This Skyline GTR Has 762HP—and No Engine.

When Eric and Amanda Dotson set out to build EVzilla, they didn’t just want to swap a motor—they wanted to shake up the entire conversation around EV performance. The result is a fully electric 1990 Nissan Skyline GTR with a Tesla dual-motor heart, wild attention to detail, and a level of craftsmanship that stops people in their tracks.

But this build didn’t come out of nowhere. The Dotsons have spent decades at the bleeding edge of the tuning world, known for stuffing unexpected powerplants into iconic chassis—and making it look easy. In this post, we dive into what it took to bring EVzilla to life, from bootcamp training to custom fabrication, and why this project is still turning heads long after its debut.

Eric’s journey into cars started the way a lot of great stories do—by necessity. He paid his way through college doing car audio installs, which snowballed into a deeper obsession with performance builds. In 1999, he turbocharged his first Honda, and just like that, the tuning bug bit hard.

By 2007, he’d launched SQC Tuning, and in 2014, left his day job to dive headfirst into building and tuning cars full time. Since then, Eric’s built everything from quirky weekend projects to serious, high-horsepower monsters. The common thread? He’s always looking for new ways to shake things up.

EVzilla is no exception. In fact, it’s a whole new chapter. If you know the Dotsons, though, it’s not that surprising—they’ve dropped a Honda V6 into the back of a VW bus, squeezed a 2JZ into a 240Z, and as Amanda puts it, they’ve got a thing for putting motors where they don’t belong.

Before diving into their first EV build, they took the time to learn the ropes properly. Eric and Amanda attended the Legacy EV Fundamentals Bootcamp, where they got hands-on experience with EV systems, safety protocols, and wiring basics. That foundation gave them the confidence—and the connections—to take on something as ambitious as EVzilla.

Electrifying a legendary JDM icon like the Skyline GTR wasn’t just about turning heads. For Eric, it was about honoring the cars that sparked his passion while staying ahead of the curve in a fast-changing industry. Over the course of five intense months, the Evolved Imports team brought the project to life.

At the heart of EVzilla is a dual-motor setup pulled from a 2018 Tesla Model S P90D, putting down a wild 762 horsepower and 713 lb-ft of torque. The team used custom motor and transmission mounts from EVI to get everything to sit just right—and function flawlessly.

For the battery, they went with sixteen 5.3 kWh Tesla modules, split up across the chassis for ideal weight distribution. One of the coolest details? The front battery box is shaped to echo the original inline-six valve cover—a nod to the car’s roots, even as it charges into the future.

The rest of the build is just as dialed. Ohlins coilovers, a custom EVI rear cradle, and EVI-spec Dutchman axles help the car handle all that power. The body is finished in Toyota’s head-turning Voodoo Blue by Next Level Paint, with carbon fiber accents, a JUN body kit, Nismo N1 headlights, and custom LED tails bringing it all together.

Inside, it’s a blend of comfort and tech: Recaro SP1 seats, an AEM CD-5 digital dash, Tesla A/C, and an audio setup from JL Audio that keeps the vibes right whether you’re at the track or a show.

EVzilla made its big debut at SEMAfest 2023, but that was just the beginning. Since then, the Dotsons have taken the car on the road, showing it off at events across the country and starting more conversations about what’s possible when you blend nostalgia with cutting-edge tech.

Reflecting on the build, they credit a strong support network and partnerships with folks like ReVolt Systems and Legacy EV as key to making it all happen. For Eric and Amanda, this isn’t just about building fast cars—it’s about pushing the culture forward and proving that high-performance EVs can be just as thrilling, soulful, and creative as anything powered by gas.