Image Source: amirghadiri

Over the years, we’ve seen an increasing amount of import cars like this Subaru BRZ and this Nissan 240SX for example, become hosts to new powerplants which double, or even sometimes triple, their original power output from the factory.

Like the Scion FR-S above, many import cars are light from the factory, and most of them have a near-perfect 50/50 weight distribution. Because of those factors, they’re perfect candidates to perform an LS swap on, as the weight of the LS engine doesn’t interfere with the balance of the car.

That’s why the owner of this ’13 FR-S, Amir Ghadiri decided to perform the swap himself, and he’s never looked back. Prior to the swap, the car was already built with forged internals and turbocharged. So why would Amir want to swap the engine in the first place? After the original built inline-four engine had succumb to engine failure at over 20 pounds of boost, Amir decided on something a little more reliable this time around. As we all know, nothing says reliable like a 5.3-liter V8 iron block LS. Accompanying the block were a set of LS2 heads, and a C6 Z06 camshaft. Amir chose the 5.3 iron block with the intention of turbocharging the new mill.

The first two images show Amir’s current configuration on the new LS, which is a FiTech EFI throttle body setup. The last image showcases a temporary LS-style intake manifold before the car is fitted with an alternative for the turbocharger coming soon.

Amir’s goal for his FR-S is to keep the car as street friendly as possible, as he comments with, “It’s not a dedicated track car.” While the car puts down a respectable 400 rear-wheel horsepower and 400 rear-wheel torque, Amir assures us he has big plans to turbocharge the car in as little as a few weeks.

You can follow the progression of the build on his Instagram account, @amirghadiri. Did we also mention he owns a matching 2JZ swapped FR-S?

Video credit: SmurfinWRX