. “Tell me it’s gonna work.”

The saw cut through the second rod. Sadow eyeballed the parts. They weren’t pretty, but they’d do.

“Yeah,” he said. “It’s gonna work.”

Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com