NSX

Make
Acura
Segment
Coupe

Here's an engine swap that will make many people extremely angry.

If your blood pressure shot through the roof after reading about the recent Honda S2000 with a Tesla motor, you might want to stop reading. Somebody went ahead and bolted a Tesla motor into the rear of a first-generation Acura NSX.

No doubt some of you are fuming now, but first, you must understand the car's history. The NSX name was a (relatively poor) acronym for New Sportscar eXperimental, so experimenting is arguably in the car's blood. But getting rid of the iconic revvy V6 may be a step too far...

Jeff, the owner, told the hosts of Rich Rebuilds that he bought the car with 230,000 miles on the clock. By then, the original all-aluminum 3.0-liter V6 engine was already gone, replaced by a turbocharged K-Series motor. Nobody wanted the car, so Jeff asked the previous owner to sell it without an engine.

It's clear from the video that the build is not yet complete. The Tesla motor, borrowed from an early entry-level Model S, is driven by a 2006 Toyota Prius battery. So far, the car has driven around an inch, but that's to be expected considering the battery specs. The XW20 Prius was equipped with a 1.31-kWh battery pack, which wasn't designed to power the car all by itself.

Another clear indication that it's not done yet is the interior. The NSX currently uses a gear selector borrowed from a Power Wheels.

A larger battery pack is the obvious next step, and Jeff already has a larger 24-kWh unit from a Nissan Leaf. He purchased the latter at an auction and drove it around for a few days before removing the battery. Even with the larger battery pack, we don't see this NSX going more than 100 miles. The BMW i3 has a 42-kWh battery and can only manage 153 miles.

At the end of the video, we do get an update. The NSX made it more than an inch with a temporary battery borrowed from a Chrysler Pacifica hybrid.

Jeff's goal is to end up with a daily driver instead of a track car. He's also well aware that this project will "piss many people off."