The huge annual SEMA show for builders and owners of highly customized cars brings out some truly bizarre creations.
Only at SEMA will you see vehicles like the one-of-a-kind PriuSRT8, a Toyota Prius with a gas-guzzling V-8 engine under its hood that effectively turns the hybrid’s green credentials on its head.
The once gas-sipping hatchback underwent enormous amounts of work to fit a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, sourced from the Dodge Hellcat muscle cars, under its stubby hood.
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American Racing Headers carried out the build and spared little expense to ensure it’s the wildest Prius ever created. We’d say the company succeeded.
The aftermarket parts vendor tossed the Prius’s frugal two-motor hybrid system and Atkinson Cycle 1.5-liter inline-4, and replaced them with the 6.2-liter V-8 engine making a full 707 horsepower.
It didn’t stop there, however. For good measure, ARH installed a larger supercharger to bump the final power to the magic 1,000-hp level.
Toyota PriuSRT8 by American Racing Headers
That power heads through a 6-speed manual transmission to a Ford 9-inch rear end—yes, this is a rear-wheel-drive Prius.
Regardless of what its motives may have been, ARH performed some incredible engineering to bring the car to life.
READ THIS: 2019 Toyota Prius V to shift from wagon to SUV design, but will it have AWD?
A custom ladder frame supports the rear-wheel-drive setup, and the company installed a four-link rear suspension and a roll cage to hold it all together structurally.
Supposedly lots of Toyota Prius hybrids sport bumper stickers, often for environmental or progressive causes.
Whether with tongue in cheek or as a deliberate affront, ARH has turned that stereotype on its head.
Toyota PriuSRT8 by American Racing Headers
The car boasts an American flag with a screaming bald eagle, of course.
It also has decals reading “Weapon of Mass Consumption,” “Fixed in the U.S.A.,” and “Mean Ass Vehicle” on the rear end.
The “Meas Ass Vehicle” decal, in particular, was specifically designed to mimic California’s HOV sticker.
CHECK OUT: Toyota has now sold 10 million hybrids in 20 years, globally
What better way to make a splash at a show focused on performance, aftermarket parts, and speed?
ARH doesn’t plan to keep the car idle but expects to drive the world’s most inefficient Prius daily. Other Prius drivers should have zero issues spotting the car in traffics—that is, if they don’t hear it first.
Toyota has sold over 10 million hybrids globally in 20 years, but this may be the first time one of them has been rated at 1,000 horsepower.
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