There’s a secret corner tucked away in the depths of PakWheels, a place free from endless debates over fuel economy or resale value. A place dedicated solely to the glorious, absurd, and sometimes brilliantly bonkers world of modified cars. Welcome to the “Cool Rides” page.
It was the wild west of Pakistani car culture—no limits, just petrolheads going mad with fiberglass, widebody kits, crazy paints, and stance so low you’d scrape chewing gum off the road.
We’ve dug deep into the PakWheels Cool Ride archives to bring you the greatest hits, the wildest creations, and the most unapologetically modified rides. These are the kinds of cars that surely turn heads on the road and sometimes scrape speed bumps.
Want your ride featured in Part 2 of our “Cool Rides” blog?
Submit your car’s details and best pictures through this form.
For now, here are some of the cool rides that we’ve hand-picked to show you:
BMW E46 – Toyota 3GR Swapped
Meet this 2001 BMW 3-Series (E46), but don’t let the humble looks fool you. Beneath that slick candy-red exterior lurks a great swap: a 3GR swap and user mentioned that they have made this car specifically for drifting .
Let’s have a look at the engine this BMW has: Toyota’s 3GR-FE, stock, is a sensible 228-hp V6 cruiser, but if we do some proper tuning, headers, exhaust, and ECU tweaks at it, and you are looking at a healthy bump, around 260-270 horsepower at the crank is realistic. Forced induction? With careful boost management (supercharger or low-boost turbo), it can go all the way up to 320 horses.
(At least now this BMW no longer has oil leak problems.)
Inside, you will spot the massive handbrake lever, which makes sense if the owner has specifically made this car for drifting. Moreover, the attention to detail is that the red leather seats match the bold candy red paint job.
Everything we’ve seen and read proves this build exists purely to turn rubber into smoke and petrol into noise.
Brilliantly impractical? Yes. Outrageously fun? Absolutely.
Nissan 350Z (2003) – Properly Tuned and Tasteful
Here’s a 350Z that hits the sweet spot between style and proper performance mods. You’ve got the Impul Hi-Power ECU sorting out the electronics, a JWT Pop Charger intake for better breathing, and Fujitsubo cat-back exhaust with Tomei headers—so it not only goes quicker but sounds spot-on too.
It rides lower and sharper, thanks to Tein adjustable coilovers, and the massive 19-inch Vossen CV3 wheels look properly mean. Plus, there’s some tasteful body tweaks like the carbon fiber bonnet and Nismo V1 spoiler, topped off nicely with upgraded 2006-spec headlights and tail lights.
Put simply, it’s an early-2000s Nissan tuned properly: quick, clean, and absolutely sorted.
Mazda RX-8 (2005) – Rotary out, 1JZ in
This RX-8 ditched Mazda’s finicky rotary engine for something a bit more straightforward and punchy—a Toyota 1JZ-GTE turbo inline-six. Why? Because reliability matters, especially when you’re chasing big power figures without constantly fearing a rebuild.
The RX-8 chassis is very potent if employed well, but the original rotary engine can be a headache. Swapping in the bulletproof Toyota 1JZ means effortless power, big torque, and a turbocharged kick every time you floor it. Plus, that massive intercooler poking out the front bumper hints at this car’s serious performance credentials.
If we talk about how much HP we think this RX8 would be producing on wheels, a stock Toyota 1JZ-GTE typically makes around 280 hp at the crank.
One look under the bonnet in the image confirms this isn’t a mild swap, it’s properly done. The Toyota 1JZ-GTE sits snugly, with a neat layout and clean custom touches like the green valve covers. You can spot the upgraded intake manifold and tidy intercooler piping, signalling this build aims higher than factory power figures.
Given these visible upgrades, a solid tune could comfortably see this setup hitting around 350–380 whp, possibly more if there’s a bigger turbo tucked away under there.
Toyota Vitz – 2ZZ Swap, Pocket Rocket
This Toyota Vitz might look innocent, but there’s a cheeky surprise hiding under that bonnet: a Toyota 2ZZ engine swap. That’s the same high-revving 1.8L engine you’d find in sportier Toyotas like the Celica or Corolla T-Sport.
Paired with an HKS exhaust, air intake, custom downpipe, and a full body kit, it’s clearly built to offer a lot more excitement than the average hatch.
Under the bonnet, the Toyota 2ZZ-GE swap is neatly executed—tidy, clean, with eye-catching red hoses highlighting the performance upgrades.
Given the lighter weight of the Vitz chassis, that 170–190 whp figure would already make it feel significantly quicker than its modest hatchback appearance suggests.
Toyota Land Cruiser J60 (1983) – Wild Rally Truck (JJ-68)
This JJ-68 rally Land Cruiser is one of those builds that genuinely stands out, and not just stands out, it’s a brilliant rig. While reading the description, we learned that every piece in this truck has been replaced with an aftermarket mod, designed specifically for rallies.
It’s not just another truck thrown together with off-the-shelf bits—it feels like every part of it was planned, tweaked, and battle-tested. The 2JZ-GTE swap might sound unusual in a Cruiser, but honestly, it’s a smart move—reliable, powerful, and just enough grunt to slide through desert stages without the headaches of older diesel setups.
The suspension mods, especially those Fox coilovers and nitrogen bump-stops, show this thing means serious business. The exterior might seem loud or a bit “rough around the edges,” but that’s exactly what you want in a rally truck—raw, purposeful, and intimidating.
Mazda RX-8 (2004) – V8 Muscle in a Rotary’s Suit
This RX-8 has swapped the rotary buzz for something with a bit more muscle: a Toyota 1UZ-FE V8 paired with a manual R154 gearbox. That’s right—eight cylinders of smooth, reliable, and growly V8 power in place of the RX-8’s original finicky rotary.
With the 1UZ-FE V8 and manual transmission combo, this RX-8 is likely pushing around 260–290 horsepower at the wheels. Additionally, with the lightweight body of the RX8 and coupe design, this 260–290 hp will feel quicker and more agile than a heavier sedan with the same power.
Coming to the exterior side, the white paint, grey rims and carbon fiber wrapped bumper looks dope as well! It’s really nice and clean build.
This was it for this part. Again, if you want your cool ride to be featured in our part 2 blog, submit your car’s details and best pictures through this form and if it impresses us, we will feature it in our next upcoming cool ride blog.
