1,100HP LS-Swapped Twin-Turbo Lexus IS300 Takes on Texas

By Tony Markovich - April 19, 2016

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Question: how do you fit in at a Texas drag race event–one of the most American pastimes ever–with a Japanese car? Answer: rip out the engine and give it an American heart. Or just eat a boatload of barbecue and enter yourself in a rodeo, up to you.

Dedicated Motorsports knew it had to bring some heat to the TX2K16 event last month at Royal Purple Raceway in Houston, and the expectation was to bring their twin-turbo monster Lexus IS300. But as the shop was opening up the block to put in high-flow heads, the techs realized there was a crack in the aluminum. And they found this out a mere three weeks before the car was supposed to hit the strip.

So, in a rush, DM took out the engine and dropped in a 5.3-liter LSX crate engine. From there, the twin-turbo kit that was on the car remained pretty much the same: Xona Rotor 95/67 ball bearing turbochargers and a MoTec boost control valve. The car was set up with 25 pounds of boost for about 1,138 horsepower. (DM eventually wants to push the car to 30 pounds, with hopes of hitting 1,300 horsepower.)

During race day, the car hit its stride against a Lancer Evolution and posted an 8.76 run. Other passes in the video below show times in the nines. Check it out, then let us know your thoughts!