These days it is relatively easy to make big power figures from most performance-focused engines. Hell, even the humble Honda K20 engine can make close to a thousand horses without undergoing massive surgery. Speaking of Hondas, it's a well-known fact that there's always a Honda Civic that's faster than your car. These small Japanese hatchbacks and sedans have proven to be highly capable track cars and are extremely effective drag racing weapons. The only thing holding back the Civic is its front-wheel-drive layout, which naturally means that traction becomes an issue. The guys at Renegade Racing know this all too well and set out to fix the Civic's Achilles' heel. How? By dumping a V8 in the front and making it RWD. USA! USA! USA!

The Renegade Civic hatchback has been a work in progress over the last couple of months, with the main goal being to get it ready for the annual Performance Racing Industry show (December 9-11) hosted at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. The Renegade boys had a few issues getting the car ready, but it eventually made it to the show on time and dazzled attendees with its unusual engine setup. Under the hood, this Civic sports a 427 cubic-inch Dart-based LS V8 engine featuring LSX GMPP heads, twin 76/78 mm Precision turbos, a direct-port nitrous oxide kit with twin carbon-fiber tanks, and front and rear Wilwood brakes. The Civic's guts had to be highly modified to take the big LS, and it now features a TRZ front k-member and control arm kit from a Chevrolet Corvette. Power is sent to the rear via an H-pattern manual transmission, but details around the differential and transmission aren't exactly clear.

The exterior features some 'subtle' touches such as a carbon front splitter, a black and white theme with Redhorse livery, and the prerequisite set of massive slicks in the rear with skinny tires up front. Both axles benefit from lightweight Weld Racing drag rims. The aim with this build is to make 2,000 horsepower, make six-second quarter-mile passes, and hopefully make it onto Hoonigan's This vs That series. The last time we saw a RWD civic was when Jimmy Oakes dropped a turbocharged KA Nissan motor in his Sedan. This is a whole different ball game, and although we doubt this was easy to build, we hope to see more insane builds like this.