Tuner finds the biggest engine to put into a Daewoo Matiz

UK-based car shop PowerCrazy Automotive had an unusual request a while ago. A customer insisted on getting “the biggest engine in the smallest car possible.” In the end, the choice fell on a Daewoo Matiz with a 3.2-liter General Motors V6 under the hood.

We are told that the engine was transplanted from a Vauxhall saloon. Once fitted, plugged in and properly tuned, it proved enough to send around 220 PS (217 hp / 162 kW) to the wheels. That’s plenty for a small-displacement city car normally rated at 51 PS (50 hp / 38 kW).

The swapped Matiz retains its front-wheel drive system but takes advantage of a new five-speed manual gearbox. That’s an impressive amount of work, and it becomes even more impressive if you look closely at the engine bay. There’s not an inch of free space remaining!

Exterior-wise, the car is a sleeper. It rocks a ventilated hood, 18-inch Porsche wheels and large Ford Focus RS disc brakes, but the rest looks stock. You’d expect the owner to daily it, but he admits it is a bit too extreme of a ride for that. As such, it sits in the garage most of the time, only occasionally getting out for shows.