Engine swaps can sometimes work in favor or go wrong. But when they are successful, they are a treat to watch. Don’t you feel euphoric after seeing a successful build, especially one that is out of this world? We don’t know about you, but an insane build really turns our gears.
That’s why you might have noticed that some folks have made a business out of restoring and modifying old vehicles into interesting examples. Talking about interesting, here are a few of them that we have mentioned below.
So, without wasting too much time, let’s get right into the 5 most terrifying engine swaps!
1. Ferrari V8 Fitted to a Toyota 86:
The Toyota 86 has a Subaru-based boxer engine that makes slightly more than 200 horsepower, on a good day. Such power is sufficient for the streets, but for a more serious application like drifting, you need something overpowering. You want an engine that throws the rear at the corner when you slam on the throttle. And something like that is not possible with a 200-hp motor.
The solution is to swap a more powerful engine under the hood. And that’s exactly the kind of inspiration Ryan Tuerck got, except he went a bit too overboard with his idea. Ryan took help from Huddy Motorsport, and together they installed a Ferrari V8, sourced out of a Ferrari 458, inside Ryan’s 86.
His car now makes 562 hp, which is enough to make the 86 go out of control. It’s safe to say that Ryan doesn’t complain anymore about less power.
2. Prius Packed with The Dodge Hellcat V8:
The people who buy a Prius do so to save on fuel costs. The vehicle is extremely fuel-efficient in its stock configuration, which makes it a perfect family car. But it doesn’t take long for someone to develop an interest in converting daily drivers into track-ready beasts.
Imagine a Prius prepared for drag racing that smokes the opposition. You won’t have to ponder too much because someone has made it a part of reality. The owner of this particular Toyota Prius took the mighty 6.2-liter supercharged Hellcat engine from Dodge and swapped it in a highly modified Prius.
The result is a fire-breathing 1000-horsepower Toyota Prius straight from hell.
3. Porsche 911 with Cadillac V8:
The Porsche 911 is already a fast car, but that didn’t discourage these guys from fitting a V8 into one. The guys who did this put a lot of effort into installing a Cadillac-sourced V8 on the rear of the 911. However, they took a different approach from others and put the engine in place of the rear seats. Yes, the screaming V8 sits right behind the driver’s seat in this Porsche 911.
Don’t worry, the engine and the driver are separated by a heat shield. So, the driver doesn’t feel the heat emanating from the engine.
Some say that the move might have destroyed the balance of the car and that fitting an 8.2-liter V8 inside a small 911 is a foolish idea. But who doesn’t like terrifying engine swaps? We sure do!
4. Koenigsegg Engine in a Ford Granada:
The Ford Granada was a luxury car made by an American auto manufacturer in the 1970s. It got quite a reception back in its day, but the vehicle got lost in time, and Ford abandoned the model later. However, a man from Norway wasn’t letting the car die too easily. He put the Ford Granada back on the map and found a unique way to do that.
Initially, the enthusiast swapped a Cosworth-built motor, under the hood of the Granada. The engine made 600 horsepower but that didn’t impress the owner. He wanted to blow people’s minds, which is what he did when he came up with an insane idea.
The Norwegian man got an engine from the Koenigsegg CCX and tuned it to produce 1,700 horsepower. That’s incredible, considering the original V8 in the CCX made only 800 hp. It is safe to say that this Granada is the fastest one on the planet.
5. LS-Swapped Tesla Model S:
The Tesla Model S is the most robust and dynamic car in the Tesla line-up at the moment. The EV is not only fast, but it also has lots of battery range. In other words, the Tesla Model S is the complete package for anyone looking to go electric. There is no need for a person to search for more performance out of it unless they want to do something fun.
Well, when fun and craziness combine, we get the LS-swapped Model S.
The project was started by Rich Rebuilds under the supervision of the owner Rich Benoit. His team took on the build with extreme care since it is not easy to fit a massive V8 in a car that has no space for an engine.
They cut several pieces and welded some new ones in place to make way for the motor. Moreover, the team custom-fit a new driveshaft tunnel for the gearbox and other components. All in all, it took them well over a year to showcase the vehicle at the SEMA show.
The V8 engine teams up with a sequential manual transmission to deliver power to the wheels. Interestingly, the ‘ICE-T’ Tesla V8 is a road-legal car, so chances are that you can spot it driving the road if you are in the neighborhood.
Final Thoughts
We can list plenty more terrifying engine swap examples, like the Tesla-powered Ferrari 308, the LS-swapped Lamborghini Huracan, or the Lamborghini-powered Fiat 500. All of these cars are honorable mentions even though they did not make it to our list. There are only so many vehicles you can fit in a top 5 list. But there is always the next time, so see you then!