Massachusetts man who rebuilt flooded Model S into world's first V8 Tesla says it's become a 'sad story'

Published on Jun 03, 2025 at 8:29 PM (UTC+4)
by Grace Donohoe

Last updated on Jun 03, 2025 at 8:29 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

A man from Massachusetts who rebuilt a flooded Model S into the world’s first Tesla V8 has said that it’s become a ‘sad story’.

The EV car was restored to give it a whole lease of life.

But, since the restoration, the Tesla V8 has taken a turn for the worse.

So now, it’s back in the hands of this guy, and he’s about to give it some TLC.

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It’s no secret that Tesla is a big name in the car world.

From launching a car into space to the talked-about Cybertruck, there isn’t much that the car company hasn’t done.

For example, Tesla was recently testing a never-before-seen prototype that people think may be a new affordable EV.

Plus, the manufacturer’s self-driving just passed Australia’s weirdest driving test.

But, as with any kind of car, EV or gas-powered, sometimes things can go wrong.

YouTuber Rich Rebuilds previously took a flooded Tesla that was in need of help and had hopes to restore it.

He managed to transform it into the world’s first V8 Tesla, but not all was meant to be, and he’s now described as becoming a ‘sad story’.

You see, he managed to restore it, but since then, it has spent a few years away from him, being used by other people who have also added some parts to it.

But now it’s back, with some new improvements about to be taken on by the YouTuber himself.

“The car has been kind of passed around different places, I saw more content about this car when it was on the road, than when I actually had it in, in my own hands,” he said of the Tesla V8.

“So the sad part was people have driven this car and put more miles on it and worked on it than I ever have,” he continued.

Rich Rebuilds

Because of this, he says that it is ‘bittersweet’ and now he needs to ‘reverse engineer’ the gas-powered car and figure out what needs to be worked on.

The car had a new powerhouse installed – a 6.2-litre V8, 426 hp unit that was placed within, which made it a force to be reckoned with.

So, after the build took lots of time to complete, it’s back in his own hands, ready for him to take control of the project once more.

“Throughout everything, it held up really, really well,” he said as he explored his passion project and identified aspects of the Telsa V8 that will need to be worked on.

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Grace started her career writing about the weird and wonderful for the international press. She's covered everything from lifestyle to sports and hard news and now finds herself pursuing her main interest - cars. She's loved cars from a young age and has a keen interest in luxury travel too.