The American rally scene is full of turbo Subarus and Fords, but for years, there’s been one car that stands out: the V8-powered Chevy Sonic Rally Car from PMR Motorsports. It’s the one you can hear coming from a mile away through the trees. For the 2025 season, that V8 noise is getting an upgrade, as the team just swapped in a modern LT1 V8 with the help of Chevrolet Performance.

A Fan Favorite Gets A Heart Transplant

Driver Pat Moro has been campaigning the V8 Sonic since 2019, and the old LS3-powered car quickly became a fan favorite just because of its sound. It was the oddball, the muscle car crashing the import party. Moro knew an upgrade was needed to be more competitive, and he was pumped about the new Chevy partnership. “I couldn’t be more excited to team up with Chevrolet Performance to bring the LT1 to American rallying,” Moro said.

The New LT1-Powered Chevy Sonic Rally Car

Swapping from an LS3 to an LT1 is a big deal for the Chevy Sonic Rally Car. The new engine brings direct injection and a host of modern tech that should give Moro more power and better response on the tight and twisty rally stages. It’s the kind of power upgrade that could make a real difference in the highly competitive American Rally Association (ARA) series, a fact Moro acknowledged when he said the LT1 would “only take us to the next level.”

A Long-Standing GM Partnership

Moro isn’t new to this game. He’s been working with Chevrolet for over a decade, and he’s driven in some of the biggest events in the sport, including the X Games and Global Rallycross. PMR Motorsports is a serious team, and this partnership with Chevrolet Performance is just the latest step in a long relationship. This history of high-level competition shows they have the experience to make this wild V8-swapped concept work.

Catch the V8 Roar This Season

The best part is that you can still catch this V8 monster in action this season. The Chevy Sonic Rally Car will be tearing up the stages at the Overmountain Rally in Tennessee later this month, from September 20 to 21. If you miss that, your last chance will be at the Lake Superior Performance Rally in Michigan in October. It’s worth the trip just to hear an LT1 at full chat in the middle of the woods.