{"id":145830,"date":"2026-03-03T15:31:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=145830"},"modified":"2026-03-03T15:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:31:22","slug":"vw-bug-with-a-480-whp-subaru-ej25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=145830","title":{"rendered":"VW Bug with a 480 whp Subaru EJ25"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?attachment_id=145836\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-145836\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"145836\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?attachment_id=145836\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"VW Bug Beetle with a turbocharged Subaru EJ25 01\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;VW Bug with a turbocharged Subaru EJ25 flat-four&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01-600x450.jpg?resize=600%2C450&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"VW Bug with a turbocharged Subaru EJ25 flat-four\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-145836\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rodney Adams and his company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RADesignsinfo\">RADesigns<\/a> specializes in Volkswagen air-cooled engines, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radesignsperformance.com\/collections\/turbo-kits\">air-cooled turbo kits<\/a>, and classic car performance. One of their projects is a VW Bug with a turbocharged Subaru EJ25 (SOHC) flat-four. The motor features RADesigns&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radesignsperformance.com\/collections\/turbos-acc\/products\/x30-660-770\">X30-660 turbocharger<\/a>, custom camshafts, and custom stainless steel exhaust headers. It produces 480 hp (353 kW) to the wheels on 26 psi of boost and E85 fuel. The motor is paired to a 091 manual transaxle from a VW Type 2 bug (T25) using a <a href=\"https:\/\/rjes.com\/bell-housing-kits-subaru-powered-vw-conversion\/\">RJ Engineered Solutions bellhousing<\/a>. The transaxle features a Weddle gearset and Quaife differential. <\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=338&#038;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRADesignsinfo%2Fvideos%2F882802010697214%2F&#038;show_text=false&#038;width=600&#038;t=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowFullScreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=338&#038;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FRADesignsinfo%2Fvideos%2F1081112859617103%2F&#038;show_text=false&#038;width=600&#038;t=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowFullScreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RADesignsinfo\">RADesigns FB page<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rodney Adams and his company RADesigns specializes in Volkswagen air-cooled engines, air-cooled turbo kits, and classic car performance. One of their projects is a VW Bug with a turbocharged Subaru EJ25 (SOHC) flat-four. The motor features RADesigns&#8217; X30-660 turbocharger, custom camshafts, and custom stainless steel exhaust headers. It produces 480 hp (353 kW) to the&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=145830\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">VW Bug with a 480 whp Subaru EJ25<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":145836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[352,84],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beetle","category-bug"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/VW-Bug-Beetle-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":111481,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=111481","url_meta":{"origin":145830,"position":0},"title":"1963 Beetle with a Turbo EJ25","author":"swaptastic","date":"February 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This 1963 VW Beetle originally came with an air-cooled flat-four producing around 40 hp. It is now powered by a turbocharged 2.5 L Subaru EJ25 flat-four. The motor features a semi-closed-deck block, forged crankshaft, forged rods, JDM STI EJ20 heads, and a Turbonetics turbocharger. It is paired to a 6-rib\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Beetle&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Beetle","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=352"},"img":{"alt_text":"1963 Beetle with a turbo Subaru EJ25 flat-four","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/1963-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":142165,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=142165","url_meta":{"origin":145830,"position":1},"title":"VW 1303 with a Turbo Subaru EJ20","author":"swaptastic","date":"December 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Knepper Bugs & More is a company in Rahden, Germany specializing in Volkswagen Beetles. The company built this VW 1303 without an air-cooled flat-four. Instead they swapped a turbocharged 2.0 L Subaru EJ20 flat-four. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a Porsche 915 five-speed manual transaxle. Knepper Bugs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Beetle&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Beetle","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=352"},"img":{"alt_text":"VW 1303 with a turbocharged Subaru EJ20 flat-four","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/VW-1303-with-a-turbocharged-Subaru-EJ20-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65136,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=65136","url_meta":{"origin":145830,"position":2},"title":"1973 Super Beetle with a Turbo Subaru EJ25","author":"swaptastic","date":"December 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"John Reynolds spent two years and a lot of work creating his \"Supersleeper\" 1973 Volkswagen Super Beetle. The car is powered by a turbocharged 2.5 L EJ25 flat-four making 517 horsepower to the wheels on E85 fuel. The motor features a custom exhaust manifold, water-to-air intercooler, and Garrett G25-660 turbocharger.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Beetle&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Beetle","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=352"},"img":{"alt_text":"1973 Super Beetle with a turbo Subaru EJ25 flat-four","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/1973-Super-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/1973-Super-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/1973-Super-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/1973-Super-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/1973-Super-Beetle-with-a-turbo-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":133939,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=133939","url_meta":{"origin":145830,"position":3},"title":"VW Golf with a Subaru Powertrain","author":"swaptastic","date":"July 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Adam Beard from Twin Engine Corsa interviewed Anphernee about his unique Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk2. The car's factory FWD powertrain is swapped for a Subaru Impreza WRX powertrain. It was previously powered by a turbocharged 2.5 EJ25 flat-four but now has a turbocharged 2.0 L EJ20 flat-four making 300 hp\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Golf&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Golf","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=133"},"img":{"alt_text":"VW Golf with a Subaru EJ20 and Impreza powertrain","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/VW-Golf-with-a-Subaru-EJ20-and-Impreza-powertrain-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/VW-Golf-with-a-Subaru-EJ20-and-Impreza-powertrain-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/VW-Golf-with-a-Subaru-EJ20-and-Impreza-powertrain-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/VW-Golf-with-a-Subaru-EJ20-and-Impreza-powertrain-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/VW-Golf-with-a-Subaru-EJ20-and-Impreza-powertrain-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":88904,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=88904","url_meta":{"origin":145830,"position":4},"title":"1971 VW Type 3 with a Subaru Flat-Four","author":"swaptastic","date":"July 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This 1971 Volkswagen Type 3 Fastback is for sale on Bring a Trailer located in Tracy, California. The car originally came with an air-cooled 1.6 flat-four and three-speed automatic transaxle. It is now powered by a 2.5 L Subaru EJ25 flat-four and four-speed manual transaxle. The car rides on a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Type 3&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Type 3","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=861"},"img":{"alt_text":"1971 VW Type 3 with a Subaru EJ25 flat-four","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1971-VW-Type-3-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1971-VW-Type-3-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1971-VW-Type-3-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1971-VW-Type-3-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/1971-VW-Type-3-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-flat-four-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7034,"url":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?p=7034","url_meta":{"origin":145830,"position":5},"title":"1972 VW Bus with a Subaru EJ25","author":"swaptastic","date":"July 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Divers Street Rods took home the Hutton Builders Choice Award at Goodguys 2015 with their 1972 Volkswagen Bus. Most of the parts on this Van was sourced from a 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX. The van is powered by a 400 horsepower turbocharged EJ257 flat-four connected to the factory four-speed automatic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bus","link":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/?cat=85"},"img":{"alt_text":"Divers Street Rods 1972 VW Bus with a Subaru EJ25","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/1972-VW-Bus-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/1972-VW-Bus-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/1972-VW-Bus-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/1972-VW-Bus-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/engineswapdepot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/1972-VW-Bus-with-a-Subaru-EJ25-01.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=145830"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145838,"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145830\/revisions\/145838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/145836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=145830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=145830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/engineswapdepot.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=145830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}