#BARRATHEWORLD

No one ever wants to see their love in life written off in a mangled state, especially when it happens through no fault of your own. But you can either sulk about your own misfortune or make something worthwhile of the wreckage. Ross Burn would ultimately go down the latter route with his RX-8, after spending some years modifying it in all the usual ways — exhaust, turbo setup, coilovers, etc. — and using it as a bit of an allrounder, only to have a truck murk the arse end and send it straight to dereg-ville.

“From then on, the focus was to turn the car into a dedicated multipurpose race car. I wanted it to be capable of competing in all events, from time trials and rally to drifting and hill climbs,” explained Ross. “I teamed up with Aaron and Ryan from Outlaw Garage to achieve that vision, and we came up with a step-bystep plan to make it happen.”

The first step saw a six-point roll cage TIG welded into the shell, allowing for proper safety components like bucket seats and harnesses to be fitted correctly. The next step would mean the end to the 13B Renesis, with the rapidly popular Ford Barra from an FG XR6T fitted in its place. Ryan from Outlaw whipped-up custom engine and gearbox mounts to hold the sixcylinder and TR6060 box, with new diff mounts, a bash bar, and a stainless three-inch exhaust all going in.

All that’s left to do is get things wired up, hit the dyno, and watch a few purists cry.