The rotary engine in this Toyota RAV4 is so small, two people can stand on the ground inside the engine bay.
Everything about this build is pure comedy, and you’ll soon see why. Things start funny, with the builder employing a three-door, second-generation Toyota RAV4 as its blank canvas. Not only does that car have funny-looking proportions, but it’s most often used as an economical runabout, not as the basis for a performance build. But the laughs start when you pop the hood because instead of a typically boring Toyota four-pot, this RAV4 has a two-rotor Mazda rotary engine.
It’s unclear who exactly the builder is, though the unique creation was posted to TikTok by “lowstandardsjay” who appears to swap rotary engines into lots of oddball cars. Why is the two-motor engine funny? Incongruity, for starters. Rotary engines are typically favored in lightweight sports cars due to their high-revving nature, compact size, and linear powerband. They can also make gobs of power with big turbos. And since they’re so small, they can sit far back behind the front wheels, improving weight distribution, balance, handling capability, and steering. So, seeing one in a RAV4 makes me laugh. It’s like seeing me in running sneakers. Who are we foolin’?
But also, look at it. The builder doesn’t say what kind of two-rotor engine it is, but it’s tiny. Comically so. With it mounted longitudinally, it’s so small that two adults can stand on the ground, inside the engine bay, on either side of the engine. The alternator looks like it’s mounted directly to a transmission. If they need to work on it, they can probably just undo a few bolts, throw the engine on their shoulder, and carry it to the workbench. I’m a little jealous, actually.
@lowstandardsjay Rotary everything…#Lowstandards #Toyota #Rav4 #Rwd #Rotary #13B #Bridge ♬ Mechanic – Gmac cash
You’ve got to hear it, though. Like all rotary engines, this little fella makes a slow, steady burping noise, but this one is pretty unrefined, so it just sounds like the RAV4 has gas. This noise won’t bat an eyelash among rotary engine fans, who are used to such staccato flatulence. But for everyone else, it’s objectively hilarious.
Since the engine is mounted longitudinally, it powers only the rear wheels, which is a role reversal for the typically front-wheel drive RAV4. Between the shoebox engine and its rear wheels is a manual transmission. This is like the Mazda RX-7 hot hatch we never knew we needed.
I love builds like this because they’re funny on multiple levels, and I bet it’s fun to drive. Rotary engines were never the most reliable; they consume lots of oil and they need to be revved like crazy to make big power unless heavily turbocharged. However, in project cars that you don’t need to rely on, they can turn a typically boring car like the RAV4 into something much cooler.
