We’ve seen some crazy engine swaps over the years, and yes we’re talking seriously crazy. Remember the LS-swapped Winnebago? The Mazda RX-8 with a massive Cummins diesel? The bonkers Lada that had three four-cylinder engines? At least those monsters had the engine (more or less) in the place where it was meant to go. Not only does this vintage 1967 Ford Mustang have a V6 pulled from a freaking Honda Odyssey minivan – it’s transverse-mounted behind the driver. That’s right – this is a minivan-powered, mid-engined Ford Mustang. How cool is that?

 

Friends, meet Dead Horse Beaters and their fantastic race car called the Samurai Pony. Yes, the wordplay is strong with this group but the creativity is stronger. The car was built to race in the awesomely low-budget 24 Hours Of Lemons, where inexpensive beater cars and would-be racing drivers square off to see who can have the most fun. Considering we’ve seen everything in this series from bodies mounted upside down to Jeeps dressed up as tractors, the exterior treatment of this vintage Pony Car is rather minor. Under the skin, however, it’s flat-out amazing.

Gallery: Ford Mustang Mid-Engined V6 Race Car

A Reddit thread took us to the Dead Horse Beaters on YouTube and Facebook, where we learned about the build. The rear of this Mustang is home to the subframe and suspension of a 2004 Honda Accord, while the V6 engine is lifted from a Honda Odyssey minivan. Why not stick with the Accord’s engine? Apparently, the Odyssey's mill offers the same 240 horsepower while being less expensive and readily available in salvage yards across the world. It’s also a reliable zinger, and with the Mustang gutted to the extreme, it only has about 2,600 pounds to carry.

 

The video above is the racing team’s latest adventure at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Unfortunately, the engine developed a misfire which slowed the action down, but racing in Lemons isn’t necessarily about being first. It’s about the fun, the creativity, and yeah, it’s a little about being first. As for those Mustang fans currently suffering a heart attack over someone daring to hack up a vintage Pony with Honda parts, the team says this was a base model six-cylinder ‘Stang to begin with. In fact, it was reportedly sitting in a field when they found it, and now, it’s turning heads and laps on race tracks around America. There’s not a single thing bad about that.

If you’re into crazy car builds, spend some time with the videos and Facebook posts from Dead Horse Beaters. Source links for everything are below.

Source: Dead Horse Beaters at YouTube, Facebook, via Reddit

 

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