Name: Toyota GR86 gets a 2JZ with four miles on the odometer!
Uploaded: 2022-09-30T18:30:37Z
Duration: 38 min 54 s
Channel: Larry Chen

TopSpeed

A True Hero Has Crammed a Supra's 2JZ into the Toyota GR86

By Josh Conturo

Published Oct 11, 2022

This is the first 2JZ swapped GR86 in the U.S., but it certainly won't be the last.

Engine swaps are not an uncommon thing, we've mentioned them a fair bit here on TopSpeed, but this one is a bit different. Normally, it is an old car that originally came with an engine that was either boring, underpowered, nearly impossible to modify. Or it's a combination of the three, and that is swapped out for a newer engine that can make more power more reliably and more efficiently. A rather unique build has surfaced from California that involves a brand-new car, with a cast iron straight six from the '90s swapped into it.

This Build Is Exactly What You Are Thinking It Is.

The brand-new car in question is a Toyota GR86, and the engine in question is a 2JZ taken from a Lexus IS 300 sedan. The build was recently made famous by Larry Chen. The car was so new that it only had a few miles on the clock, as soon as it was purchased, it was taken to a garage to get a heart transplant. Before the engine was placed in the car, it was pretty much bone stock, but that changed once it was nestled under the hood, it can now send about 500 horsepower to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox from a MKIV Supra. For reference that is more than double what the stock 2.4-liter is capable of, which is only 228 horsepower.

The owner, Jeff Woodruff, did set a record by making this the first 2JZ-swapped GR86 in the U.S., but the title of first in the world goes to two similar creations in Japan built by Daigo Saito that inspired this particular build. Even the body kit is closely related to the Pandem body kits made by Tra-Kyoto that are fitted to Saito's builds.

We will likely see many more of these kinds of builds in the years to come. The GR86 is surely an amazing platform to build on and will probably get even more attention than the previous generation GT86 did from the aftermarket. Especially now that we know what it takes to put a 2JZ into one of these, it will not be long before people start swapping in Nissan RB engines, Chevrolet LS V-8s, and every other engine under the sun. Look for the Formula Drift series to feature several of these in the years to come.