Javi Martin
The TeslaRossa is not a pink Tesla, it is, for purists, much worse: un Ferrari Testarossa to which they have removed the combustion engine and installed an original electric motor from a Tesla. A project that is not without difficulties, but that, for a purist, is an aberration. However, a British workshop called Electric Classic Cars is not run by purists, but by lovers of electric motors and they can do an engine change, a swap as some would say, regardless of the model on which one works.
With a 12 cylinder in rear center position, el Ferrari Testarossa It is one of the greatest automotive icons of the 80s. His design, the work of Pininfarina, provided a sensational solution to a “problem” generated by the placement of the radiators on the sides of the engine. These radiators need fresh air, but the regulations do not allow large openings in the bodywork, because in the event of an accident it would be disastrous. How to solve it? Well, with one of the most charismatic ideas of the 80s.
After passing through the hands of Electric Classic Cars, those famous air intakes no longer supply oxygen to a combustion engine. The disappearance of the 12 cylinder has meant many more things, such as working on suspensions or brakes. We must take into account the weight of the engine-transmission group and the fuel tank, things that are removed, obviously, and the weight of the battery and the electric motor. The latter weighs much less than the combustion one, but the battery and its placement can cause problems.
REGULATIONS AND MAINTENANCE EXPENSES, REASONS FOR CREATING THE TESLAROSSA
We all know that having a Ferrari in the garage is not suitable for all budgets. Maintenance costs are as high as their acquisition cost, something that is aggravated with a classic Ferrari, whose consumption is higher and whose maintenance is higher because, for example, servicing is more frequent. Reasons that, according to Electric Classic Cars, are those given by many of its clients to carry out the transformation from combustion to electric.
There will be those who think that, for that, you buy an electric instead of making a swap electric to a car like the Testarossa, but of course, there are no electric cars with the image of a Testarossa, right? Besides, In this case, you gain in performance, since the Tesla engine is more powerful and capable than the “old” 12 combustion cylinders..
The workshop has not confirmed complete performance data, but it is not the first time they have made a change like this, they are specialists in these transformations and other work has meant a huge gain in the acceleration and speed section. Without going further, they created a Volkswagen Beetle -the base is a 72 model- capable of outperforming an entire Porsche RS 911 GT3.
ELECTRIC CLASSIC CARS SEEKS TO ALWAYS MAINTAIN A SIMILAR WEIGHT
According to Richard Morgan, the founder of the workshop, in one of the videos they have published, The aim is always to maintain as much as possible the same weight and distribution of weights as in the original model., so that much of the feel and cornering behavior is maintained. In addition, they offer some data to prove it.
Thus, the total weight of Ferrari Testarossa It is 1.650 kilos with a full tank.. Without the engine and without all the associated elements – transmission and fuel tank as the most important – the weight drops to 966 kilos. The body of the Testarossa, remember, was not made of carbon fiber or similar materials, it was made of aluminum, while the roof and hood were made of steel. Elements that remain, by the way, Electric Classic Cars only works on the engine section and the chassis.
The Tesla electric motor weighs 125 kilos and is placed in the cavity of the original engine -and in a transversal way-, while the battery and its associated elements, weighing 312 kilos, are installed between the floor and the front hood. That is to say, The TeslaRossa is lighter than the original Ferrari Testarossa: 1.601 kilos. The motor-battery assembly weighs 635 kilos, although it will not be able to, even remotely, match the symphony produced by the combustion engine.
ALMOST DOUBLE THE POWER THAN THE ORIGINAL
According to the data offered by Electric Classic Cars, the TeslaRossa is much more powerful than the original Testarossa and is better equipped. We are talking about 600 HP compared to the 390 HP that was announced back in the 80s., enough to achieve 0 to 60 mph -0 to 96 km/h- in 4,5 seconds. It also announces a range of 150 miles, about 240 kilometers of range with each recharge, while now It has traction control, semi-active suspension and a new limited slip differential.
It must be remembered that the American workshop Gas Monkey already presented its own version of a Ferrari Testarossa with electric motor. In this case, it is an even more radical interpretation, since they have removed the roof to make it a spider and it has three seats. Furthermore, the driver is in a central position, as in the McLaren F1. A true madness presented at the last SEMA Show in Las Vegas that left no one indifferent.
