Photo: ENEOS
Japanese oil company ENEOS displays five modified race cars at this year’s SEMA Show, with the Porsche 911 GT3 STI as its most ambitious project. It’s again an engine swap, replacing the iconic Porsche boxer engine with a 2008 Subaru Impreza STI EJ25 powerplant.
At many motor shows, it’s not the car companies that have the most interesting cars on display, it’s the suppliers. SEMA is a supplier show by definition, so it’s probably one of the most exciting shows out there. ENEOS might not ring many bells outside the racing enthusiast circles, but it has some exciting cars on show. Centerstage is one of the most outrageous engine swaps, which would undoubtedly make Porsche fans shed a tear.
After last year’s E30 BMW with an FC20 Honda swap, engine-swap expert and professional drift racer Faruk Kugay from DevSpeed Motorsports debuted its latest creation, a 2007 997.1 Porsche 911 GT3. Interestingly, the base car was bought at auction as a rolling shell after it was crashed and stripped by a previous owner. With no engine to boot, it was the perfect project for Faruk’s crazy ideas.
The team opted for a 2008 Subaru Impreza STI EJ25 engine out of respect for the boxer configuration. Of course, Porsche fans would disagree about the respect, but the results, we must agree, is worth it. The Subaru engine is 179 lb (77 kg) lighter than the GT3 powerplant and can be easily tweaked to exceed the 911’s stock 415-horsepower output. We don’t know the final figure, but Faruk said he was aiming for 550 horsepower.
To get there, the engine was upgraded with a BorgWarner EFR 7064-C turbo and a massive Vibrant Vertical Flow intercooler. Faruk also fitted Deatschwerks fuel injectors, rails, and pumps, which draw from a Nuke Performance fuel cell and fuel system. Finally, the exhaust system is custom-made, contributing to the overall performance. The six-speed transmission is sourced from the Impreza, modified with a reverse-cut ring gear and bell housing supplied by Subarugears in Australia and assembled by SubiWorks in California.
If the livery looks a little too Subaru, it was intended. Nevertheless, ENEOS assures us that the classic Salzburg Porsche 917 lent some of its cues. The design was created by Sean Smith Design and applied by Landmark Grafix. The ENEOS Porsche 911 GT3 STI shares the stage with an equally impressive Nissan Frontier Race Truck and the Tesla Model 3 that raced the Pikes Peak in 2021. A Datsun 521 pickup and a 1997 Acura Integra Type R round up ENEOS’s lineup for this year’s SEMA.
After last year’s E30 BMW with an FC20 Honda swap, engine-swap expert and professional drift racer Faruk Kugay from DevSpeed Motorsports debuted its latest creation, a 2007 997.1 Porsche 911 GT3. Interestingly, the base car was bought at auction as a rolling shell after it was crashed and stripped by a previous owner. With no engine to boot, it was the perfect project for Faruk’s crazy ideas.
The team opted for a 2008 Subaru Impreza STI EJ25 engine out of respect for the boxer configuration. Of course, Porsche fans would disagree about the respect, but the results, we must agree, is worth it. The Subaru engine is 179 lb (77 kg) lighter than the GT3 powerplant and can be easily tweaked to exceed the 911’s stock 415-horsepower output. We don’t know the final figure, but Faruk said he was aiming for 550 horsepower.
To get there, the engine was upgraded with a BorgWarner EFR 7064-C turbo and a massive Vibrant Vertical Flow intercooler. Faruk also fitted Deatschwerks fuel injectors, rails, and pumps, which draw from a Nuke Performance fuel cell and fuel system. Finally, the exhaust system is custom-made, contributing to the overall performance. The six-speed transmission is sourced from the Impreza, modified with a reverse-cut ring gear and bell housing supplied by Subarugears in Australia and assembled by SubiWorks in California.
If the livery looks a little too Subaru, it was intended. Nevertheless, ENEOS assures us that the classic Salzburg Porsche 917 lent some of its cues. The design was created by Sean Smith Design and applied by Landmark Grafix. The ENEOS Porsche 911 GT3 STI shares the stage with an equally impressive Nissan Frontier Race Truck and the Tesla Model 3 that raced the Pikes Peak in 2021. A Datsun 521 pickup and a 1997 Acura Integra Type R round up ENEOS’s lineup for this year’s SEMA.
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