Mechanics turn tiny Citroën Ami EV into an absolute machine, taking it from 8hp and 40Nm of torque to 80hp and nearly 1000Nm
Published on May 03, 2026 at 4:06 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on May 03, 2026 at 4:06 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Ready for a transformation? These guys are trying to turn the tiny and underpowered Citroën Ami EV into a speed machine.
The Ami is so small and slow, it isn’t even considered a car.
Technically, it’s a quadricycle.
And this begs a serious question.
How these guys are turning the Citroën Ami into a torque monster
The guys behind the DMPerformance YouTube channel are engine-swapping this record-breaking Citroën Ami and replacing the original puny electric motor with something else.
As standard, the Ami comes with an 8hp powertrain and a top speed of just 28mph.
But these YouTubers decided to replace that with a motor ‘borrowed’ from a Stark Varg, the world’s fastest electric motocross bike.
This tiny city runabout is now making 80hp and, more importantly, 918Nm (677lb-ft) of torque.
Not bad for a car that only weighs around 400kg.
The top speed, in their estimation, could be around the 100mph mark.
They also made other changes.
Much needed, dare we say.
They replaced a few components within the powertrain, and some had to be custom-made.
They also fitted 17-inch Porsche rims, replacing the 14-inch wheels, which would’ve been way too small for all of that torque.
This begs a question, though
There’s an inevitable question that springs to mind.
The Citroën Ami isn’t legally defined as a car; it’s technically a quadricycle.
Translated into real-world terms, it means it can be driven without a driving license – in certain countries – and it is not highway-legal.
While this engine swap won’t make it automatically highway-legal, it will certainly invalidate the warranty and possibly make it harder to insure, and potentially illegal to drive without a proper license.
What we do know for sure is that, whether on or off-road, this’ll make it a lot more fun to drive.
Microcars are great to drive.
On a personal level, I’ve driven the Topolino – basically a rebadged Ami – and know someone unexpected who drives a Microlino (a smaller Topolino based on the BMW Isetta) daily.
Sara Levy, the daughter of Italian car collector Andrea Levy, who owns the first BMW Skytop ever made, has access to some pretty serious cars with his ‘777 Collection’.
However, when we spoke with his PR team, they confirmed that the Microlino definitely sees the road a lot more often than most of the other cars.
“This is a one-off, so it feels even more special. But the point is, this car gives you so much despite being so tiny. It’s just fun to drive, and it makes you happy looking at it,” the 777 Collection team told Supercar Blondie.
And that’s with 8hp at Sara’s disposal, imagine what that must be like with 80.
After beginning his automotive writing career at DriveTribe, Alessandro has been with Supercar Blondie since the launch of the website in 2022. In fact, he penned the very first article published on supercarblondie.com. He’s covered subjects from cars to aircraft, watches, and luxury yachts - and even crypto. He can largely be found heading up the site’s new-supercar and SBX coverage and being the first to bring our readers the news that they’re hungry for.
