Swap Insanity: Turning a 2013 Mazdaspeed 3 Into an X275 Drag Car

Just by looking at the mock-up pictures of when wheel and tire fitment being sorted, we could tell that this Mazda hot-hatch that Leash Electronics is building is going to be a crazy little bundle of fun. We’ve driven a few of these cars before and they’re fun with the factory turbo inline-4, and we can just imagine how much fun a rear-wheel-drive-converted, LS-powered Mazdaspeed 3 drag car would be.

With a 62/38 weight distribution from the factory, we don’t think it would be hard to achieve a near perfect weight distribution with the addition of a solid rear end and caged chassis. Plus those Weld Racing V-series wheels look like a perfect fit for this car!

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There’s not much we know about the engine besides the fact that it is bored and stroked to 427 cubic inches and has Trickflow 245 heads, Holley Dominator EFI, Moran injectors, Aeromotive fuel system components, and Hooker cast manifolds. The engine will be fed pressurized air from a large GT5518 88mm turbo.

This car is going to be a complete beast at the strip and we can’t wait to see this build progress as well as some video footage when it’s completed. To follow along with the project, check out the build thread on the LS1Tech forums and their other build archive – we know we’ll be stalking the progress!