This hero is putting a 13B rotary engine into a Tesla Model S

Just when you thought New Zealand’s obsession with the rotary engine couldn’t get any weirder, they go and up the ante once again.

Our mates across the ditch have a long-held fascination with Mr Wankel’s engine design, dropping it into all manner of vehicles to appease the Lords of Brap.

One particularly adventurous Kiwi has taken things a step further, and has begun work on building a rotary-powered Tesla Model S P100D.

Yup, gone is Elon Musk’s beloved battery, and in goes a compact 13B engine.

The project comes from Reuben Bemrose, who has established himself as a connoisseur of wild rotary-swaps.

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Bemrose’s last project – A rotary-powered Ferrari 456 GT skid pig – grabbed global headlines when it caught the ire of Maranello.

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Wheels tried to contact Bemrose to find out more about his build but hadn’t heard back at the time of publication.

If you are wondering what would drive a man to ditch the most torque-rich powertrain imaginable for one that is renowned for its lack of torque, you can defer to his justification for building the aforementioned rotary Ferrari.

“We thought it would be funny,” Bemrose told New Zealand television program 1 News.

“We can put any engine we want in it, and we picked the classic Kiwi rotary.”

The Tesla donor car for the project seems to have been involved in an accident, making it a prime candidate for Bemrose’s antics.

A picture of the bridge-ported and turbocharged 13B engine placed between the Tesla’s front wheel arches seems all wrong, but so right at the same time.

We look forward to seeing the finished product, and Elon’s inevitable bemusement at Bemrose’s creation.