We had high ambitions to get our new twin-turbo, Dart LS-powered VS Commodore ute built and ready for Drag Challenge this year, but sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. Building a car to that level requires a ton of work, and we simply left our run too late.

But while we had to can the ute for this year’s DC, Scotty was still determined to get one Carnage car there, even if he only had three weeks to do it.

So, he turned his attention to our Lexcen wagon instead. Unlike the ute, its conversion to a turbocharged 1UZ Toyota V8 was a lot further along, so it was far more likely to make the event.

Even so, there was still plenty to do. First, Scotty had to finish adapting the Turbo 400 ’box from the Trolvo to work with the 1UZ, which wasn’t as simple as you’d think.

Naturally, it didn’t fit first go. Scotty had to borrow a Hare & Forbes lathe to machine the bottom down enough to clear the transmission pan, but he got there in the end.

Luke from Mobile Diff Repairs smashed out a renovation of the Lexcen’s Borgy diff in record time, fitting the RTS limited-slip centre to it in less than a day – we’re talking around four hours! GJ Drivelines turned us around a tailshaft quick-smart as well, completing the back half of the driveline.

Also pitching in was Ben from Top G Fab, who’d helped us out with the turbo and intercooler fabrication in a previous video. He smashed out a complete exhaust system in record time, using tubing and materials from Proflow.

With D-day fast approaching, we were still holding out for the torque converter to show up to get this show on the road. So did the Lexcen make it? You’ll have to watch the video below to find out.