As Tesla swaps are making their way into the mainstream side of the aftermarket, these EV conversions won’t remain as cool as they are now forever. So why not take advantage of this and drag race a Nissan 350Z with Tesla Model S guts against the American poster car that is the Dodge Viper?
Back in 2002 when Nissan started production of the 350Z, whose platform is still linked to the 2023 Z, Dodge introduced the third iteration of the Viper. However, the reptile we have here isn’t such a car. Instead, we’re dealing with a 2002 model year, which means this 2001-built Mopar machine still has the OG 8.0-liter V10, albeit with output jumping to 450 hp and 500 lb-ft. And yes, it’s got a six-speed manual.
There’s no need to get that technical, though. Even though the V10 of the Viper evolved over the years, the difference between these early cars and the 8.4-liter Gen V that entered service in 2013 is only about 0.5s in the quarter-mile. For the record, a stock 2002 Viper should cover the task in 12.1 seconds.
This Viper has a Borla exhaust, lowering springs, and 345-section Toyo R888 rear tires (a drag racer’s favorite street rubber). But we bet you want to know more about the “Zesla” Nissan that battles it in Hoonigan’s latest This vs That adventure, so here we go.
Throtl’s Tesla-swapped Nissan 350Z
The YouTubers over at Throtl, Mickey and William, have been working on this Tesla-animated 350Z for about one year now. And with the build finally sorted out, we were wondering when they would step out of their own videos. So, seeing them throwing the Zesla at a 20-year-old Viper in Hoonigan’s 1,000-foot challenge (remember, the 1/4-mile has 1,320 feet) seems like a reasonable “debut”.
As we’ve seen with other Tesla swaps (how about this 1972 Plymouth Satellite “Electrollite”?), this Z borrows the entire rear subframe from a Model S. This brings Tesla’s larger drive unit (think: 600+ hp) for a RWD application with a single-speed setup. However, while the said muscle car used the full 16-cell battery pack from a P100D, this Nissan makes due with 12 cells (think: 75 kWh).
The battery box, which is about the size of a small-block V8, sits where the factory 3.5L V6 used to be. And while these Nissan were never light, this one takes the scale footprint even higher, sitting at around 4,000 lbs. This gives the Dodge supercar a noticeable advantage or 600 lbs.
Then again, this was never built as an all-out velocity machine. For one, the vehicle features Accuair suspension, which is the reason it sits so close to the asphalt sometimes. As for its 370Z impersonation, it features Liberty Walk’s conversion kit (hey, somebody is even turning a 350Z into the 2023 “400Z”). And while this isn’t actually a one-off in the greater context, that doesn’t take away the vehicle’s special status.
Of course, if you consider the fact that the passenger side rear overfender now accommodates a charging point, this is a true one-out-of-one. Regardless, the cabin packs the Tesla central iPad, while the JDM-as-hell central gauges of the Nissan have been revamped to display the relevant EV stuff.
Drag racers between EVs—be they converted or factory—and ICE (internal combustion engine) machines are rarely just that. More often than not, these battles will see us, enthusiasts, picking sides according to our views on battery power taking over.
And while we’re trying not to do that here, it still seems like one of the machines got a bit of special treatment, receiving a head start and a rolling race. Even so, the (perfectly-shifted, by the way) Viper GTS and the Zesla put on a monstrous show, and on no less than four occasions.
