When Chrysler announced the return of the Jeep Cherokee as a Euro-inspired, aerodynamic compact SUV, many traditional Jeep fans were dismayed by the looks. To them (and a few of us) the original Jeep Cherokee was simple, reliable, and had the aerodynamics of a brick. They were also dreadfully slow, which made them great for off-roading and rock climbing, but little else.

Picture: Team Petty Cash

Enter Team Petty Cash, contestants in the ever-popular budget racing series the 24 Hours of LeMons. They’ve been racing their mostly-stock Cherokee (painted a lovely shade of Petty blue) for several years, but finally had enough with the reliable-but-anemic AMC straight-six engine. So they did what any good gearhead would do; replace it with a 5.3 liter LM7 V8 engine.

So now instead of a six-cylinder road racing Cherokee, they have a V8 road racing Cherokee. Insanity, or genius? We say genius, especially because the engine supposedly cost Team Petty Cash just $150, well within the $500 budget (minus safety equipment, naturally) for a LeMons racer. With 270 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque, that is an increase of 100 and 95 over the original AMC engine.

That helps get the Cherokee moving quite nicely, though, as you can see from the above video. Alas, Team Petty Cash still has some issues to work out, and lasted just five laps with their new motor at their most recent race at Sears Point, finding their oil pump pickup jammed with shredded bearings. No bueno, though we are sure this won’t stop Team Petty Cash in their pursuit of LeMons victory.