autoevolution
 

On Sale Subaru BRZ Does a Lousy Job of Hiding the Turbocharged LS6 V8 Under Its Hood

If there was one thing that people complained about when the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86 pair came out nearly ten years ago, it was the fact they were slightly underpowered.
LS-swapped 2014 Subaru BRZ 7 photos
Photo: carsandbids.com
LS-swapped 2014 Subaru BRZLS-swapped 2014 Subaru BRZLS-swapped 2014 Subaru BRZLS-swapped 2014 Subaru BRZLS-swapped 2014 Subaru BRZLS-swapped 2014 Subaru BRZ
On paper, they were a lot more than "slightly". With 200 hp coming out of that 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine, the two Japanese sports cars needed way too many seconds to reach the benchmark speed of 60 miles per hour (about seven). That made calling them "sports cars" seem like a bit of a stretch, especially since something as mundane as a hot hatch could outpace them in a drag race.

However, drive them through a mountain pass, and we can guarantee you wouldn't be thinking of any hot hatch. That's not to say they'd be quicker, but you'd be having a lot more fun. A lot more. Especially if you were inspired enough to opt for the six-speed manual transmission instead of the awfully slow automatic.

That's where the BRZ and GT86 come to life, but since very few people spend most of their time behind the wheel going through mountains, that means whoever bought one rarely got the chance to use the vehicle's superpower. Which is how things like this 2014 Subaru BRZ come to life.

Instead of selling the car, the owner of this Scooby decided to do something about its lack of power. However, they seem to have gone a little overboard in this case. The 2.0-liter boxer unit is known for its compact nature and for keeping the center of gravity low, which are two things that can't be said about the new resident under the BRZ's hood.

The vehicle description claims the 6.3-liter "LS6" V8 that's now lurking under there was taken off an ill-fated 2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, but that model used a 5.7-liter unit, so something doesn't add up. Whatever the case, what matters is that you're getting a Subaru BRZ with an American V8 transplant job that's been pretty cleanly executed.

It looks like the much bigger unit would have fitted there just nicely, but the owner decided to add a huge turbocharger on top, which proved to be too much for the room available inside the little Japanese car's engine bay - hence the little cutout you can see in the hood. That's not the only place where the bodywork has been pierced, though: please note the exhaust exiting through the front passenger-side panel, just behind the wheel arch.

There is no info on the actual power but considering the 2003 Z06 made around 400 hp without any forced induction, it's safe to expect a lot more from this build. The fat rear tires, as well as the parachute at the back, are clear indicators of what the car was mostly used (or at least intended) for. The BRZ is available for sale with only two days left and the current highest bid sitting at $14,311.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Vlad Mitrache
Vlad Mitrache profile photo

"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories