Martine Prouty and Kyle Palmer, with their company, The Current Exchange, are electrifying a 1989 Porsche 911 Cabriolet. They were photographed in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.Kyle Palmer and Martine Prouty are new to the business of giving classic cars a modern spin.
Now, the two behind The Current Exchange are working alongside their shop dog, Marley, in an old boiler shop at 1159 S. Richards St. in the Ballpark neighborhood, converting their first car, a white 1989 Porsche 911 Cabriolet, into a fully electric vehicle. Owning an electrified classic car is easier than traditionally renewed classics with combustion engines, he said, because they’re more reliable. Plug it in, do some basic maintenance every 50,000 miles, and owners are ready to zip around in their weekend cruisers.
Aside from a $100,000 loan the startup is seeking from Salt Lake City, The Current Exchange is a self-funded endeavor by Palmer and Prouty. They plan to use the loan, which still needs City Council approval, to buy inventory. Prouty hopes to keep developing the product, hire locally and be a part of the revitalization of the Ballpark area.
They’ve always been car guys, but didn’t study automotive engineering when they attended Arizona State University together. Palmer, who has some experience in the auto industry, took courses at Weber State University last year to prepare for a new career in electric vehicles.
That is just sad.
Improving German engineering one car at a time. 👏
I'm in!
Anything that can cut elon musk off at the knees is a great effort. You go, guys!