Photo: American Racing Headers
Ah, the Toyota Prius! The haters may reduce it to nothing more than a joke of a vehicle, yet the ever-popular Prius would tell them otherwise for it is the world’s best-selling hybrid vehicle. But a heady V8 makes everything more exciting, even a lowly Prius.
Somewhere out there, a handful of individuals decided that doing an engine swap is the best middle finger salute one could give to Prius haters. And thus, the PriuSRT8 was born, packing 6.2 liters of Hellcat V8 and a noticeably bigger supercharger than the top-mounted 2.4-liter IHI system.
A work-in-progress that comes courtesy of American Racing Headers, the PriuSRT8 develops 1,000 horsepower instead of the bog-standard 707 ponies thanks to a 4.5-liter supercharger developed by Whipple. Of course, fitting such a monstrous powerplant in the engine bay of a hybrid is a tall order. But somehow, ARH managed to squeeze the lump in there just nicely.
Other than the American muscle, the Hellcat-swapped Prius also benefits from Weld five-spoke wheels at the rear and Mickey Thompson drag radials. Wilwood disc brakes, Tremec Magnum six-speed transmission, Ford 9-inch rear end, and an NHRA-certified Midwest tube chassis are on the menu as well. For what it’s worth, there is little left of the Prius we know and love or hate except for the instantly recognizable outer shell.
Arguably the baddest Prius anyone could come up with, the PriuSRT8 is almost guaranteed to finish the ¼-mile with a trap speed of at least 150 mph. The drag chute has yet to be fitted to the car, but given time, American Racing Headers will complete this simply outstanding machine.
The venue where its creator intends to showcase the PriuSRT8 is TX2K18, which will open its doors to the public on March 15, 2018. Can you imagine a Prius making mincemeat of purpose-built drag racecars on the Royal Purple Raceway? I certainly can’t do that right now, but I’m willing to find out in due time if American Racing Headers has a winner on its hands.
A work-in-progress that comes courtesy of American Racing Headers, the PriuSRT8 develops 1,000 horsepower instead of the bog-standard 707 ponies thanks to a 4.5-liter supercharger developed by Whipple. Of course, fitting such a monstrous powerplant in the engine bay of a hybrid is a tall order. But somehow, ARH managed to squeeze the lump in there just nicely.
Other than the American muscle, the Hellcat-swapped Prius also benefits from Weld five-spoke wheels at the rear and Mickey Thompson drag radials. Wilwood disc brakes, Tremec Magnum six-speed transmission, Ford 9-inch rear end, and an NHRA-certified Midwest tube chassis are on the menu as well. For what it’s worth, there is little left of the Prius we know and love or hate except for the instantly recognizable outer shell.
Arguably the baddest Prius anyone could come up with, the PriuSRT8 is almost guaranteed to finish the ¼-mile with a trap speed of at least 150 mph. The drag chute has yet to be fitted to the car, but given time, American Racing Headers will complete this simply outstanding machine.
The venue where its creator intends to showcase the PriuSRT8 is TX2K18, which will open its doors to the public on March 15, 2018. Can you imagine a Prius making mincemeat of purpose-built drag racecars on the Royal Purple Raceway? I certainly can’t do that right now, but I’m willing to find out in due time if American Racing Headers has a winner on its hands.
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