hayabusa

If you like motorcycles, or motorsports, or even just going really fast, then you’ve probably heard of the Suzuki Hayabusa–the world’s fastest production motorcycle. With a reported top speed of around 190 miles per hour for production models, the Japanese-made bike is sure to help put miles between you and any problems you might have–like figuring out how to pay back the US$14,500 price tag.

But it turns out that you don’t need the entire motorcycle to have a good time. For an ambitious gearhead, all you need is the machine’s massive engine and a light car!

Taking its name from the Japanese word for the peregrine falcon, Suzuki’s Hayabusa is no stranger to insane speeds or standing in the spotlight. But while the motorcycle has been heavily modified to get to a legendary speed of 311, some folks overseas have started using the bike’s engine in an entirely unexpected way: Dropping it in everything from a tiny Smart car to a Japanese-like kei, or “light,” truck!

If you’ve ever wondered what a super-powered Mini Cooper would sound like or how absurd a Smart car would look doing donuts up and down a rural drive-way, we have the answer for you. Not only have people all over the world found new purposes for one of the most impressive motorcycle engines on the planet, they’ve also posted brilliant–and often hilarious–videos of themselves driving their Frankenstein creations! Check out some of the best YouTube videos of reincarnated Hayabusa engines below.

First, here’s a light truck whipping around a parking lot as if a swarm of bees had climbed up its pants:

Next, just listen to this Mini Cooper go: The high-pitched squeal of a sports bike coming out of a dainty Cooper would be laughable–if it weren’t for the massive acceleration on display! Be sure to watch as the driver messes up the start of a race…and proceeds to win anyway:

Smart cars have a reputation for being…well, the weirdest-looking things on wheels, if we’re being honest. The one thing they have going for them is fuel economy–until you drop a Hayabusa engine in. Then a Smart car turns into a Tasmanian devil chasing a mid-afternoon snack!:

Burnouts in a golf cart? Okay, we can admit it–that sounds like something we tried in high school. Of course, we never had access to a Hayabusa-engine-powered golf cart. If we had, we probably would have had fewer people laughing and more people cheering!:

Of course, burnouts on gravel are kind of cheating–it’s easy to make a few pebbles go flying without trying in even the most underpowered of cars. In an ATV with a Hayabusa engine, though, you could use the gravel spray as a high-powered sander!:

Finally, the VW Golf is a car known for its tiny interior and excellent mileage. Not quite as silly looking as a Smart, the Golf has long been a favorite first car for broke students. These guys decided to turn the fuel-efficient vehicle into an over-sized and over-powered go-kart–and we love them for it! We’re not sure how they got a Hayabusa engine in there, but there’s no doubting how zippy it is flying down the road:

Whee! See, kids, this is what a little bit of creativity and a whole lot of work can get you: More fun than racing a barrel of monkeys in Mario Kart!

And in case you have about $14,500 burning a hole in your pocket, you might like to know that the 2014 Hayabusa is available now. We can’t wait to see what people will put its 1340cc, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, 4-cylinder engine into next, but we’re sure it’ll be almost as great as leaving it in the motorcycle!

Image: YouTube
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