Chevrolet Matiz V8

Chevrolet Matiz With 505HP Corvette Z06 V8 Engine

OK, how cold I let this one slip by? What we have here is a Chevy Matiz (a tinny Euro market sub-compact) that someone decided to cram, not just a V8 into but a big, whompin’ stompin’ Corvette Z06 V8 Engine that cranks out 505HP.

Oh, and said lunatic is French. Is that a reason, or an excuse?

Well, let’s see.

This mutant Chevy Matiz, all decked out in a nice shade of French racing blue, was done up by a fellow by the name of Yves Fourdin, who is the founder and owner of Fourdin Auto Sport. The car, which is apparently homologated for racing, has been fitted a stock 7.0-liter V8 engine from the Corvette Z06 that delivers an output of 505HP.

Even in a Vette that’s a bunch, in a car the size of a kitchen range, that borders on the too much. Borders … I’m still not sure what constitutes “too much power” in a car.

Yves Fourdin says the Corvette-powered Matiz will accelerate from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in just 3.7 seconds and to 200 km/h (124 mph) in 10.94 seconds while the car’s top speed is 260 km/h (162 mph). And who are we to argue, a basic understanding of Newtonian physics will tell you that seems reasonable.

What could possibly go wrong?

Well, a lot if you consider how much horsepower that thing cranks out and then look at the wheelbase on that Chevy Matiz, or to be more accurate, the LACK of wheelbase on that Chevy Matiz. This thing will probably change directions like a V2 rocket with the fins hacked off … hell, it will probably accelerate like a V2 rocket, for that matter.

Which I suppose is half the fun. From the stands. Safely watching/grinning. From the drivers seat it probably gives a whole knew meaning to the words “Complete handful” and “directional instability” and “barely under control”.

Here’s a video of the little brute testing at Monza (yes, THAT Monza), so it looks like Yves Fourdin and the gents at Fourdin Auto Sport are serious.

  1. Well now that you've mentioned it, that car can get pretty scary and dangerous to ride. I was never a big fan of sports cars in the first place, but I always knew how to appreciate them. Odd car, that Matiz.

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