EV enthusiast Don Swadley has put the powertrain of a Plaid Tesla Model S into the shell of a 1967 Shelby Cobra sports car. The loss of about 1,500 pounds by changing the chassis with the retention of the 1,020 horsepower of a triple-motor Model S made for a bumpy ride, according to Electrek.
Revolt Systems (@revoltsystems) took it for a test drive and had a few choice words to say about how it handled.
"Until about 70 mph, the thing becomes unglued on the street. Very, very interesting to drive. You're fighting the car the whole way because there's just too much power. … Your insides of your body stick to the back of the seat. Crazy feeling. Better than any roller coaster I've been on. … Best Frankenstein I've ever seen," said Eddy Borysewicz.
Besides the boggling power, this is impressive as it's the first conversion of a Tesla Model S outside of a Tesla vehicle. Don has been working on it for about four or five years, and this is the third iteration after having made it longer and wider. Though the speed makes this beast of a car tricky to drive, the safety software is still intact since Tesla builds the management software into each motor.
The 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack has been retained. The folks at Electrek confirmed that Ingenext made the controller used in the conversion.
It's great to see tinkerers still making exciting custom cars in the electric era. Tapping into the retro charm of older cars has worked well for folks like Robert Downey Jr., who made a whole show about converting classic cars to electric. Maintaining that energy can get more folks buying their own EVs and reducing their pollution output from burning gas. If you're thinking about making the switch, make sure to check out our guide on getting an EV.
Reactions to this monstrosity have been appropriately enthusiastic.
"Man if this doesn't get you excited I don't know what would. Pretty amazing stuff here. Brings back old school custom into high tech performance! Respect," said one YouTube viewer.
"Running slicks and spinning all four of them at 45+ mph is insane. I don't care that it's not on a prepped surface, that's insane!" said another.
|
If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Cost 💰 "Another nail in the coffin of the ICE car, Plaid Cobra. The end of the ICE Age," said someone else.
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
