Top 8 Most Unique LS Swaps at Holley LS Fest XI
As the saying goes, ‘on a long enough timeline, everything gets an LS swap.’ Here’s a few of the most unique we saw at LS Fest XI!
“On a long enough timeline, everything gets an LS swap.” A saying coined by the crew of YouTube channel Regular Car Reviews, yet one so true. Older Corvettes, Camaros and Firebirds of all stripes, big Chevy and GMC pickups, all easy stuff. However, the fun really begins when the LS and LT V8s go to places of dreams.
Thus, it’s always fun to go to Holley LS Fest every year to see what madness can be found. Here are our faves from LS Fest XI in Bowling Green, Kentucky, held September 11 through 13 at Beech Bend Park.
1. Faster Than UPS Next-day Air
“It’s the one and only LS Postal,” said its owner, David Stacy, “that I built last year at LS Fest.”
The retired USPS truck ditched its old four-pot for supercharged LS goodness, rolling around with 700 horses ready to deliver the mail faster than “Race the Truck” Dale Jarrett and his old UPS ride. Stacy says the truck could do 12.8s all day back when it had 450 horses. We can only imagine how fast letters could land in the mailbox now.
2. British Body, American V8, A Classic Combo
“It’s a 1972 Lotus Europa,” said owner Dan Swanson. “We put an LS6 in it with a Porsche Boxster S transaxle, six-speed […] It took four years to collect the parts, and three and a half years to put it all together.”
The result is a stunning take on the classic British body/American V8 combo, one ready to race with a shorter driver; Swanson says he’s too tall to fit in the car with a helmet on. Away from the track, though, it’s an excellent driving machine for road trips like ones to LS Fest.
3. Triangles Are for Doritos
“It’s a stock 5.3 LC9, all-aluminum motor, out of a Saab [9-7X], of all things,” said Wayne of his 1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE. The ex-rotary machine lost the Doritos due to lack of parts, compared to the very healthy aftermarket for the LS. The entire build took a total of 18 months, with a lot of work put in during the lockdown period due to the pandemic.
4. S2K Gets a Bit of Detroit Magic
“It is a 2006 Honda S2000,” said Chandler Snodgrass “It’s an LS6 bottom end, and kind of a mutt top end […] It’s been a five-year build.”
Getting it all to come together was “nightmare after nightmare” for Snodgrass. Yet, the S2K build is more reliable and better performing for the effort. He plans to time-attack the Honda/GM hybrid down the road. He adds the build is “fun as hell” to drive, even if it wants to break the grip on the rears now and again.
‘Most Unique LS Swaps at Holley LS Fest XI’ continued…
