Johnny Cash's old 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow has been turned into an EV after it had 'black smoke' coming out of it

There aren’t many cars that can claim to have been Johnny Cash’s, but this 1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow has an even stranger story after spending years as a struggling classic with ‘black smoke’ coming out of it.

The black long-wheelbase Rolls was originally given to the country star by ABC as a gift celebrating the success of The Johnny Cash Show.

Decades later, it found its way to Vice co-founder Shane Smith, who decided that keeping its original engine alive wasn’t worth the trouble.

Instead, he had the famous Rolls transformed into an electric car using Tesla hardware.

Johnny Cash’s Rolls-Royce was in rough shape

Johnny Cash’s celebrity Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow wasn’t exactly living the easy life when Smith bought it.

The car had covered around 130,000 miles and reportedly needed significant mechanical work, with two Rolls-Royce mechanics finding problems including three bad cylinders and dragging brakes.

Smith later described the car as burning fuel and producing black smoke when he got it, not unlike his fellow country star, Dolly Parton producing ‘Blue Smoke’!

Rather than spend a huge amount restoring the original drivetrain, Smith decided to take a very different route.

He sent the car to Shift Electric Vehicles in Oregon, which specializes in converting classic cars to electric power.

The company didn’t just drop a small electric motor into the Rolls, either – it essentially transplanted the technology from a Tesla Model S.

The Rolls-Royce now has a Tesla heart

Shift EV used a 2016 Tesla Model S as the donor, taking its electric motor, electronics and 75-kWh battery pack and adapting them to the much older Rolls-Royce, which was easier said than done.

The Tesla battery pack was designed for a completely different car, so the team had to work out how to fit it beneath the Rolls while also integrating Tesla’s computers, sensors, steering and other systems.

The result still looks almost exactly like Cash’s original car from the outside.

Inside, Shift EV went to considerable lengths to preserve the Rolls-Royce’s character, including keeping its original black mahogany interior.

Even the Tesla’s large central touchscreen was hidden away in the trunk rather than being allowed to disrupt the classic cabin.

According to Shift EV, the finished car has more than 200 miles of range and is quicker, smoother and more reliable than it was with its original powertrain.

And now, more than 50 years after Johnny Cash first took delivery of the Silver Shadow, this unusual electric restomod is back on the market.

The asking price hasn’t been publicly disclosed, with prospective buyers told to contact the seller for pricing.

Anyone want to pool finances?