For Halloween, we bring you what for many will be sacrilege, but for others it will be the magnificent result. This is what happens when testosterone crosses with the redneck essence.
It's true, only on Uncle Sam's land does the unusual happen, especially on Halloween. We present to you the most recent creation by W.G.P, that is to say, by Weapons Grade Performance. It's not a terrorist organization, but it could be. For the company of Doug Ross, promises to spread terror on the roads, through the “Frankensteinian” transformations that operate in common machines.
This time, this Connecticut-based company decided to take the Subaru BRZ and replace the relatively small 2,000cc boxer block with a muscular V8 engine. Yes, for a moment, we too thought that the Americans had finally managed to get the “ Rosssio in Rua da Bethesga“.
It all starts with the vision that Doug Ross had when looking at the Subaru BRZ and thinking that maybe the LS2 engine of his Corvette Z06 C6 could really fit, in such a small space. Dementia maybe? No, because when man dreams the work is born. Don't be fooled by the "sleeper" air of this Subaru BRZ, because this little devil, exudes potency through every pore.
But let's get down to it, the Boxer 4-cylinder engine gives way to a portentous LS2 V8, coming directly from a Pontiac GTO, a 6 liter “small block” looks gigantic, but actually, in width it's more compact than the Boxer, since the “small blocks”, have the spaces between cylinders closest to each other per bench, which gives it reduced dimensions regardless of the cylinder capacity.
When Doug opted for the LS2 of a GTO, he didn't know that the chosen engine had a problem with the crankshaft bearings, of course it would have to be repaired and that task was left to the FPARTS . A company that ended up making a mistake and instead of repairing it, it rebuilt the LS2 with forged internals and other parts from the same block that also equips the Corvette Z06, meaning that sometimes there are mistakes that come in handy.
Regarding this supernatural challenge of fitting the V8 into the BRZ, it raised several technical questions, which hovered over the W.G.P team, as if it were a curse.
Starting with the 1st headache, which was to integrate the electrical wiring of the LS2 with the rest of the BRZ. Achievement achieved thanks to the help of Current Performance , who remembered that, given the multiplexing of modern cars, all electrical circuits in the case of the BRZ run through the ABS connections. The worst thing is that the electrically assisted steering and the rev counter insisted on not working as if they were a mummy, but nothing that with the right spell could not be resolved.
This devil's cooling, with the “small block” V8, given the low heat exchange capacity, the result of its close-cylinder architecture, the SLOW , gave his help with the radiator and accessories so that the Subaru BRZ, does not become hell.
The gearbox, coupled to the LS2 is the Borg Warner T56, 6 speed, which, in order to be installed, meant that the transmission tunnel had to be slightly modified to accommodate such a beast. In addition to supporting the extra power, all engine and transmission mounts have been modified to fit the existing subframe in an X-shaped strut configuration to provide greater torsional rigidity to the package.
Another one of the transplant size problems was the critical alignment of the engine and transmission, which, in order to maintain the BRZ's center of gravity, ended up being mounted on a lower plane than the previous Boxer.
Speaking of things that make male hormones jump, it was to be expected that the W.G.P, move in the back of the BRZ and give it a good " booty ” (widening of the ways), but this did not happen. The BRZ continues to rave from behind on all sides, ( booty shake ), as if it were a model, a “rap” video. The rear axle of the Subaru BRZ remained virgin (of origin), to the temptations of the W.G.P, only the rear differential has a new final ratio of 3.73:1, everything so that it has starts of total demonic possession.
Dynamically crafted this Subaru BRZ so it can move with ghostly agility, suspension with fully adjustable Variant 3 coilovers courtesy of KW, as well as stiffer stabilizer bars and reinforced polyurethane rear suspension bushings. In order for this Subaru BRZ not to run the risk of crossing objects, the braking kit comes directly from the Corvette ZR1, with StopTech's set of carbo-ceramic discs and jaws, a choice that allowed us to reduce suspended weight by 6kg. Tires with a width of 215mm gave way to ones with a width of 285mm, mounted on 18-inch wheels from Enkei.
For the more skeptical, regarding the balance of this Subaru BRZ, we have numbers, the engine-transmission set only added 90kg to the final weight and mass distribution, it is now located with a distribution of 56% in the front and 44% in the rear, just 3% more up front compared to the standard. In perspective, it is 730.24kg on the front axle and 573.76kg on the rear axle, making a total weight of 1310kg for the set.
The performance, well the LS2, impresses with 400 horsepower at 6000rpm and 542Nm at 4400rpm, but remember the LS2 took a “ blueprint ” and now has 500 horses . The maximum speed is not disclosed but exceeds the counter, as well as starting from 0 to 100km/h is guaranteed to be done in less than 4s. As for consumption, the LS2 V8's thirst for gasoline is only matched by Dracula's bloodlust.
W.G.P proposes this transformation in 2 “kits”, both without engine and transmission, the basic one that includes only preparation for €10,190.90 and the complete one for €18,196.90. But if you want everything done with engine and box, W.G.P will charge you €25,000. An authentic machine haunted by power and torque, ready to sow terror on the road and that promises to torment the little souls that can stand up to it.
