The recent update 1.34 for Gran Turismo 7 now allows players to perform an engine swap from the GT Auto section of the game, instead of relying on the roulette-style ticket system. That is, of course, providing you have the credits to cover the cost, as they are not cheap.
If you do then you are rewarded with an animation of your mechanics literally throwing the new engine into the car in a traditionally quirky Gran Turismo fashion.
This has now opened up a lot more choices in what you can choose to upgrade engine-wise, as you don’t have to rely on the potluck. Some of these engines can improve a car and some make it almost undrivable (especially when you have zero clue on how to actually set-up a car, like me) as they often increase the total weight and therefore the weight distribution. It’s all part of the fun.
There are now (I believe, at the time of writing, although yesterday’s 1.35 update added some more) 34 available engines to upgrade with and a possible 76 cars that can have these transplanted into them.
To be clear, I haven’t yet tried every single one as it gets quite expensive to do these if you don’t already have a spare engine laying around from the old daily roulette technique – for reference, some of the swaps cost up to as much as 1.6 million credits, which is frankly astonishing.
However, I have managed to have a play with the majority of the combinations, so with that in mind let’s have a look at some of the craziest choices I have found for swapping out your engine in Gran Turismo 7.
10. Volkswagen SambaBus ’62 – M64/03-911 (Porsche 911 964 Carrera RS)
- Stock power – 33bhp
- Tuned Power – 534bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 582.33
- Cost of Engine Swap – 226,500 credits
First up is the Volkswagen SambaBus. Now this is not the first vehicle you think of as being “crazy” in stock form, but owing to the fact that this is a rear-wheel drive machine and you can add 500bhp to it means it qualifies for me.
Once you perform the swap it no longer bogs down on acceleration and now likes to step out whenever you apply any throttle. Obviously, it’s never going to set any lap time records due to its ungainly stature, but it can get up to over 180mph (!) which is plenty considering it has the aerodynamic properties of a tumble dryer.
It’s hard to ignore the allure of an overpowered camper van, so if you can save up enough credits or have a spare engine laying about, this is definitely worth doing. You can also add the same engine to a classic VW Beetle if you prefer, meaning you could relive the Herbie movies – although you will probably have to do the driving yourself…
9. Mazda 3 ’19 – R26B-787B (Mazda 787B)
- Stock power – 177bhp
- Tuned Power – 989bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 814.66
- Cost of Engine Swap – 1,200,000 credits
Putting a screaming engine from a Le Mans-winning 787B into a family hatchback is something that sounds like a terrible idea, yet it yields some surprisingly entertaining results.
The car is transformed from a dull family car to a raving lunatic. The four-wheel-drive system helps to keep everything in check and it can even reach speeds in excess of 230mph. It is, however, still a heavy car even with all the weight reduction tricks applied, so it isn’t the best around a track.
But who cares when it sounds as good as this?! The major drawback of this one is the price, as it will set you back a hefty 1.2 million credits.
8. Suzuki Cappuccino ’91 – 13B-REW-RX-7 (Mazda RX-7 FD)
- Stock power – 60bhp
- Tuned power – 586bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 848.05
- Cost of Engine Swap – 225,000 credits
This is a frankly ridiculous car once you throw an RX-7 engine into the mix. With very little weight and 586bhp, this tiny little car accelerates like stink. In the end, this is not as outright quick with a top speed slower than many on the list, but what makes it really stand out is how quick it is at a sub 600pp level. In fact, it’s a cheat code.
You can enter this in any 600pp event, or even 700pp, and win comfortably providing you can keep it pointing forwards of course. This makes it well worth the 225,000 credits as this beast will soon earn you that money back.
7. Lancia Delta HF Integrale ’91 – VR38DETT-GT-R-Nismo (Nissan GT-R NISMO ’17)
- Stock power – 213bhp
- Tuned Power – 1042bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 932.02
- Cost of Engine Swap – 193,500 credits
If you want to feel the madness of some Group B rally action, then this iconic Lancia will deliver that and more. A four-wheel-drive base always seems to make these engine swaps better to drive and that means that even with north of 1000bhp, this pugnacious Lancia is drivable and actually handles pretty well considering its age.
Not much can compete with it from a standing start and it has an outstanding top speed to boot too.
6. Volkswagen Golf I GTI ’83 – R5-20vT-Quattro-Pikes (Audi S1 Quattro Pikes Peak ’87)
- Stock power – 110bhp
- Tuned Power – 788bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 962.15
- Cost of Engine Swap – 1,250,000 credits
Now considering that I hail from Essex, I am very familiar with a Mk1 VW Golf that has had far too much power thrown into it with no real regard for how it will handle.
I have seen many of these on a Friday night cruise back in the day, so I had to include one on this list. The turbocharged engine from the mad Audi S1 Pikes Peak hillclimb weapon gives this a massive amount of power and all to the front wheels.
This means that it does have a tendency to spin the front axles in pretty much every gear. Literally. No exaggeration. But it’s still great fun to drive. In fact, the only thing missing from the full ‘Essex experience’ is the lack of a subwoofer in the boot and the 6×9’s hacked into the parcel shelf…
5. Abarth 595 SS ’70 – K20C1-Civic-’20 (Honda Civic Type R ’20)
- Stock power – 30bhp
- Tuned Power – 556bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 1035.38
- Cost of Engine Swap – 127,500 credits
Now for the absolute monster that is the Abarth 595 SS. Stick a Honda Civic engine in that tiny engine bay hung out over the rear tyres and all hell breaks loose.
This tiny little car gets a massive power upgrade to over 550bhp and weighs less than 550kg, which means over 1000bhp per tonne. Because of this, you would think that some nice sticky racing tyres would help keep it planted, but this is far from the case.
On slicks, it’s pot luck on whether or not the AI driver will even make it out of the pits. The excess grip coupled with the rear engine weight means that this car pops a wheelie at the slightest hint of throttle. This is hardly ideal in terms of being quick on a track but it opens up a whole new game of ‘can I wheelie this down the straights and then make it round the corners?’
The answer is usually no, I might add, but it’s hilarious to try. If you can keep the front end down then this tiny car is even capable of just hitting the 200mph barrier. If you want to drive this car properly then leave sports tyres or lower on. Then, it is much easier to manage, but still a handful.
4. Ford Roadster ’32 – Voodoo-5.2L-GT350R (Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R)
- Stock power – 179bhp
- Tuned Power – 817bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 1038.12
- Cost of Engine Swap – 37,500 credits
This is a classic roadster that you can truly turn into a proper hot rod by transplanting in the Voodoo 5.2L monster that normally sits in a Shelby GT350R.
It’s a lightweight car so the power really makes it shift and, if you can actually make it around those pesky things in between the straights that are called corners, then this car is great fun to play with.
You must be cautious, but once you can unleash the power there isn’t much that will keep up with you. Nothing beats the joy of blasting past people in a classic from the 1930s at well over 200mph.
3. Jeep Willys ‘45 – Hellcat-Charger (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat)
- Stock power – 60bhp
- Tuned Power – 999bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 1042.8
- Cost of Engine Swap – 138,400 credits
Who would ever think that bolting a Hellcat Charger engine into a WWII-era Willy’s Jeep wasn’t a good idea?
Now thanks to Gran Turismo 7, this is possible and it boosts the power from 60bhp as stock to a ridiculous 999bhp.
Clearly, this is not going to be a good car for setting great lap times but it is amazing to drive, especially if it’s mostly in a straight line. It suffers from braking-induced overseer at times, especially if you try to trail brake, but this can be cured with a healthy dose of the right foot.
It accelerates at a ridiculous rate and leaves cars in its wake off the line, which is frankly hilarious.
2. DeLorean DMC-12 S2 ’04 – LS7-Rampage (Roadster Shop Rampage)
- Stock power – 197bhp
- Tuned Power – 1104bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 1047.44
- Cost of Engine Swap – 250,000 credits
Ah, the classic Delorean that most people will have in a certain time travel-themed livery. Now once you put the LS7 engine out of the Roadster Shop Rampage into it then it feels like time travel is distinctly possible!
You will also then have something that will go a lot quicker than 88mph with its insane 1100bhp. This is an extremely twitchy yet controllable beast that just keeps pulling at high speeds. But, just make sure you brake early or you won’t be making that corner that’s still several hundred feet ahead of you…
1. Nissan Silvia Q’s (S13) ’88 – S7 BRZ (Subaru BRZ Drift)
- Stock power – 132bhp
- Tuned Power – 1232bhp
- BHP per Tonne – 1253.31
- Cost of Engine Swap – 300,000 credits
The BRZ LS7 is the most powerful engine you can swap, at the time of writing, and it goes in the Nissan Silvia of all things.
This gives you a ridiculous 1200+bhp in an 80s car. If you take off all downforce and max this car out then it will just nudge the magical 300mph barrier on the downhill section of SS Route X. 300mph!
I have been using this car to do the Le Mans 700pp World Circuits race of late and it conquers it with ease, although it does ruin a set of tyres within a lap if you’re not careful. Madness and nothing else comes even close, not even an Abarth on two wheels…
All of these were tested with full upgrades where possible. At present, I have tested out every available engine (except one) but not in every possible car. If you’re lucky enough to own a Ferrari F40, then you can also drop an Enzo engine into it.
There are many others to pick from with a full list available from the always knowledgeable GTPlanet forums and it’s always worth checking back to see if more have been added or found by checking our GT7 update analysis each month.
Truth be told I was going to make this a list of five cars but I just couldn’t narrow it down that far as there are many other bonkers combinations to try. I encourage you to get grinding, earn the credits and test as many engine swaps as you can for yourself. See what gems you can find and then let us know in the comments below.
