Most of the engine swaps we encountered involved an old car or a used car, then being given a heart transplant with a more powerful motor. But this one is different – the new Toyota GR86 with 2JZ engine, gets the spotlight from Larry Chen on Youtube.
So how new is this Toyota GR86? Well, it’s only four miles from the factory. According to the owner, Jeff Woodruff, he had a hard time finding a GR86 specifically for his new project. After finding it, he specifically gave instructions to the dealer not to drive the car. In fact, there was no hole for his license plate when he picked up the car.
After bringing home the GR86, Woodruff immediately swapped his 2.4-liter boxer engine for the 2JZ-GE engine of the Lexus IS 300 sedan. He didn’t even drive or drink coffee for a while, which is pretty cool if you ask us.
The 2JZ-GE engine was readily available and Woodruff had no trouble installing it in the engine bay. There are some adjustments needed to the transmission but he says there is enough wiggle room. Talking about the transmission, it uses a Toyota W series manual gearbox from the Mark IV Supra.
As for engine power, Woodruff says the 2JZ sends 500 horses to the wheels using a gas pump
While this may be the first GR86 with a 2JZ engine in North America, it is not the first in the world. In fact, Woodruff admitted that he got inspiration from Daigo Saito who made two drift cars in Japan with the same setup. Both Saito builds come with the Pandem aero kit by Tra-Kyoto, who was also inspired by Woodruff for the build.
