Electrons versus dino juice, on the drag strip.
In case you didn't notice, it's an astoundingly weird time to be a car enthusiast. Horsepower has never been so plentiful, but some of the quickest cars out there are powered by batteries. Indeed, electric vehicles are on the up, but internal combustion is far from out. Now, we're watching the epic battle between electrons and dino juice play out on the drag strip as a Tesla-swapped Nissan Z goes head-to-head with a Dodge Viper.
Let's start with old, reliable internal combustion and the Dodge Viper. This particular example hails from the 2002 model year and is more or less factory stock, with the exception of a new exhaust, some lowering springs, and a set of Toyo Proxes R888 tires for traction. Of course, even though it's more than 20 years old at this point, the Dodge Viper doesn't need much when it comes to performance. It's already got all the best old-school gasoline-powered goodies, like big displacement (8.0 liters), many cylinders (V10), and a meaty cross section out back to put the ponies to the pavement.
Yes, the Dodge Viper is a dinosaur. But it's one of the scary dinosaurs, with teeth the size of steak knives. That said, the competition might have evolved an advantage in this particular drag race.
Sitting in the other lane, we have what appears to be a Nissan 370Z. But, as is often the case in the world of tuning, looks can be deceiving. In actuality, this green little coupe started life as a 2006 Nissan 350Z, which the folks from Throtl then transformed into something utterly unique. The exterior, for example, was fitted with a one-off Liberty Walk kit and 370Z body components. As good as it looks, the craziest thing about this Z is what's under the hood, specifically the big bank of Tesla lithium-ion batteries. The batteries are hooked up to a rear Tesla drive unit, essentially making for a full Tesla Model S powertrain stuffed underneath a 350Z chassis, plus 370Z bits as the sprinkles on top.
No doubt, this green Frankenstein Tesla Z is one of the craziest conversions out there. The question is, how will it fair against the explosive power of the Dodge Viper? Hit play to see for yourself.
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