Big motor plus small car always equals fun but when the small car is a cool little old school Japanese job and the engine is a 420ci Cleveland headed Ford small block, we’re talking real fun! This video was made in Australia at a dyno/tuning day for this race car which can normally be found scorching Aussie drag strips at more than 145 mph. We’re not sure that they ever sold the Scorpion in the USA, but it is a pretty cool looking little car. With the Ford engine in it, we’re totally on board with calling it awesome.
This car has some serious suds. In the video you’ll see several dyno pulls and each one results in more power being put down. The engine is an impressive sounding piece which hums along and then erupts in an awesome roar when the pulls are made. No telling if this is a street legal car, but either way, we dig it!
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO WATCH THIS CLEVELAND HEADED MONSTER GET IT DONE ON AN AUSSIE DYNO!
Looks like we did get this car – as a Plymouth Sapporo.
Dodge Challenger, too.
There’s hope for an ’80s Challenger after all…
Whoever made the suggestion and decision to put the Challenger nameplate to be put on these back in the eighties should have a roundhouse kick to the head. Probably the same person helped GM put the Nova name plate on those little boxes of crap in the late eighties early nineties. This car in the video however has been resurected into something awesome ! Worth of any nameplate it wants to wear !
What are the odds? One of these got featured on Hooniverse today: http://hooniverse.com/2013/05/03/carlisle-import-nationals-preview-1983-plymouth-sapporo-technika/
gotta love those Cleveland heads lotsa top end ,building a 393 right now cant wait
These things are definatly a decent looking car. I think calling them a charger(iirc) was kinda like nailing their coffin shut. There is a sweet original 83 sapporo teckinca over on the hooniverse . kinda make me want to build a mash up of this scorpian and that sapporo.
Ooops didint read the coments before I posted this.Sorry all.
Makes me want to find a Sapporo/Challenger and put a 416 Mopar small block in one.
funny thing is, these are reasonably common – and pretty unloved – in Australia – the 4 door Sigma even more so, they’re everywhere. Because they’re unloved they are very cheap cars – knew a guy that had a 2.6 litre 4 cyl scorpion with a home turbo job on it (there was a factory one too) – he paid 800 bucks for it and it took him a year of thrashing and neglect to kill the engine – it then had a windsor in it for burnouts.
oh, and it IS street legal too. They have to be engineered and stuff for rego but I know a guy with a 302 C in a Sigma, had it for years. Bog stock 2 bbl motor but it goes hard and gets good mileage too !
Was that car strapped down?
I am the owner. To set things straight its a 434 cuber and its street legal here here in Australia Melbourne , I drive the car daily and the car was driven to the track and ran 9.6 @146 mph on a radial on a soft tune .
Mate, thats sick! Did you build the engine?