Belgian fans squeeze Corvette V8 into tiny shopping car

No it’s not a mistake in the headline – a group of car enthusiasts have turned a Chevrolet Matiz into a supercar-slaying hyper-hatch.

Belgium-based Fourdin Auto Sport took a Chevrolet Matiz, gutted the interior, fitted an enormous bodykit before replacing the 1-litre engine with the 7-litre V8 from a Corvette.

Power is up almost ten-fold from 65bhp to 550bhp – enabling a 0-62mph time of 3.7 seconds.

This is quicker than a Ferrari California, Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 Turbo and the same as a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4.

However, due to the car’s not-so-aerodynamic design, the mighty Matiz will top out at a mere 162mph – still enough to give the hottest of hot hatches a thrashing in a straight line.

In standard guise the Chevrolet Matiz weighs 855kg, so with the power the Matiz – with the added weight of the V8 engine – should boast a power-to-weight ratio of around 500bhp-per-tonne.

This is slightly less than the £1,000,000-plus Bugatti Veyron, which boasts 521bhp-per-tonne and more than the 484bhp-per-tonne produced by the Ferrari Enzo.

Inside, the Matiz has been fitted with a full roll cage while the exterior features a huge rear spoiler and a huge bodykit which practically shaves the floor.

The bonkers Belgium Matiz reminds us of the one-off Toyota Aygo Crazy which was on display at last year’s British Motor Show.

The Crazy cost £100,000 to build and used a rear-mounted engine from the final generation Toyota MR2 – enabling the 200bhp city car to hit 62mph in 5.75 seconds.

by Adrian Hearn