There’s one thing we love about the Europeans: they know exactly how to slap a large motor in a small car - such is the case with the latest Chevy Spark we just laid eyes on. Apparently some guys at Chevrolet’s office in Europe thought that it’d be a good idea to transplant the new LUJ 1.4L Turbo motor into the upcoming B-segment hopeful, the Chevy Spark, and send it out for WTCC pace car duty. All we know is that we’d like to meet the man that thought of this idea and buy him a drink.
The LUJ puts out an incredible 140hp out of its miniscule 1.4L displacement – that’s less space than that bottle of Mountain Dew you pounded last night. That’s not N/A of course and comes via the help of the snail integrated into the header of the ECOtec four. And keep this in mind; the LUJ has an iron block… That means it’ll eat boost up better than your Uncle at the Sizzler buffet. For that reason, we can’t wait to see what Tuners do with this motor when it finally makes its way over to the States this fall underhood of the Chevy Cruze (WTCC-version Cruze shown in the background of the image above).
Fun fact: the Spark only tips the scales at 1,905lbs. Do the math on that and let us know how easy it will be to clean house at your local test-and-tune on Friday night in a LUJ-powered Chevy Spark. For now though we’re forced to live vicariously through the WTCC pace car iteration of the turbo Chevy Spark and hope that it comes as an option on the US Spark order form.
Would you be down to roll out in a Spark Turbo? What would you be willing to spend on such an automobile should it be parked at your local dealer? Let us know in the comments below!
