eBay Find: 1971 Plymouth Scamp Powered By 2JZ Twin Turbo

By the time the 1971 model year rolled around, American muscle cars were losing a lot of their muscle. Emissions standards forced power-choking smog equipment onto motors, and safety standards made cars bigger, heavier, and uglier. Not that the Plymouth Scamp was ever a particularly good-looking car. Nor was it ever very popular.

Perhaps that is what made the ‘71 Scamp the perfect choice for this heretical engine swap. eBay item number 231045100202 is a ‘71 Plymouth Scamp with a 2JZGTE twin-turbo inline-six cylinder engine from a Toyota Supra. Say what?

Good for around 320 horsepower stock, the 2JZGTE engine is backed by a Toyota-sourced 4-speed automatic transmission, replacing the stock Slant-Six the Scamp probably originally came with. While this engine doesn’t make gobs and gobs of power like we’re used to, in the lightweight Scamp it should provide more than ample motivation, as well as returning 27 mpg on the highway.

Other modifications come from across the spectrum of the automotive universe, including a Ford F-350 intercooler and 13” Cobra brakes. A Bergman Road Racing suspension allows the Scamp to be tossed in and out of the corners with ease, and the interior is a modern take on vintage muscle car utility. It’s a beautifully-done car, one that will be featured in an unnamed magazine this fall, and despite the non-American motor, it’s a car worth of your respect.