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1960s American classic received a rare transformation by combining an old body, modern electric car parts, and digital features usually seen in current models, creating a project that mixes restoration, mechanical adaptation, and driver assistance technology.
A 1966 Ford Mustang received an electric motor, battery, cameras, central screen, and part of the structure from a Tesla Model 3, Elon Musk’s brand, in an unusual conversion done by a family connected to the automotive parts market in the United States.
Keeping the classic coupe body, the project replaced much of the original functioning with modern components, including electronic driver assistance features and systems usually associated with current electric vehicles.
1966 Electric Mustang uses Tesla Model 3 components
Leading the adaptation was Yaro Shcherbanyuk, owner of Calimotive, a company specializing in Tesla parts in the Sacramento area, California, who conducted the work alongside his father, Viktor, and brother, Daniel.
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According to a report by Business Insider, the project’s base was a Mustang found in an online ad, while the main electric and electronic components came from a 2024 Tesla Model 3.
More than just replacing the combustion engine with an electric set, the family utilized parts of the chassis, the battery, the charging port, the seats, the multimedia center, the steering system, and the camera set from the electric sedan.
In the most delicate point of the assembly, the Model 3’s architecture had to be fitted into a car designed almost six decades earlier, with completely different proportions, structure, and mechanical logic from a modern Tesla.
According to Shcherbanyuk, the Tesla structure was cut into three sections to fit within the Mustang’s wheelbase, forming a modern electric base adapted to the old body.
Chassis cut, battery adapted, and classic look preserved
After dismantling the Mustang, the family considered using components from a Tesla Model S but realized that the Model 3’s battery had a more favorable fit for the project.
For the electric assembly to occupy the space originally intended for combustion mechanics, the adaptation required cuts, welding, and the fabrication of specific parts, bringing together automotive restoration and conversion engineering.
On the outside, the appearance remains that of a classic red Mustang, with long lines, a low hood, and typical proportions of American coupes from the 1960s, preserving the visual impact of the original model.
Inside the cabin, the contrast becomes even clearer, as old elements coexist with modern electric car parts in an unusual combination for a vehicle of this age.
The windows are still operated by a crank, while the seats came from Tesla and feature heating and ventilation, creating a direct mix between analog controls and the typical comfort of recent electric models.
Installed on the dashboard, the 15-inch central screen from the Model 3 now concentrates vehicle functions and reinforces the presence of modern electronics inside the cabin of a classic from the 1960s.
There was also a symbolic change at the rear of the car, where the old fuel tank cap now hides the connector used to charge the battery of the electric system.
This detail reinforces the new proposal without aggressively altering the external appearance, maintaining the visual reading of an old Mustang even after replacing the original mechanical assembly.
Tesla cameras and electronic assistance in the old Mustang
In addition to the battery and the central screen, the electric Mustang received Tesla cameras, necessary for features such as rearview, sentinel mode, and driver assistance systems incorporated into the project.
Among the most unusual points of the conversion is the attempt to make the Supervised Full Self-Driving work, a Tesla technology that requires constant driver monitoring and does not make the vehicle autonomous.
In an interview with Business Insider, Shcherbanyuk stated that activating the assistance system required tests with the positioning and angle of the cameras, a fundamental step for the functioning of electronic features.
According to him, the car needed to run about 2,000 miles for the cameras to be properly calibrated, in a phase described as one of the most labor-intensive of the entire project.
Even after calibration, the system does not operate like in an original Tesla, as the Mustang received a complex adaptation, built on an old body with its own technical limitations.
During the test accompanied by the report, Shcherbanyuk had to take control of the steering wheel at times, demonstrating that the feature remains dependent on human supervision during use.
Another limit reported by him involves night driving, as the feature did not operate at night due to technical issues related to the headlights, still pending resolution in the converted car.
Conversion cost US$ 40,000 and took almost two years
The report noted that the project cost about US$ 40,000, a figure provided by Shcherbanyuk when considering the purchase of the Mustang, the Model 3 components, spare parts, and painting.
In total, the conversion took almost two years to complete, although the actual work on the vehicle amounted to about eight months, as reported by the person in charge to Business Insider.
During a test, the car’s screen indicated 194 miles of remaining range with approximately 80% battery, a number displayed by the system installed in the converted Mustang itself.
Shcherbanyuk also reported a consumption of 258 Wh per mile, a figure he presented as comparable to that of a Tesla in normal use, despite the old body and structural adaptation.
In practice, the conversion placed much of what is expected of a modern electric car inside a classic body, including battery, electronic components, central screen, and digital systems.
Under the hood, instead of the Mustang’s original setup, there are modules and components associated with the Model 3, reinforcing the gap between the preserved external appearance and the vehicle’s new technical base.
In the cabin, the digital center shares space with analog details that continue to remind of the car’s real age, such as the simple controls and the presence of manual windows.
Classic car with modern electric sedan technology
The contrast between classic appearance and electric operation is one of the most striking points of the project, because the car maintains the image of an old Mustang while operating with the technology of a recent Tesla.
The transformation aimed not only to make the coupe run silently but also to incorporate part of Tesla’s technological ecosystem, including screen commands, external cameras, and electronic driver assistance.
Among classic car enthusiasts, the adaptation generated different reactions, according to Shcherbanyuk, who reported criticism from purists and also interest from people attracted to similar conversions.
For him, many people do not realize the amount of work required to execute a project of this type, especially when the conversion involves structure, battery, steering, cameras, and software.
The origin of the Mustang itself reinforces the technical recovery aspect of the transformation, as the car was found in worse condition than the images in the ad suggested.
Instead of ending up dismantled or abandoned, the coupe became a showcase of unlikely compatibility between a 1960s body and the electronics of a recent electric sedan.
It also becomes evident that the electric conversion can go beyond engine replacement, especially when it involves integrated digital systems and requires different parts of the vehicle to function as a coherent whole.
Battery, structure, screen, cameras, steering, and software have become part of the same adaptation, creating a Mustang that preserves the original appearance while carrying almost all the technology of a Tesla underneath.
To what extent does a classic car remain the same when it retains the original bodywork but carries almost all the technology of a Tesla underneath?
