Polaris Slingshot Given 400 HP Boost With 2JZ Swap

Wanting More

The Polaris Slingshot is one of the coolest, quirkiest, and most ridiculous things you can actually buy and drive on the road today. This open-air three-wheeler is sort of a motorcycle/automobile hybrid, offering up plenty of hilarious fun for little money. There's just one problem with it - the Slingshot comes stock with a 2.4-liter GM four-cylinder making a paltry 173 hp. But the owner of this particular Slingshot, Scott Riley, wanted a bit more than that. 

Photos: Engine Swap Depot

Change of Plans

According to the car's feature over at Engine Swap Depot, Riley originally built this insane machine to raffle off for charity at his business, Sport Rider in Altoona, Wisconsin. Midway through the build, some unforeseen complications forced the raffle to be canceled. But Riley decided to finish what he started regardless. Originally, he wanted to go with an LS swap for the Polaris, then considered an Audi V8 before finally settling on a 2JZ. 

Photos: Engine Swap Depot

>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ Slingshot right here in Club Lexus.

Finding a Donor

Apparently, the legendary Toyota mill is a good fit for the Slingshot's transmission. And it enjoys tremendous aftermarket support, as we already knew. So Riley set out to find a suitable donor and discovered one in a Lexus IS300 packing a naturally-aspirated 3.0-liter 2JZ-GE inline-six with 200,000 miles on the clock. Riley handed the engine over to his father, a master engine builder, and he got to work fortifying the already stout powerplant. 

Photos: Engine Swap Depot

>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ Slingshot right here in Club Lexus.

Fortified Powerplant

The 2JZ was torn down and fitted with all sorts of serious internals parts, including Eagle rods, new valve springs, and JE pistons producing a good-for-boost 8.5:1 compression ratio. This was especially important because the father/son duo then sourced a BorgWarner 66 mm turbocharger for the healthy powerplant. Finally, they installed an AEM Inifity ECU to control the whole thing. 

Photos: Engine Swap Depot

>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ Slingshot right here in Club Lexus.

Fun Machine

As you'd imagine, actually fitting the engine into the Slingshot required a bit of work. Riley had to fabricate some custom engine mounts, as well as replace the front-sump oil pan with a rear-sump. The factory dash wouldn't work with the new setup either, so Riley replaced it with an AEM Carbon 5 digital dash. But the result of all that labor is a 400 hp fun machine capable of spinning its singular rear tire all day long. 

Photos: Engine Swap Depot

>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ Slingshot right here in Club Lexus.

Host of Upgrades

Mating the 2JZ to the stock Slingshot transmission was actually fairly easy. The MA5 five-speed manual is based on the Aisin AR-5 transmission and shares the same bolt pattern. Thus, Riley was able to bolt the transmission to the engine using a stock Toyota bell housing. He did, however, upgrade to a Drift Motion Stage 2 clutch and lightweight flywheel to compensate for the extra horsepower. He then upgraded the suspension with a custom Ridetech/Accuair setup consisting of Shockwave air shocks, an Accuair E-level controller kit, and two air tanks. 

Photos: Engine Swap Depot

>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ Slingshot right here in Club Lexus.

Dangerous Fun

Finally, Riley capped it all off with a set of Chip Foose F150 Outcast wheels wrapped in Hankook Ventus V12 tires. And now, he's got one of the coolest rides we've seen in a long time. But Riley's not finished just yet. Future plans call for a least a 100 hp boost, which promises to make this Slingshot even sketchier. But as they say, is it really that much fun if there isn't at least a little bit of danger involved in driving it?  

Photos: Engine Swap Depot

>>Join the conversation about this 2JZ Slingshot right here in Club Lexus.

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