YouTuber Introduces Viper-powered, Mid-engine Nissan GTP Build
Viper V10 will be mated to a Porsche transaxle and installed in a Nissan body with a custom chassis.
Casey Putsch is listed on LinkedIn as being an “automotive designer, engineer, philanthropist, craftsman, artist, and racing driver”, but he is also a big fan of the Dodge Viper. Putsch also happens to be the CEO of the Genius Garage Educational Programs and as a part of that, he has a YouTube channel where he builds all sorts of interesting vehicles with the help of students who are interested in a career in fabrication or design.
In the past, Putsch and his crew of students have built some incredible and incredibly odd machines, including transforming a Porsche Boxster into a Lykan Hypersport. However, his latest project might be the most unique. He is building a mid-engine 1980s GTP car for street use using a Gen II Dodge Viper V10, a Porsche transaxle, a custom chassis and a Nissan body, creating what will likely be one of the best performing cars on the road. He is calling this project the Jabberwock.
Dodge Viper Power
Evidently, Putsch had been hinting to viewers of his channel for quite some time that he was preparing to introduce a new project. In the video below, he reveals that project “car”, but first, he talks about the engine that will be used. It is a second generation Dodge Viper V10, measuring 8.0 liters and pumping out 450 horsepower in stock form. In the video, the crew pieces together an impressive set of stainless steel long tube headers and we imagine that there will be other upgrades made to the V10 along the way. We don’t, however, know how much power this Viper heart will deliver when the car finally hits the street.
What we do know is that this Viper V10 will be mounted behind the driver’s seat of the mystery car and to do that, it needs a transaxle that will hold big power. For that job, Putsch has chosen the transaxle from a Porsche 996 Twin Turbo model. After installing the headers on the engine, another student assists in paring the engine and transaxle. Once the engine and transmission were mated, the time came to build the car around the powerplant.
Building the Body
During a short period of time lapse video, Putsche and one of his students carefully set the exterior body panels of the Jabberwock around the engine and transaxle. We sat “around” the engine and transaxle because without chassis, there is nothing to actually hold the panels in place. However, with some chocks and spacers, the body is assembled well enough to give us a great look at the form of this mid-engine supercar…but what is it?
Putsch explains that he loved Group C and GTP racing in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The body shown in the video came from Nissan’s GTP program and these panels were made on their factory molds. This was one of their most extreme bodies, yielding upwards of 10,000 pounds of downforce at speed. When fully assembled, the Jabberwock will look like a classic LeMans racer, but it will feature Dodge Viper power and it will be driven on the street.
That’s right – Putsch is building this to be street-friendly, starting with the custom chassis. He plans to run a suspension system that is a bit heavier than the race-spec setup, but that should make the car more comfortable for daily driving.
He also plans to install air condition and heat, so the Viper-powered Jabberwock will be pleasant in all weather conditions. He also hints to the idea of participating in the NASA Unlimited Class, but we will have to wait and see what all he does with this unique Nissan-bodied, Viper-powered, Porsche-shifted mid-engine supercar once the project is complete.
Again, this project is a long way from being completed and in the video below, Putsch states that the build will take “quite a period of time,” but we are sure that the end result will be well worth the wait. In the meantime, check out the introduction video below, where Putsch and a few of his students give us an early look at the drivetrain and body of the “Jabberwock.”
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