zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Daigo Saito's Most Extreme Toyota Engine Swap Is Real And It Works
Daigo Saito's Most Extreme Toyota Engine Swap Is Real And It Works-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:02

has blessed us with yet another swap, and we can’t look away from what the madman has wrought. This time, it’s a Yaris GR. The D1 Grand Prix and Formula Drift champ is no stranger to engine-swapping Toyota platforms, and we at Jalopnik held his as the crowning achievement, even if it was .

Saito’s previous project was brief vindication for all those who lamented, perhaps unfairly, that the beating heart of the was a BMW-derived straight-six. Saito’s encore 2JZ project focuses on , and if you’re a small-car lover, you’ll likely agree Saito has outdone himself this time. To achieve drift supremacy, Saito did away with the three-cylinder, 1.6-liter G16E-GTS engine and the GR-Four traction system. He also traded the stock body for a Pandem kit from Rocket Bunny in order to fit the larger tires and steering angle kit.

This 2JZ project doubles the factory engine’s cylinder count and more than triples the output to a whopping 1,000 HP. That’s impressive by itself and needs no more fanfare, even if Saito had already reached similar power output with the 2JZ Supra.

What I want to emphasize is the sheer absurdity of putting an engine that powerful into a platform so small and light. Saito’s Yaris can’t weigh much more than a stock Yaris GR, which comes in at a little over 2,800 pounds. Try to imagine what 1,000 HP must be like in such a flyweight vehicle. It might actually be easier to drift the Yaris everywhere than forcing it to follow a straight vector.

We sincerely hope Saito’s Yaris will not suffer the same fate as his Supra, or that the gods do not in sheer envy. But even then, we know neither of those setbacks would stop him. Daigo Saito is Sisyphus, except he’s not rolling a boulder. He’s rolling through turns in a chariot too good for Olympus. Oh, Daigo, keep rolling; keep pushing up that hill. We will know you by the fury and the sound of your engine.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Reigning NHRA Champion Brittany Force Hospitalized After Huge Crash At Pomona
Reigning NHRA Champion Brittany Force Hospitalized After Huge Crash At Pomona
Current NHRA Top Fuel champion Brittany Force was taken to the hospital after a brutal crash in Sunday’s first round of eliminations at the NHRA Winternationals, reports . Force showed no major injuries beyond bruised lungs, however, she will remain in the hospital overnight for observation. Force’s first weekend back...
Nov 1, 2026
Here's What The Ferrari And Mercedes F1 Cars Will Sound Like This Year
Here's What The Ferrari And Mercedes F1 Cars Will Sound Like This Year
It isn’t 2021 and therefore Formula One’s rules for louder and cheaper engines aren’t in effect yet (because F1 is silly and four years in advance), but the engines are still decently loud up close. Here’s what the series-dominating Ferrari and Mercedes F1 engines will sound like this year. Ferrari...
Nov 1, 2026
The Winter Olympics Could Use Some Downhill F1 Car Snow Runs
The Winter Olympics Could Use Some Downhill F1 Car Snow Runs
I’ve never felt that that motorsports really in the Olympics. Motorsports and the Olympics are good enough at being on their own without combining forces, thank you very much. That being said, I’d love to see a Formula One car hoon down the Olympic ski slopes between races, as Red...
Nov 1, 2026
Driver Dies After Roebling Road Raceway Track Day Crash
Driver Dies After Roebling Road Raceway Track Day Crash
A driver at a Porsche Club of America high performance driver’s education event at Roebling Road Raceway died Saturday after crashing just before the first turn, reports the . His instructor was also seriously injured in the crash. Driver Robert Charles Wilson, 70, was running a 2001 Porsche 911 Carrera...
Nov 1, 2026
Formula E Gets Grid Girls Spectacularly Wrong
Formula E Gets Grid Girls Spectacularly Wrong
Formula E: Home of the , and, apparently, suspiciously high levels of hypocrisy. After welcoming Formula One “to the 21st century” for , something Formula E claimed to have already done, the series’ CEO basically just said, “Nah, just kidding, we’re keeping them.” Grid girls are an outdated concept that...
Nov 1, 2026
Please Let The World Rally Championship Race Come To Canada You Hosers
Please Let The World Rally Championship Race Come To Canada You Hosers
Canada isn’t just for chuggling maple syrup on a while pretending to be the God of Snow. It also hosts incredible rallies, including some utterly brutal snow rallies. The only thing missing is the present-day World Rally Championship , and fortunately, the Rally Promoter Association of Canada announced that they...
Nov 1, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved