Does An LS3 V8 Make A Tesla Better?

The future is now! No, really, the future is now, just not the one we predicted. The movies we grew up with told us we’d be teleporting and flying cars by now, but we’re barely scratching the surface. It could be worse because most of us aren’t eager to move away from combustion engines despite car companies forcing it down our throat. Based on a recent video, it appears EV enthusiasts aren’t ready either. LS swapping a Tesla, say what?

We’re far from where we expected, but even some car builders are already tired of electric cars. There’s only so much you can do. Although they produce incredible torque numbers, driving one doesn’t offer the same sensation as a standard car. General Motors offered a remedy for that and recently announced they’d be offering a WTF Mode in their newest HUMMER EV. It’s designed to produce sound and vibrations when you floor it.

Guess that’s not enough for some gearheads, because Rich Benoit from Rich Rebuilds on YouTube decided to take a 6.2L V8 LS3 and put it into a Tesla. He described getting bored with building other Tesla’s and wanted to do something different. To be honest, if I were feeling destructive, I’d direct my energy toward the car too – to each their own.

Rich is known for fixing broken Tesla’s, but he’s been expanding his content to include more internal combustion bits, which has angered the Tesla crowd. Hey, you can’t please everyone, but his creativity has garnered more attention, especially when you decide to LS swap a Tesla. He is the first to attempt driving a V8-swapped Tesla Model S.

Although this isn’t the first time the idea has come up, this is the first time someone has followed through with it. The build started with some salvaged Teslas and a pile of parts they’ll need. The 6.2L V8 LS3 comes from a Chevrolet Camaro SS and boasts 426-horsepower, which is more than enough for some fun. They’ll also use the Camaro’s differential and transmission.

They directed their attention toward a destroyed White Model S to steal some parts. As you’d expect with something that’s never been done, there were several roadblocks. They initially were going to use the Camaro’s transmission tunnel to offer support for Tesla’s unibody. However, they hit their first snag because the tunnel is steel, while Tesla’s structure is aluminum. You can’t weld the two.

The rear subframe had to be modified to accommodate the differential, and the strut base needed to be cut out to fit the engine, but they did it. There’s still a long way to go, and believe me, we’ll update you when it’s ready, but this is definitely a cool build worth following.

Would swapping an LS into a Tesla get you to drive one?