LS V8 RX-7 Presents Drifting Clinic in the Heart of Texas
At a secret location in Austin, the Hoonigan crew bear witness to a FC RX-7 obliterating its rear tires.
There are plenty of platforms begging for the power, reliability, and build-ability of the LS V8. One of the most fun platforms is, of course, the Mazda RX-7. Why worry about apex seals and poor fuel economy when you can just drop-kick the rotary motor into the trash can, then drop in some V8 goodness?
The Hoonigan crew certainly know a thing or two about LS swaps, so they invited Harrison Johnson and his second-gen RX-7 out to their “Secret Shredhouse” in Austin, Texas for a master class on LS badassery.
Under the hood of Harrison’s 1988 RX-7 is not the old rotary motor, but a junkyard LS1 with LS2 heads and stock manifolds, putting out somewhere around 350 horsepower to the back tires. It also has a special e-brake handle Harrison’s friend put together to give Harrison more leverage while swinging around the track. According to Harrison, the solution “doesn’t really work,” though it “worked in the rain” at least once.
With plenty of room to play with at Hoonigan’s secret Austin location, Harrison lets the LS power loose upon the concrete. A few of Harrison’s donuts nearly mow more than the vines on the chain-link fencing, while the Hoonigan crew try not to get mowed down themselves while filming the glorious, Texas-sized horsepower extravaganza.
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Back and forth, forth and back, the LS1/LS2/RX-7 mashup roars through the backlot, throwing up smoke, dirt, and gravel with every turn. With every drift, Harrison leaves his mark on the blank concrete canvas, delivering “a proper shred” for the Hoonigan crew and fans. His “cool-down” lap is equally magnificent, a proper send-off for this badass LS-driven Mazda RX-7.
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