As Detroit’s Big Three are almost ready to take us into the electric muscle car era, the aftermarket, which doesn’t have to concern itself with all the aspects of a showroom car, has already done it. Tesla swaps are still the go-to pathway, even though the controversial nature of depriving a muscle monster of its V8 means such builds are still rare. And this 1972 Plymouth Satellite, which is now known as the Electrollite, is one of the most famous Tesla-powered classic muscle cars on the internet.
Last November’s 2021 SEMA show was an emotional edition, with many attenders being incredibly hot rodding-thirsty following the global health crisis-canceled 2020 edition of the custom car even. And this is where the Electrollite made its big debut—we just talked about the car yesterday, in our Super Square Plymouth CGI story.
This isn’t some show car that spends time indoors. Instead, it’s a daily-driven build that now has 5,000 miles on its odometer. And you can’t put such a toy together without engaging in a few (drag) races, which is why we now get to see the thing duking it out with a fellow Mopar fighter from back in the day, namely a 1969 Dodge Dart that’s been dialed up to Hellcat levels of power (it’s got a different motor, though).
Kevin Erickson (aka mrmoparman), the enthusiast who put the Plymouth together in his garage over in Colorado (the high altitude driving is easier now), had questions before taking on the project. And his questions are our questions: what will we do with our classic cars when gas will eventually vanish? Can an EV swap make up for the lost soundtrack and olfactory experience of a good ole such-squeeze-bang-blow machine?
The man, which describes himself as a life-long gearhead, bought the car fully painted, but spent 18 months fixing the underbody and engine bay rust, as well as installing all the electric bits. In fact, he constantly updates the vehicle, with one of the recent additions being a heat system that can pre-condition the battery for maximum performance.
Has the guts of a Tesla Model S P100D Ludicrous
Speaking of electron juice, this Satellite used a Tesla P100D Ludicrous as a donor vehicle. At the back, the motor, together with the whole subframe (brakes included) was installed, which should mean the vehicle now makes around 645 hp as well as 650 Nm 9480 lb-ft) of instant electric torque.
The 100 kWh battery pack was split between the engine compartment (10 cells) and the trunk (6 cells), with the weight distribution having completely shifted. The latter is now 45:55 front-to-rear—for the sake of comparison, a mid-engined Corvette comes with a 40:60 setup, while its front-engined C7 predecessor had a 50:50 split).
Installing the subframe was easy, at least for somebody with decades of car building experience, but it left no room for coilovers. And this is why the rear suspension features a cantilever setup, which is gloriously exposed when the trunk lid is open.
Tipping the scales at 4,358 lbs, the Electrollite is heavier than a Big Block Plymouth (around 4,000 lbs), but considerably ligther than its Tesla Model S donor, which sits some 600 lbs higher.
The reinvented muscle car talks to the road via 275-section 19-inch tires up front and 285-section 20-inch units at the back, while featuring 14-inch Wilwood brakes at the nose.
Since we mentioned factory applications in the intro, we’ll remind you that many carmakers from around the world enjoy throwing screens at the cabins of their new cars and letting these float around. Instead, this 1972 Satellite integrates a pair of Samsung tablets in the factory dash.
This 1969 Dodge Dart restomod is a force to be reckoned with
The opponent of the Electrollite is a ’69 Dart restomod, which has been in Kevin’s family for decades. He bought the Mopar when he was just 14 and took it through various stages over the years.
And while he tells YouTube label That Racing Channel that he’d choose the Electrollite in the video below, he’s not exactly prepared to let go of the badass Dart. After all, the vehicle does feature a 1969 340 ci (5.57L) with a forged bottom end, which works with a 66mm Borg Warner turbo (16 psi) to deliver 700 horsepower while sipping on E85.
The power is channeled through a 90s Chrysler 46RH four-speed auto, whose overdrive is a testament of the fact that this Mopar Man builds his cars for daily driving, not just spectacular runs like the action seen in the clip below.
Speaking of which, if you’re strictly here to see which muscle car is the quickest, you’ll find the two duking it out (dig and roll runs included) at the 17:25 timestamp.
