This guy put a McLaren GT3 engine in his VW Caddy... he actually works for McLaren
Published on Jul 05, 2025 at 12:34 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Jul 08, 2025 at 8:02 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
A guy has installed a McLaren GT3 engine, from a McLaren 650S supercar, into a VW Caddy, and the remarkable thing is that he actually works at McLaren.
Joel of Garage 68 Motorsport has taken his Volkswagen Caddy pickup truck and decided it needed more power, so he took the V8 engine from a McLaren 650S GT3.
Cue one of the wildest-looking pickup trucks you will ever see, with an engine that looks outrageously out of place.
You can’t help but admire the work that went into the VW, and we love to see it.
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What car is the engine in the VW Caddy from?
The creator of the Caddy took the engine straight out of the McLaren 650S GT3.
Not only is the engine from a supercar, but it’s from the racing version of the supercar.
The 650S GT3 entered the scene in 2014, with its racing career starting the following year.
Under the hood is a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine, the same used in the McLaren 12C-GT3.
That engine produces 493HP and features a new ECU to help improve turbo boost and speed up gearshifts.
This is the monster engine that now sits in the Caddy, not something McLaren would have envisioned!
McLaren’s 650S GT3 took its biggest victory at the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour race at the Mount Panorama circuit in Australia.
The VW had other changes, as well as the McLaren GT3 engine
The engine isn’t the only addition that Joel gave to his German pickup truck.
Gone is the original transmission, and in its place is the manual from a Lamborghini Gallardo supercar.
That allows the wild creation to handle all the power from the supercar’s engine.
With all that extra power, the pickup truck needs extra stopping power.
To that end, Joel gave the Caddy some Porsche brakes as well as suspension.
That also ensures the ride of the Volkswagen is improved as well.
Such a large engine could never fit under the hood of the VW.
So the creator placed it in the rear, which ruined the pickup bed.
But with such an incredible creation, Joel probably doesn’t care about that too much.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
