They're everywhere these days, they're gaining more and more interest, and they're not going away no matter how much you dislike the very thought of combining a domestic engine with a Japanese chassis. The popular GM LS swap, initially frowned upon by much of the import performance community, has infiltrated most every chassis you can imagine, and the swap process is backed by quite a bit of support from the aftermarket.

From a dollar-per-horsepower/torque perspective, the LS is tough to beat, especially for those interested in drifting. The two vehicles featured here were built specifically for recreational and competitive drift endeavors and both owners have zero regrets about sticking with GM's golden child engine platform.

Before Ryan Smith purchased this 2013 Scion FR-S in 2021, the car's first life involved race action on the streets of Long Beach during the Toyota Pro/Celebrity charity race. Piloted by television personality Rutledge Wood, he was able to take home the win in 2013, which automatically awarded him a return the following year but in the Pro category. After the events, the car remained in his stable and he had some changes made to it with help from Atlanta's KoruWorks, a shop that Wood has held a relationship with for years.

Eventually, Wood decided to sell the FR-S and who better to take over than someone like Smith, who works at KoruWorks, and was already familiar with the car. "I loved the history of the car being an old celebrity race car complete with big brakes, fire suppression system, custom cage—it seemed like a great starting point for a dedicated track build," Smith says.

Getting some street miles and then bringing the car to the track, the often-controversial FA20 boxer engine called it quits with just 7,500 miles on the clock. "Yikes! It was decided early on that an LS would take its place," he adds. "After working in Formula Drift for the last 7 years, its performance was undeniable."

The swap that was once an all-custom affair has since become standard practice with an array of aftermarket goods to make the process surprisingly straightforward. Smith states, "I learned from my previous personal builds to plan and work in a way that doesn't take you away from the project for long stretches of time if possible. So many companies have quality parts when doing any LS swap."

RTS engine plates secure the LS3 that maintains a completely stock bottom end with the top side getting a TSP Stage III cam along with dual valve springs and titanium retainers, hardened pushrods, and trunnion upgrade. Externally, a Corvette K&N intake kit was repurposed and a pair of Vorshlag swap-specific headers that lead to a 3.5-inch Y-pipe before exiting through Stainless Bros. dual resonators and muffler were added.

An ARE 4-stage dry sump system was installed and fueling drastically upgraded by way of a Radium fuel pump hanger, Walbro 450 lph pump, BTR fuel rails, and Deatschwerks 750s. The select upgrades might seem minor but the swap itself is already a massive jump in power and torque compared to the original Boxer and this one produces almost 500 whp and 400 lb-ft of torque, leaving the anemic 2.0L a distant memory.

Already fitted with capable suspension, Smith swapped out the previous coil overs for Fortune Auto's 500 series. Catch the car on the lift and you'll spot Perrin's 19 mm rear sway bar with Whiteline sway bar supports, a series of PBM spherical bushings as well as their front and rear arms and drop knuckles, and solid subframe bushings. A custom TRD roll cage came with the car, its tallest horizontal bar tucking neatly inside the roof liner.

When Wood still had the car, he updated the aging look of the FR-S' front end with a GR86 bumper with Toyota badge and Rocket Bunny LED turn signals drilled into the factory side grills. Smith later added the Uras grill duct and TrackSpec hood vents, as well as a generic splitter kit for the front and sides. 17x8.5 Kosei K1 with Falken rubber sit up front and cover TRD/StopTech calipers over floating rotors, and 17x9 Enkei RPF1 with Valino Pergea are used in the rear over dual aluminum Z32 calipers. Sideways action is initiated with a Chase Bays reverse-mounted

Since completion, I've been able to get a good bit of seat time and love the aluminum LS in this ZN6 chassis," he says. "The car still feels very balanced and I'm just enjoying the car as it's glued together. I've always been into drifting for the fun of it and the hangs with friends so the car will likely never see competition spec." That doesn't mean more power is out of the question, though, as Smith adds, "Maybe if I get the itch someday I could cut out more of the hood to fit a blower on that beautiful 6.2L."

If Ryan Smith had a slight head start on useable mods when he purchased Rutledge Woods' FR-S, then Cole Richards was nearing the finish line when he purchased this 2013 model from Ron Ewerth. Under Ewerth's ownership the underwhelming FA20 was replaced with an LS3 that uses custom engine mounts along with a one-off crank, headers, and exhaust, and was treated to Manley pistons. A ferrea valve train joins ported LSA heads and Bosch 044 pumps supply fuel to ID1300s. All of this to support the Magnuson TVS2300 supercharger.

Using a GSR 4-speed dogbox armed with a Quarter Master triple disk clutch and bell housing, the built LS now pumps out over 900 whp and isn't shy about displaying what's under the hood. The blower's dimensions push it well beyond the hood line, its K&N filtered snout jutting through a carefully trimmed hood opening.

The aggressive power plant's look is matched by a widebody kit that provides plenty of space for a much-needed increase in wheel and tire size, served well by Konig's Dekagram in 18x8.5 fronts and 18x9.5 for the rears.

The power and the look were provided upon purchase, but Richards' goal with the car is to compete. He adds, "Since the purchase I've been bringing the car up to the times with new suspension components, adding a Winters quick-change, some weight reduction, and getting the car prepped and legal for Formula Drift Prospec."

Now sitting comfortably on FEAL coil overs, Richards also added a complete WiseFab alignment kit for adjustability. In the name of safety and additional chassis rigidity, a custom cage fabricated by Jeb Greenstone takes over much of the interior.

There's also some slick custom tin work separating the cabin from the trunk and covering the transmission tunnel, while also matching the door cards. The dash has been gutted with driver attention turned solely toward an AIM MXL cluster behind a Sparco steering wheel. OMP's HTE-R 400 buckets are the only seats in the house and the matching OMP harnesses are necessary as Richards pitches the lightweight Scion with nearly a 1,000 hp on tap sideways on command.

Both cars served as ideal starting points for both Smith and Richards to build upon and take to the next level. Whether you're for it or against it, there's no skirting around the fact that a capable big engine in a little car makes for an incredibly fun ride, especially when it's being tossed sideways at will.

2013 Scion FR-S (Red)

Owner Ryan Smith

Instagram @frankenbingus

Engine LS3 swap; RTS engine plates; TSP Stage III cam; PAC dual valve springs; CHE trunnion upgrade; TSP hardened pushrods, titanium retainers, 1-piece valve stem seals; modified Corvette K&N intake; Vorshlag 1-7/8" LS swap headers; SMS Metal custom 3 to 3.5-inch Y-pipe, custom rear piping; Stainless Bros. muffler, dual resonators; Koyorad radiator; Walbro 450lph fuel pump; BTR fuel rails; Deatschwerks 750cc EV6 injectors; Radium fuel pump hanger, fuel filter; ARE 4-Stage dry sump system; KoruWorks reservoir covers, radiator cap, Haltech 2500 management

Power 491 whp/396 tq

Drivetrain Tremec TKX; ACT twin disc clutch; Tomei 2-way LSD; American Powertrain shifter base; custom offset shifter extension; custom carbon fiber driveshaft

Suspension Fortune Auto 500 Series coil overs; Swift springs; Perrin 19mm rear sway bar; PBM spherical bushings, front/rear arms, drop knuckles; Whiteline sway bar braces; solid subframe bushings; custom TRD roll cage

Braking TRD/StopTech 2-piece floating front rotors, 6-piston calipers; dual aluminum Z32 rear calipers; Chase Bays reverse-mount handbrake; stainless steel braided lines

Wheels & Tires Kosei K1 17x8.5 +40 front; Enkei RPF1 17x9 +35 rear; Falken 615K+ 225/40 front; Valino Pergea 08RS 245/40 rear

Exterior Firestorm Red; Ebay lip kit; Uras triple duct; GT86 front bumper; TrackSpec FR-S hood vents

Interior Recaro Pole Position seats; Tommy Kaira R32 steering wheel; fire suppression system; dash vent-mounted cut-off switch; 2004 WRX gas pedal; KoruWorks shift knob

Thank You Shoutout to all of the friends that I've made and continue to make because of drifting. Shoutout to Chris Hatcher for being part of Bingus Inc. Shoutout to Gregg Bucell and Sebastian Suaza for being the best co-workers at KoruWorks. Shoutout to my mom for always being supportive of this wild hobby. Shoutout to my dad for facilitating a love of cars. Finally, a huge Shoutout to Tyler Clayton. Tyler, I wish you could read this now. You have been more than an influence on me through drifting, but also in work, in life, in philosophy, in imagination, and in character. You took a chance on me all those years ago and I could never thank you enough. You built what so many consider to be a staple in drifting and car culture with KoruWorks. I am so proud to have the opportunity to be a part of that story. I love and miss you T.

2013 Scion FR-S (Black)

Owner Cole Richards

Instagram @colerichardz

Engine LS3; custom crank, headers, down pipe, engine mounts; Manley 9.5:1 pistons; Nascar radiator; Left Coast 32 custom blower camshaft; Ferrea valve train; ported LSA heads; Magnuson TVS2300 supercharger; K&N intake; ATI fuel cell; Bosch 044 fuel pumps; Injector Dynamics ID1300; Panic harness to ECU jumper; Link G4X Extreme

Power 905 whp/880 wtq

Drivetrain GSR 4-speed dogbox; Quarter Master triple disk clutch, bell housing; Winters quick-change

Suspension FEAL coil overs; WiseFab alignment kit; custom roll cage by Jeb Greenstone

Braking Buddy Club brake kit, pads

Wheels & Tires Konig Dekagram 18x8.5 +22 front, 18x9.5 +35 rear; GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS

Exterior widebody kit; carbon fiber rear wing

Interior OMP HTE-R 400 seats, harnesses; Sparco steering wheel; AIM MXL digital cluster; custom handbrake, aluminum transmission tunnel cover, rear seat delete panel, door cards; Safecraft fire suppression system

Thank You Huge thanks to Ron Ewerth, previous owner and builder of the car, as well Jeb Greenstone who custom made the the cage and other miscellaneous items on this build.