Taking a sportscar and turning it into an electric vehicle sounds like the perfect way to take all the joy out of life. And yet there are some cases in which the exact opposite is true.
Take this Mazda Miata, for example, an extreme engine swap in which the car has been fully converted into an EV using a pair of forklift motors. Sound crude, but it's the recipe for speed. Couple with a 333-volt lithium-ion battery pack, this old Japanese roadster runs the quarter mile in an unbelievable 9.27 seconds at a speed of 142 mph.
Compare that to the most advanced electric car of the moment and the MX-5 begins to look like a champion of its class. A Tesla Model S running in the same conditions only manages to pull a 12.72-second run at 102 mph.
Of course, the differences between the two are quite obvious. The Mazda is a race car with drag radials and a stripped down interior. Meanwhile, the Tesla has seating for a whole family, is very quiet and can make the 100 mile journey back home without the need of a trailer.
Should are title have said "Electric Miata Built to Race Humiliates Tesla in Drag Race?" Well, no. Since his company started out with the Elise-based Roadster, Elon Musk surely appreciates this sort of project and might even get a few crazy ideas.
Imagine a world where the pits of the drag strip are covered in solar panels to charge a never-ending barrage of tire smoke and adrenaline. That wouldn't be too bad, now would it?!
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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