Tesla Model S With 6.2-Liter V8 Swap Is The First Of Its Kind
by AutoExpert | 13 December, 2021
Rich Rebuilds, a popular YouTuber, has recently finished building a custom Tesla Model S. Rich Benoit purchased this Model S after it was flooded and opted to modify it with a robust internal combustion engine rather than installing a new electric drivetrain. He chose a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated LS3 V8 from a Chevrolet Camaro as its drivetrain.
As you would expect, converting a Tesla into a powerful ICE car wasn't simple. A six-speed manual gearbox is coupled to the V8, and the car's rear subframe has to be modified significantly to handle the differential. Furthermore, the car's conventional front strut brace had to be chopped and removed for the V8 to fit into the space normally occupied by the frunk.
The YouTuber has successfully managed to make Tesla's regular digital gauge cluster and infotainment screen function correctly. The Model S's interior is mostly original, except for a huge transmission tunnel and a sequential shifter. The automobile is known as the ICE-T, which means Internal Combustion Engine Tesla, according to Rich.
Moreover, Rich has found a way to put the gas lid where the charging port used to be.
