American upgrades on Japanese sports cars aren’t exactly a new thing in the aftermarket auto scene these days. Doug Ross, the owner of Weapons Grade Performance in Wallingford, Connecticut, knows all too well about the formula of fitting an American engine into a Japanese sports car.

But unlike the rest of us, Ross has the capabilities to undertake such a project to see if a current Japanese sports car->ke506 can handle the an American engine tucked inside it.

All of it was eventually answered with the development of the Subaru BRZ06->ke3973.

It was a time-consuming project that Ross was determined to complete and with the help of his people from Weapons Grade Performance, he managed to install an LS2 V-8 engine inside the BRZ that was actually a mix-mash of parts from different LS V-8 engines.

After much work and some tedious labor in trying to fit the American engine into the engine bay of the Subaru->ke86, Weapons Grade Performance successfully worked around all of the kinks and complications in fitting the BR-Z with a re-tooled and re-modeled LS2 V-8 engine, giving the Subaru more than the 200 horsepower it has on the stock model. Weapons Grade Performance didn’t divulge the exact specifications of the new Chevy-powered BRZ, but we venture to say that since this engine was borrowed from the Corvette->ke1280 Z06, it is at least 500 horsepower.

Weapons Grade Performance is still tinkering with the idea of more modifications to come, including the possibility of dropping a supercharged LS9 engine into the BRZ, which could eventually lead to the BRZ packing close to 600 horsepower under its hood.

Click past the jump to read about the Subaru BRZ

2013 Subaru BRZ06 by Weapons Grade Performance

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2013 Subaru BRZ06 by Weapons Grade Performance
  • Engine/Motor: V8
  • Horsepower: 500
  • Torque: 450
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

Subaru BRZ

As one-third of the BRZ/GT86/FR-S triumvirate, the Subaru BRZ is one heck of an affordable sports car. It features the kind of sporty and aggressive look normally reserved for cars with higher sticker prices.

Plus, it comes with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder boxer engine that nets 200 horsepower, enough to get by, but ultimately ripe to be given an aftermarket program.

But the best part about the BRZ, just like the GT 86 and the FR-S, is that it only costs $25,000 minimum. For its design, performance and tuner-friendliness, that’s as good a deal as you can find for a sports car.