Last's week Part I of “Cars & Cocktails” alluded to history made at X-Ray Auto on Market Street last spring. We met the players: Matt Pollitz, Kent Bakke, the Nordic Heritage Museum, Todd McCallister, Jeanette Meade and a car named “Gazelle.” On the future site of the Nordic Heritage Museum the first known electric conversion of a pre-1975 Volvo took place, actually welding the famous Swedish export with future technology.

The serendipitous meetings of all the players (through coffee) put in play what was needed to create a prototype for future conversions: a car, funding, a shop, and a team with the skills to convert a 1965 Volvo from internal combustion engine to electric.

By the time Jeanette Meade, Nellie’s espresso stand owner and herself a Swede, released her automobile to the team of electric car pioneers at X-Ray Auto on Market Street, I had been sucked into a group that spoke Volvo like a first language.

Over the course of several days Matt and crew worked to remove the internal combustion engine and retrofit the area under the hood to receive the new engine and a box specially built to hold lithium-ion batteries. Matt let me turn over the engine one last time and gave me updates of various milestones throughout the weekend.

Many automobiles have been converted to electric plug-ins, but if someone else has converted a pre-1975 Volvo they’ve kept it under wraps. I learned there’s a moment in the truth in the conversion: it’s time to start the engine and see which way the wheels turn. The entire car needs to be suspended in the air, wheels above the ground in case the engine propels them the wrong way. If that’s the case the process needs to be redone, the engine lifted out. Gazelle was hoisted in the air, and the wheels spun forward eager to hit the pavement.

I wasn’t there when the car made its maiden trip but I’ve watched it four times on YouTube. Like the magical Chitty-Chitty, Bang Bang of Ian Fleming’s book, the ghostly white car came silently to life. The headlights went on, then off. With Matt Pollitz at the wheel the car moved a few feet forward and then slowly maneuvered a sharp turn out of the garage and onto the wide sidewalk along Market Street. “When is he going to turn it on?” a participant actually asked.

Gazelle was “on.” With sudden silent acceleration the car shot down the sidewalk. Then brake lights as Kent Bakke, project funder, went running after the car realizing he wanted to be on the inside, not the outside of this labor-of-love conversion.

There’s a common assumption that a Volvo is too heavy for an electric engine. After Jeanette’s vehicle was converted it weighed 2200 pounds; 30 pounds less than before conversion and 742 pounds less than a Prius. The first year has proved this grand experiment successful. Jeanette loves her converted automobile, pulling it into the apartment garage for charging.

Which finally brings us to “Cocktails.” The Nordic Heritage Museum is very aware of Matt’s shop and its historical value, both in parts and actions. In fact they even considered X-Ray Auto as a location for a fashion show which didn’t work out logistically. However, this event is being planned around the location itself, with the converted Gazelle as centerpiece.

The Nordic Heritage Museum is still in the fundraising stage for their new home; but they already own the site that is home to businesses and artists in addition to X-Ray Auto. The “Cars & Cocktails,” event is an opportunity to reach more of the community, connecting the old site and the new, future members with current as part of its mission to preserve and share Nordic culture with all ages, and serve as a community gathering place for educational and cultural experiences. (The event on the 13th is for 21 and over).

The Nordic Heritage Museum is brimming with more programs than I’d realized, from its Soup and Cinema Series (12:15 pm the second Tuesday of each month) to author events, musical series, collaboration with Seattle International Film Festival and a variety of classes. The event at X-Ray Auto will be part of their Arctic Circle group, which specifically emphasizes contemporary issues.

For the event Swedish Women’s Education Association member Anna Lovell, an architect and interior designer, volunteered her help in converting the auto shop into an evening venue. She was struck by the beauty of Volvo parts en masse; old seats and radiators in particular. Her plan is to play up the contrast between the industrial elements with crisp white table cloths, unusual flowers for the radiators and special lighting from Ikea. Matt Pollitz will briefly discuss Volvos and the conversion. There’s also talk of a signature cocktail.

I’m struck by the sense of possibility represented by the event itself, and its composition. The classic Volvo has been converted to new technology. The Nordic Heritage Museum is looking toward its future, while recognizing that it’s already on the site of history that should be preserved.

Cars & Cocktails. X-Ray Auto, 2639 NW Market St. Seattle. April 13 @ 7 p.m. Suggested donation is $5.00. Contact Stina Cowan at 206.789.5707, ext. 21 for more information.