Top 10 Most Ridiculous Engine Swaps in Gran Turismo 7

Racing games entrenched as deeply in real life as the Gran Turismo series are escapism fantasy fuel for those of us who won’t be able to amass a 500-car collection in our lifetime. It’s a chance to experience, albeit virtually, what it would be like to drive a 1966 Ford Mark IV race car, a Ferrari 288 GTO, or a Nissan Skyline GT-R 400R.

As a further mimic of real life, the cars in Gran Turismo 7 can be modified, tuned, and customized in hundreds of ways. One of the most prominent changes a player can make is swapping the engine. It’s an exorbitant automotive game of what if whimsy. That Mazda MX-5 needs more power? No problem, we’ll just stuff in a Chevrolet small block V8. Your Silvia needs a bit more motivation? A Nissan R35 GT-R engine should do the trick.

But with so many vehicles in the game, spanning a monstrous chasm of performance, some of the engine swaps available in Gran Turismo 7 are insane, hilarious, frightening, or a combination of all three. Below we have listed 10 of the most ridiculous engine swaps currently in Gran Turismo 7. We’ve specified currently as the game is constantly adding new engine swap options, making an update to this list in the future inevitable.

Kicking off our list is one of the newest engine swaps available. Some felt the first year Toyota GR Supra was down a bit of power, even with the six-cylinder turbocharged engine. Toyota rectified this by installing the higher output six-cylinder from BMW in later years. But what if that’s still not enough?

Well, Renault has the answer in the form of a 3.5L 40-valve Renault RS5 V10 from the early ‘90s Williams-Renault Formula 1 car. It’s actually taken from the Renault Espace F1 concept van which is even more nutty. But a GR Supra making around 800 horsepower with a redline near 14,000 rpm is still bonkers. Those who prefer the Mark IV Supra aren’t left out either as it can swap in the Pagani Huyara V12 engine.

The Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo, or 3000GT on our shores, was a technological marvel. But even with a twin-turbocharged V6 engine, the car’s weight held it back from being a top performer in its day. Gran Turismo has rectified this allowing the engine from a Suzuki Escudo SUV to be swapped in.

That may sound like a downgrade, but this is the 2.5-liter turbocharged V6 used in the Suzuki rally monsters from the late 1990s. It makes 981 hp and redefines the term turbo-lag. Power doesn’t exist until well past 5,000 rpm, at which point the car suddenly explodes forward like its shot out of a canon.

The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C5) was a serious, no compromise performance machine. It was a track weapon in 2001, ready to embarrass more expensive machinery. Now, what if we more than quadrupled its horsepower?

That’s what can happen in Gran Turismo 7 courtesy of a transplant from a Bugatti Chiron. Yes, the quad-turbocharged V16 engine apparently fits under the Corvette’s hood, good for a standard 1,595 hp. If that’s still not enough, upgrade to the ultimate turbocharger and intercooler for a total of 1,851 hp. 

In Japan, luxury minivans are a thing, which makes complete sense. The body style with the most passenger space, soft ride, and easy ingress is such an obvious starting point for a luxury vehicle, we still don’t know why it hasn’t caught on in North America.

The Toyota Alphard Executive Lounge is one of these posh people carriers, but the engine is less special. GT7 has fixed that by installing what is Toyota/Lexus’ greatest engine of all time – the 4.8-liter V10 from the LFA. Fully tuned, it turns this unsuspecting van into an all-wheel drive, 700+ horsepower track weapon.

There have been a lot of ludicrous swaps on this list, but this one may be the craziest. The Citroën DS is a legendary car in many circles. It set new standards in ride quality, technology, and style. The DS featured in GT7 comes with the 2.2-liter four-cylinder that makes decent power.

Gran Turismo though set out to install what designers had originally wanted under the hood of the DS, a flat-six engine. The engine chosen though is what makes this swap so hilarious. The Porsche M64/03 six-cylinder is the what has been selected, you know, the 3.6-liter air cooled unit from an early ‘90s 911 (964). Tuned up, it can be bored to 4.0-liters and make over 500 horsepower, which easily roasts the Citroen’s front tires. The best part though, no matter what upgrades are made to the transmission, the car always remains a steering-column-mounted manual shifter.

The Mazda Demio is the OG Gran Turismo starter car. It was the slowmobile in the original Gran Turismo and showed out-of-place commuter cars could still be a blast to drive in a video racing game when thrashed around. It’s fitting that in GT7 it’s shown some love, elevating it past Sunday Cup status. 

Available to cram under the hood is the Mitsubishi Evo-Final-Gr.B engine. Yes, this is a completely fictionalized engine, but it’s a homage to what powered Group B era rally cars. It means the Demio can be tuned up to have over 730 hp while weighing just over 2,100 pounds. If German cars are more your thing, the old-school 1983 Volkswagen Golf GTI can have similar swap, stealing the engine from the legendary Audi Quattro Group B monster.

What do you like better, Rally Cars or Muscle Cars? What if there was a way to have both? We assume that’s the thinking behind this engine swap that allows players to install the Dodge Challenger Demon 6.2-liter supercharged engine in the subcompact Toyota GR Yaris. With a standard 840 horsepower, it makes the all-wheel drive GR Yaris an absolute maniac on the track. It’s a combination that shouldn’t work, yet somehow does. If you prefer, this swap can also be done to the GR Corolla.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter  here.