Rolls-Royce Phantom Has The Heart Of A 900-hp Toyota Supra

Rolls-Royce is famous for its smooth-running engines that barely make a sound while carrying occupants in the lap of luxury. After the powerplant failed in his 2008 Phantom, a Japanese owner decided to take a very different direction with his sedan, though. The naturally aspirated 6.75-liter V12 is gone, and in its place is a turbocharged and supercharged 3.0-liter Toyota 2JZ-GTE inline six. The result is a wonderful piece of automotive madness.

According to a Speedhunters interview, the owner used the Phantom daily and racked up 118,000 miles on it when the V12 failed. There was a two-year wait for a replacement engine, so he decided to pursue this insane powertrain swap.

A shop recently completed the work, and the owner is still breaking in the twincharged engine. Even at the current low-boost setting of 23.5 psi (1.6 bar), it's good for about 600 horsepower (447 kW), which easily tops the 453 hp (338 kW) from the stock V12. Later, the output could grow to 900 hp (671 kW) when the owner turns the turbo up to 29.4 psi (2.0 bar).

The power routes through a four-speed automatic gearbox from a Toyota Aristo, known elsewhere as the Lexus GS. The plastic gearshift looks incredibly out of place in the otherwise opulent cabin.

The modifications also extend to the suspension where custom-tuned adjustable Öhlins dampers now handle the ride.

The powertrain doesn't have the sophisticated hum of the stock V12, but it's otherwise hard to tell that there's much different about this Phantom. According to Speedhunters, the Rolls' copious sound deadening makes it difficult to hear the inline six from inside the luxury sedan.

Check out the video above for a brief look at this wild Phantom, and Speedhunters has an extensive array of photos of the sedan.