(Photos courtesy of Leash Electronics and forum member Leashed on LS1Tech.com)
I have a confession to make: I daily drive a 2012 Mazda 3. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking… “That’s lame!”, or even “aww man… really?”, right? It has a job, and it’s done it very well over the past few years. It’s a competent little hatchback/dog and family hauler/commuter pod, and it has a 6-speed manual and handles rather well for an econobox to keep me from falling into a commuter coma behind the wheel. One thing it isn’t, though, is fast. For one that’s moderately quick, you can step up to the turbocharged Mazdaspeed 3, which has about 100 more HP than the 165 or so ponies that reside under my car’s hood. They are fun to drive little torque steer monsters, but what if you want an even faster Mazda 3?
The answer to that question is apparently the same answer when it comes to many other slow vehicles: stuff a Chevy LS engine under the hood!
But seriously, it fits! And it actually looks like it fits pretty well, I might add.
I recently came across this project from perusing one of my internet haunts (NASIOC’s super friendly OT section), which then linked to a post on the ever-entertaining Engine Swap Depot, which then subsequently linked to a build thread over on LS1Tech.com. You want to “dare to be different”? Here you go. The car obviously started out as a FWD car. They didn’t offer an AWD version here in the states, so I would imagine tucking everything up and in will be quite the fabrication festival.
The car started out as a regular ol’ Mazdaspeed 3. This appears to be a final-year 2013 model due to the dark colored factory wheels. These cars are pretty fun to drive, but can be a handful getting out of the hole due to all that power up front jerking the wheel around.
The build started in 2014, and looks like this today. It’s going to have a 427ci mill with a single 88mm turbo in it’s final form. This thing should scoot!
A stock Mazda 3 like mine comes with a 205/50/17 tire on all four corners. The Mazdaspeed 3’s come with a larger 225/40/18 tire. This car has some 15×12 wheels with 275 width drag radials. Meaty compared to what they usually come with!
Here’s the back half build in progress. Definitely looks a lot different than what I’m used to seeing inside my hatch! This car is devoid of groceries, dog toys, etc. and has replaced all that with custom built go-fast bits. Another interesting tidbit of info about this chassis: the wheelbase is 103″, which is actually 2″ longer than a typical Mustang.
Here’s another look under the hood. Again, it’s truly remarkable how much room is under there. I think you could easily fit a PAIR of turbos in there.
Knowing that a LS V8 fits under the hood of my pedestrian Mazda 3 is a scary thought. This project is definitely going to make me look at my car in funny ways from here on out, and I can hear the thing trembling with fear (or excitement) of having a V8 transplant from here. Very cool project, and a slightly tamer version would make a silly but awesome sleeper.
Thanks to the guys on NASIOC’s OT section for tipping me off on this freak!
Here we go again!
Yet another lunkhead with no imagination sticks in a hunka shit LS!
Why not put in a full-on 4-rotor Mazda egine? In 4 turbo form it would have produced more power than the unmentionable and would have sounded awesome. But hey – then some serious thinking would have been involved which is way outside the scope of the average LS lover,,,,,
Chevy Hatin’ Mad Geordie is there a place you have posted pictures we can see of a car that’s out of the ordinary that your super imaginative mind has created?
maybe because they wanted it to work… reliably
Well since this is my car I will make a correction. The plans have changed. It will be powered by a twin turbo 3500hp big block Chevy. This car will be ran competitively and run 4.0-4 teens in the 1/8 at near 200mph on radials. Sorry you’re rotary would not help me do that. So this is out of the scope of your average rotary lover.
Besides rotarys sound like total shit. Sounds like fire crackers in a empty trash can. But to each there own. I do respect them and they are very impressive
When you take a torch or cutting wheel to the floor pan and firewall you could put in that GMC V-12. When “I was a kid” we tucked a SBC into a Healy 3000 without all the cutting and made it work (?) with what was there . Heat and a BIG hammer… 🙂