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An 800 hp Maruti Gypsy (Suzuki Samurai)? We kid you not!

While ‘bonkers’ might be an over-used term, please cut us some slack, because we want to use the clichéd term to describe what’s best described as insanity on four wheels. It’s a Suzuki Samurai – Maruti Gypsy in India – with an 800 hp powertrain, modified to rule the drag strip.

An 800 hp Maruti Gypsy (Suzuki Samurai)? We kid you not!

UAE-based NAS Racing has created this monster of a drag racer. In fact, even the out and out Top Fuel Dragsters might feel a bit intimated by this. Up front, it has the familiar Suzuki Samurai/Gypsy fascia with a scooped out bonnet, added carbon fibre (for the grille), and NAS’s logo instead of Maruti/Suzuki’s. While there’s no real giveaway on the sides, but at the back, it has huge (and wide) rear wheels, a visible roll-cage mounted on the short chassis – which looks shorter due to oversized wheels, what appear to be Toyota Supra’s taillamps, and of course, a radiator in place of the boot.

An 800 hp Maruti Gypsy (Suzuki Samurai)? We kid you not!

But that’s not all. There are two racing bucket seats in the cabin (wonder who’s going to ride shotgun!), some more carbon fibre – even the roof is made of CFRP, and the rest of the full-size roll cage. But what will catch everyone’s attention is the hidden bit – the engine. The 1.3-liter unit, which currently powers the Gypsy, has been swapped for a Chevrolet LS3 Small Block V8, which makes around 800 hp here.

To put it all into perspective, the Maruti Gypsy originally debuted with a 1-liter engine in the country. With no more than 65 hp, it still became one of the most appreciated off-roaders in India. So when it was given the larger, 1.3-liter engine (80 hp, shared with the Esteem), it was no doubt going to add a couple of years to its life and a few more feathers in its hat. Even now, without a more powerful engine, the Gypsy continues to rule the hearts of enthusiasts and serious off-roaders. And while updated instrument cluster and added carbon bits might make the NAS’s version more likeable (not to mention, expensive), the Gypsy hasn’t evolved a lot in that regard, either. Wake up call for MSIL? May be.

Also, this might be a shocker, but Suzuki Samurai drag racers are actually pretty common. You can find more pictures in the gallery below:

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