--- title: "This Rear-Engine, Flat-Six STI Is a Poor Man’s Porsche 911 Turbo" date: "2026-11-13" modified: "2026-11-13" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/this-rear-engine-flat-six-sti-is-a-poor-mans-porsche-911-turbo" categories: - "Builds" - "Culture" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Subaru News" tags: - "compact" - "sedan" - "STI" - "Subaru" --- # This Rear-Engine, Flat-Six STI Is a Poor Man’s Porsche 911 Turbo ![Rear-engine, flat-six Subaru STI]() *\Smeedia/YouTube\* Ever dreamed of [swapping a turbocharged Subaru boxer-four into a decrepit old Porsche]() just for the lulz? I know I have, and I'm certainly not alone. There are even kits out there to do it. But what if you want to live out your rear-engine Porsche fantasy without having to fork over Porsche money? That's where Subaru's flat-six comes in, and the crazy folks at [Smeedia]() are hard at work putting an EG33 flat-six into the rear end of an STI. Oh, and did we mention that it's turbocharged? Oh, yeah. This thing is going to be sick. This may be a "poor" man's 911 Turbo, but there's no shortage of custom fabrication going into this monster. Up front, where you'd normally find one of Subaru's boxer-fours, instead there's a fuel cell. The rear section of the chassis has already been tubed for increased rigidity (crucial with all the bits cut out of it), and the front will follow suit once they've sorted out some other aspects of the build. This isn't Smeedia's first attempt at an [EG33 swap](). In fact, one of these engines lived in the front of this very car (named "Blu") for a while, and after throwing a whole bunch of boost at it, it needed a serious overhaul. Apparently, they bent two valves and warped the other 22 due to timing the engine incorrectly during the initial build. Expensive mistake, but the lesson has been learned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJcDlDaG758 Their latest EG33 project will make their rear-engine dream a reality. The engine resides almost entirely in the STI's trunk, and the exhaust is now mounted to custom brackets installed in the rear bumper crash bar. While the rear end had to be chopped up pretty severely to fit the big six-cylinder in between the STI's rear shock towers, most of the car's underpinnings are still fairly similar to stock. It still has all-wheel drive, which is crucial, and the factory six-speed will be fitted with a custom ring-and-pinion to reverse the power delivery so it could be mounted on the other side of the engine. And while the early build stages make it look like there's plenty of room for the swap, more recent pics (see the Instagram post below) demonstrate just how tight things are back there now that they've plumbed in an exhaust. The video above introduced the project back in August, and Smeedia has posted several [progress updates]() since. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DfnJhFCvU5I/ But as full as that rear compartment looks, this project is nowhere near finished. In fact, they still haven't put together a harness or built the cooling system—both of which have to happen before the engine can be started for the first time. This will be a fun one to follow. *Got a story tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com!* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [Subaru WRX Hatch With Custom Rear-Mounted Cooling System Will Crush High Temps and Track Days]() - [This Subaru WRX STI Convertible Is for Sale Right Now in New Hampshire]() - [2018 Subaru WRX, STI Prices Start at $26,995]() - [New Subaru WRX and STI Won’t Come Until 2020]() - [Watch the Subaru WRX STI Type RA Race Car Blast Around the Nurburgring in the Wet]() - [Watch This Subaru WRX STI Bomb Down a Bobsled Track]() - [This Is The Subaru Levorg WRX STI Wagon Build We Always Wanted]() - [VW Jetta Smyth Ute Passes Massachusetts Inspection]()