Best of 2020: This Swapped Honda Insight Dropped Jaws At Rocky Mountain Race Week!


Best of 2020: This Swapped Honda Insight Dropped Jaws At Rocky Mountain Race Week!

In one lane, a red Shelby GT500. One of the first “new” Shelby Mustangs, the S197 hot rod was 500 horsepower of red-blooded Blue Oval that straight ripped. Forget all the Cars and Coffee videos you’ve seen, in the hands of a competent driver, the Shelby is something to behold. In the other lane…a Honda Insight, a blue Easter egg of a car that was Honda’s foray into the world of super-green driving experiences and hybrid technology at the turn of the century. It was a two-seater with the aerodynamic drag of a teardrop, running a 67 horsepower three-cylinder in a super-lean burn setup, paired off with a 10kW electric motor for additional power. They were an oddity new and most have seemingly vanished from the roads. Seeing one on RMRW was like seeing a turtle swimming in the punchbowl at a party…sure, there was something interesting, but the question of what the hell it was doing there remained.

Then the light turned green, the Shelby roared off and the Insight straight-up spanked it. And not by a little bit. Stacy Gifford’s Insight is what happens when aerodynamics, a compact package, and a potent engine combine to make magic happen…or, it’s the proper realization of every “pOwEr To WeIgHt, BRO!” argument I have ever endured while debating the merits of Hondas as performance cars. The K-swapped eco-dream not only gained instant respect on RMRW, but it probably took the award for the best MPG recorded from any vehicle involved in this year’s activities…and that’s not just race cars, I mean ANY vehicle. Gifford is fully aiming for the “have your cake and eat it too” moment where his car gets 50 MPG while scaring unsuspecting Hellcat owners. We dig it.


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5 thoughts on “Best of 2020: This Swapped Honda Insight Dropped Jaws At Rocky Mountain Race Week!

  1. MGBChuck

    I’m a V8 in little car guy, but something about this odd tiny car just pushes my buttons. Ultimate sleeper, maybe. High tech quick, maybe. Crazy MPG, maybe.So ugly its cute , maybe. I saw a video a while back about building this combo and was thinking it would be a neat runway car. This car and the Blue 62 Buick had me tuning in everyday to RMRW. Good stuff

  2. Austin Perdue

    I have one of these too – a K24 swapped Insight. It can usually be seen driving 10 under the speed limit on my commute to work, but every now and then it can also be seen leaving a thick cloud of rubber smoke when being harassed by a muscle car or lifted pickup.

  3. george

    i had a 1st gen 2003. from.2011-2019. till someone hit me.my brother kept it ruuning prefectly the whole time.there was nothing like the feeling of being prefectly in touch with the road through the insight.the closest thing i can compare it to is hang gliding.catching a air current(hill) and just silently coasting down hill, or accelerating and just gliding a long ways.i would go for short rides out of town just for the sheer pleasure of hang gliding in i car.i would turn the stereo off, and just listen to the engine, feel the road through the tires gliding across the pavement,listen to the wind cut through my car.now it. just sits in my driveway.inoperable.2018 was my last summer with my insight.in the spring of 2018 i put an oil additive called tribotex.after the additive diamodized(thats what i call it) my engine my car felt like it had 10 more horsepower! thats not but if you own an isight it makes a big difference.i never found out if it improved my mpgs, i was too busy having fun zipping and zooming around town.the extra power bought the insight up to normal vehicle performance. l was passing other cars and taking hills fearlessly!i wish some one else could experiece what i did, both the quiet hang gliding and the extra horsepower.it was like being one with the car ,he wind,the road.

    1. Austin Perdue

      George – I get that! I almost regret putting the K24 in – it’s no better a car for the swap, though I find most people can understand it better now. The car is a different sort of beast, and rather than that sense of relaxed “gliding” it’s more like constant restraint from greatly exceeding the speed limit. The K24 makes traveling at greatly illegal speeds effortless.

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