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My brother calls engine-swap the “fantasy football for motorheads.” And I’ll admit I love to chat about how Ford’s flat-plane-crankshaft “Voodoo” V8 would be the perfect exotic mill to upgrade a Pantera De Tomaso. Or about how Cummins 1,000-horsepower military-grade diesel would transform an HD Ram into a beast. But I don’t have the 1-2 years of extra shop time required to make one of these absurd fantasies reality. Michael “Mad Mike” Whiddett does. He just slammed a 1,000-horsepower rotary into a…McLaren P1?

The McLaren P1 is a hard car to improve. It was built for one thing: nearly unattainable track times. It was the second car in McLaren’s “Ultimate Series,” the true successor to the McLaren F1. Built in limited numbers from 2013-2015, this flagship is still competitive a decade later.

It introduced an F1-inspired hybrid system. Its twin-turbocharged V8 is no slouch. But add the electric motors and it can make 903 horsepower. But this car was less about how much power it had, and more about how it used that power. The P1 leveraged a carbon fibre monocoque to get its weight down to 3,000 pounds for incredible handling.

Some might even call a stock McLaren P1 perfection. Others can’t leave well enough alone. See the highlight reel of the rotary-swapped McLaren embedded below:

Michael Brandon Whiddett is a New Zealand drift racer better known as “Mad Mike.” He often races Mazdas, especially rotary-powered RX-7s and has been sponsored by Red Bull. He’s known as much for his skills on the track as his crazy rotary-powered drift car builds. One of the most iconic was his Mazda B2000 stadium truck with a twin rotor engine he dubbed the “RUMBUL.” Another was his Mazda Luce sedan called the “MADCAB”

So what did Whiddett do when he got his hands on a McLaren P1? Drop a 1,000-horsepower rotary engine in it–of course! But he didn’t stop there.

This gnarly, Red Bull liveried car also has a “RocketBunny” widebody kit, front aero wheels, and huge holes punched in the rear bodywork so the mid-mounted rotary can breathe. In early tests, the gear shift lever snapped off during loaded shifts and the rotary poured oil. But apparently it is running much smoother now. If you will be a the Goodwood hill climb in England this year, you can see this monster for yourself.

Next, see what it took Whiddett to build this absurd, glorious machine in this final video:

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Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.