Q&A with Rick White, Mad Scientist Behind the LSX Prius

On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell’s first words over a telephone line were, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.”

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong’s first words from the surface of the moon were, “That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”

On a future date in the summer of 2014, what will be the first words uttered by Rick White as he cranks over his LS1-powered Prius for the first time? Whatever they are, they’ll be remembered (at least for LS-swap enthusiasts) as the first words spoken during one of the most significant moments in human history. Rick White will own the first-ever LS-powered Toyota Prius.

By the time Rick and Autofab Race Cars complete the Prius’ testicular reassignment surgery, the former hybrid will have more than 800 turbocharged horsepower at the rear wheels, and will gobble up the quarter-mile in the nine-second range. Best of all, the “LSX Prius” as Rick calls it, will look completely stock from the outside. This will be, hands down, the world’s ultimate sleeper.

I was able to learn more about the car from Rick in the following Q&A.

LS1Tech: Ever since the Prius came to the United States in the 2001 model year, people have been joking that it should have a V8. What inspiration lies behind your pioneering the first LSX Prius, and why do you think this took so long?

Rick White: Well, I live in a town with an excessive amount of “Priusessess” driving around.  In the 90s this town was overrun with Volvo 240s. I swapped a Chevy 383 into a Volvo back then and had a lot of fun, so the natural thing to do was swap a V8 into a Prius to stay current. Originally I was going to use a Duramax diesel, but there isn’t enough room to make it work easily.  I think the cost of the car is what has been the biggest deterrent. Luckily I was able to score this one cheap from somebody who was leaving the country.

LS1Tech: You own a ’55 Chevy and a Ferrari 360 Modena. You used to own an 864-rear-wheel-horsepower C5 Corvette that could do 9.6 seconds at 148 mph in the quarter-mile. I can easily say you have decent taste in cars. Does a second-gen 2006 Prius fit with your high-performance sensibilities?

White: Thanks, I have always been addicted to cars, and I love all makes and models. I had been searching for the right car to start with. This Prius had high miles and was perfect for what I had in mind.

LS1Tech: You live near Boston. All the work on the car is being done 412 miles from you at Autofab Race Cars near Baltimore. Why Autofab?

White: My spare time is limited, so to save time I called around to see if I could find a shop to make a subframe to the specs I wanted. Most of the shops I called were rude and less than helpful.  I talked to the guys at Autofab and they were very helpful and excited about the concept of the swap. In talking further I decided to bring them the car and have them do the chassis modifications needed to make this happen.

LS1Tech: Why are you beginning your build with an ’02 LS1? Is it coming from a Corvette? Why solid engine mounts?

White: The current engine and transmission are only temporary. I kept them for this project from a Camaro that I had parted out. Future plans include a boost-friendly 5.3L or 6.0L, and a fully built transmission.  The mid plate and front plate made the most sense for mounting the engine. I am no stranger to driving race cars on the street. I can go without creature comforts.

LS1Tech: Your intention is to make this car a sleeper. It will probably be the coolest sleeper of all time. I think it is the coolest sleeper ever conceived. I am already applauding you for getting the ball rolling on this project, and l will continue to applaud you until the skin on my hands falls off. Regarding a facet of its sleepy nature, you also say the LSX Prius “will be quiet and not attract any attention.” What are your plans for the exhaust system?

White: The car will remain 100% stock on the outside, and it will be as quiet as possible … at least at idle. I am planning on using Corsa mufflers. I was happy with them on my Corvette; very quiet at idle, yet it sounded insane at wide-open throttle.

LS1Tech: Will the LSX Prius be a daily driver? Will it have accoutrements like air conditioning? Will the OE Toyota instrumentation work?

White: I will definitely be driving it a lot this summer. As of now I don’t have any intention of installing A/C, and none of the factory gauges will work, but the stock dash will remain. I may use the factory navigation screen in the future if I decide to switch to aftermarket engine management.

LS1Tech: LS1Tech forum member “ijimmy” asks what your plans are for a fuel tank. He also wonders if you can keep a stock ride height.

White: For a fuel tank I will just make an aluminum cell to fit where I want as soon as I know what the finished trunk area will look like. I will keep the stock fuel-fill door functional.  The ride height will also remain stock or as close as possible to stock.

LS1Tech: You’re using a ladder-bar rear suspension with a nine-inch Ford rear end. How well will that handle an 800-horsepower blast initiated by your right foot? What can we expect for the front suspension? Someone on the forum suggested an 8.8-inch rear. Initially, that’s the rear end you planned to use. Could a lighter 8.8 work at all?

White: The rear suspension is pretty standard drag car stuff. That combo has been proven a million times and will not have any trouble handling whatever power I can throw at it.  The front suspension is actually stock, and I may or may not upgrade it in the future.  I had thought about using an 8.8”, but in the end I decided on the 9” – the weight difference is not a concern.

LS1Tech: Was it difficult to widen the stock wheels to 275mm? What kind of tires are you using?

White: Widening the stock 15×6 aluminum wheels was not difficult at all. I brought them up to 15×8 by adding 2 inches to the barrel on the back side. This is a fairly simple and common procedure. I am using Mickey Thompson drag radials: 275/60/15.

LS1Tech: The LS1 is capable of great fuel economy. You can achieve 30 mpg pretty easily in a C5 Corvette with a six-speed manual, for example. What kind of fuel economy are you expecting in the initial pre-turbo stages? What kind of economy will you expect after the car has 800 ponies?

White: My Corvette made over 1,000 horsepower at the crank, and I drove that car everywhere. One weekend when I was coming home to Boston from Englishtown, New Jersey, the Corvette averaged in the high 20s.  I would expect the same out of this setup as long as I stay out of boost and drive it normal.  I didn’t notice much difference between normal aspiration and forced induction with regard to fuel mileage, so it should be about the same.

LS1Tech: The C5 Corvette Coupe has a 0.29 drag coefficient. The second-gen Toyota Prius is a little more slippery at 0.26. We’ve already established the LSX Prius will be tremendous at the drag strip, but as aerodynamic as it is, what about the salt flats? Could you ever see yourself turning this car into a record-holder at Bonneville?

White: I would love to do some land-speed-record racing with it. The only problem is I can’t get too far from where I live. Hopefully someday I will be able to make the trip west for some fun.

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LS1Tech: What’s next? An LSX Volkswagen Malibu Barbie New Beetle?

White: Only time will tell. I am surprised nobody has done an LSX MINI Cooper yet.

LS1Tech: When you start the engine in the LSX Prius for the first time, what do you think your first words will be?

White: Anybody who has seen the movie “The Other Guys” already knows what the only word can be … AMERICA!

For continuous updates on this epic build, follow along on Rick’s LSX Prius Facebook page, and on its dedicated LS1Tech forum thread.