A Drift Spec Silvia With an LQ9? Where’s the LS?
GM’s LS engines are among the most used aftermarket engines used. You can find them in everything ranging from old-school hotrods, trucks, baja-inspired buggy’s, racecars, and even swapped into a Ferrari or two. It’s the go to engine of choice when building something ridiculous. However, GM makes a ton of other small-block engines that never really get the same recognition as the LS.
In drifting, the goal is to create the most amount of power, for the least amount of money, and make the most amount of smoke. Chevy V8s are among the easiest way of doing just that. However, Matt Field and his Nissan Silvia went a different direction when it came time to swap out his drift car’s engine.
Instead of going the traditional route and use an LS, Field dropped in an LQ9 E engine out of a Cadillac Escalade. Why did he do this? We honestly don’t know, but thanks to a stroker kit, Weisco pistons, a custom Vortec supercharger setup and a hefty dose of Nitrous, this drift car makes over 1,000 horsepower and 940 lb-ft of torque.
Watching and listening to this ridiculous non-LS tuned drift car is an absolute delight. What do you guys think of swapping and LQ9 E into more things? It should be a bit more beefy since it’s an iron block. Sound off in the comments below.