Automakers build cars to do specific things. Take the Toyota Tacoma for example. Toyota made this vehicle to be a work truck. In its base rear-wheel-drive format, the Tacoma is sturdy, reliable, and capable of hauling things in its bed. It's a popular option for the working class.
With that in mind, the Toyota Tacoma was certainly not made for the purpose of winning races at the drag strip. With a 2.7-liter four-cylinder motor pumping out only 159 hp, the Tacoma would not stand much of a chance in a drag race. However, when engine swaps and turbocharging come into play, anything is possible. Drag Racing and Car Stuff has a video on its YouTube Channel of a seriously fast Toyota Tacoma lining up in a drag race against an Audi RS3.
2JZ Engine Swap Gives The Toyota Tacoma A Fighting Chance
The Toyota Tacoma in this video appears to be the first-generation model made from 2001-2004. This particular truck has removed the stock powerplant and put the vaunted 2JZ-GTE motor under its hood. This twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder unit was standard on the fourth-generation Toyota Supra Turbo.
In stock form, the Supra Turbo's 2JZ-GTE engine produced 320 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque. Known for both reliability and tunability, the 2JZ-GTE is popular among gearheads searching to replace their stock engines with something more powerful. With tuning and modifications, some variations of this motor have generated upwards of 1,000 hp.
No word on whether the Audi RS3 in this video has modifications, although tunes are easily available for this car. The stock engine is a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder unit with about 400 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque going to all four wheels. The only transmission available is a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.
The Outcome At The Drag Strip
Both the Toyota Tacoma and the Audi RS3 leave the starting blocks with no drama or wheelspin. It is unclear what kind of tires were on the Tacoma, but they don't appear to be drag radials. However, they hook up well enough to keep the rear-wheel-drive truck even with the all-wheel-drive Audi at the start of the race.
The Tacoma appears to pull away from the RS3 very slightly around the halfway point in the race. When they reach the finish line, the results show the Tacoma with a final time of 9.80 seconds and a speed of 140.37 mph.
The Audi finishes in second place with a time of 10.98 and a trap speed of 127.84 mph. The higher trap speed for the Toyota indicates it was pulling away from the Audi at the end.
This race is just another example of why the 2JZ-GTE motor is so popular among racers. The elapsed time and trap speed of this 2JZ-GTE-swapped Toyota Tacoma put it on par with some of the world's greatest sports cars.