What’s coming to the $2000 Challenge? This twin-engine minivan.

Photography courtesy Daniel Cummings

You know it’s going to be something wild when the build thread leads off with “This project is logical. I swear.” (Don’t worry, we tell ourselves that all the time, too.)

But in this case, there is some logical reasoning behind the build–even if it does involve a twin-engine minivan. But first, let’s take a step back.

Daniel Cummings, previous $2000 Challenge winner and builder of the internet-famous LMP360, explains that he needs a vehicle that can be used as a drivetrain test bed:

“As most of you know I've been collecting parts to LS swap the LMP360. The crappy thing about such a big engine swap in that car is there is absolutely no way to prove it out.  It's just load it up, spend $500 dragging it to a racetrack, spend $500 gaining entry to that track, and then hope it doesn't explode in 20 minutes.

“What just makes sense is a street legal test bed for the drivetrain.  I can get all the ancillaries working, figure out engine management, ensure the trans and diff work, etc.  And the Vette Transaxle parts are so cheap I probably can build that thing as a challenge car.”

His test bed of choice? A Mazda5–a vehicle with a normal-looking body that can, as Cummings notes, accommodate the long Corvette drivetrain.

And–and this is where it gets good–if the Mazda5 is front-wheel drive and the Corvette bits will be out back driving the rear wheels, there’s no need to get rid of the Mazda’s original engine, right?

So that’s how you end up with, technically, an all-wheel-drive, 12-cylinder minivan good for nearly 500 horsepower. Technically.

Testing out the drivetrain won’t be this Mazda’s only role, however, as Cummings also has it entered to compete in our Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge presented by Tire Rack.

Our annual motorsports festival that challenges competitors to build a race car for no more than $2000 and then compete with it in autocross, drag racing and a concours-style judged show, returns to Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, April 18-19.

Cars built or bought for more than $2000 can compete in the autocross and drag racing sessions, and spectators are welcome, too.

Sign up now to secure your entry for the 2026 event. Use promo code FEBRUARY to save $50 on your registration. The deal ends on February 28 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

The Grassroots Motorsports $2000 Challenge is presented by Tire Rack, in Association with CRC Industries, Knight's Automotive and BendPak.