How to turn a sleek powerful cruiser
in to an aggressive-looking wild-driving, 730bhp monster, in a thousand complex
steps...
Buying a pre-modified car has its ups and
downs, that's for sure. Pick the wrong car and you could just be inheriting a
previous owner's nightmare, but do it right and it could save you an absolute
fortune. That's exactly what Adam Heywood, the owner of this bad-ass Toyota
Supra has done.
While importing a car direct from Japan is
maybe the ultimate way of obtaining your dream ride, it's no easy task, and
unless you really know what you're doing, buying a car that's located on the
other side of the world is one hell of a gamble.
Buying
a pre-modified car has its ups and downs, that's for sure
Thankfully, when Adam decided to do it he
had the support of an expert in the form of Jurgen Vallons from JM Imports.
"The first time I set eyes on this car it was sitting on a Japanese
forecourt in some pics Jurgen emailed me," recalls Adam. "After
seeing the pics and reading the spec it was love at first sight - I paid a
deposit that very day, and the rest is history", he adds.
Back in 2008, when Adam took delivery of
the car it was already nicely modified by its previous owner. It features,
among other things, a Bomex front bumper, 19in Volk Racing wheels, a whooping
Trust T88 turbo, and an impressive power output of 500bhp.
It
features, among other things, a Bomex front bumper, 19in Volk Racing wheels, a
whooping Trust T88 turbo, and an impressive power output of 500bhp
While it was a dream car for Adam, like
most of us, he couldn't leave anything alone, and in no time, despite
originally promising the missus he wouldn't, the changes began.
Staring with the engine, although it was
already tuned to be capable of speeds in excess of 200mph, Adam found it
impossible to resist tweaking things a little further. In no time at all he had
increased the power to 550bhp, but while this was nowhere near the limit of the
turbo, it was all the fuel system fitted at the time could handle.
The solution included a twin Walbro fuel
pump setup and beefy 1000cc injectors, giving enough fuel flow to handle
anything the huge turbo could throw at it. The obvious solution to more power
is to turn up the wick on the 850bhp-rated Trust T88H 34D turbo. But Adam
wanted to be able to use the car at high speeds for long distance, while
running regular pump fuel, so he chose to keep the boost at sensible
levels(1.2bar, 175spsi) and instead fit a race-spec cylinder head and wild
280-degree cams. Despite the fairly low boost pressure, with an Apexi Power FC
ECU controlling the show, the car's latest power figure was a massive 730bhp;
enough to easily take care of any supercar, or even superbike that fancies its
chance.
It
may be packing 730bhp, but this is no stripped out track car
There's no doubt the car is ridiculously
fast, but it actually feels quicker than most Supras of a similar power level
because of the peaky power delivery provided by the lairy cams and gigantic
old-skool turbo. "The way the car delivers the power is savage", Adam
explains. Things are pretty normal until around 4500rpm, then all of a sudden
all hell breaks loose as the T88 spools up and the car takes off like a rocket.
"Thanks to the 280-degree cams the
power just gets stronger and stronger all the way to the rev limier, and it
will even spin the wheels in third gear in the dry as the boots comes in."
While this car is seriously quick, the most
obvious thing about it is the awesome looks, thanks to the Ridox bodykit; the
only one in the UK. "It first spotted this kit on a YouTube video
of Manabu Orido's Supra in Japan, and I just hand to have it", Adam
explains, but getting hold of the kit was no easy task. Orido is a Japanese
racing driver who also stars in countless Japanese tuning DVDs, and has
competed in various drift championships in his own highly-tuned Supra. He also
own Ridox, the manufacturers of the body kit.
After a lot of research and help from UK
Supra specialist Whifbitz, the full race-style Ridox kit was sourced and
fitted. The normally smooth and curvy Supra now looks like an aggressive road
racer – the perfect match for the savage power delivery of the engine.
While
it has the looks of a racer, the car is fully road legal
While it has the looks of a racer, the car
is fully road legal, and features and interior with re-trimmed leather Recaros,
full stereo system, and in-car adjustable damping control for the Tein coilover
suspension. This means Adam can cruise in comfort to shows and events all over
the UK, and then whenever the need takes him, drop a cog, nail the throttle,
and smoke those massive rear tires, thanks to its Veyron-matching power to
weight ratio.
Adam's under no illusion about how hard the
car is to control either, but that's all part of the appeal; a frightening car
is a lot harder to get bored of! "People have said I should fit Race logic
traction control, and while that would make the car faster, the way the car
currently behaves, is so frightening, it gives me a reality check and prevents
me from driving too far beyond my abilities; and besides, it's fun!"
As we wrap up the feature, Adam recalls a
story about when he was given a supercar driving experience as a present.
"I chose to drive a Lamborghini Gallardo, and the first thing the
instructor said was to be careful as the car had around 500bhp and would be far
more powerful than anything I'd driven before. I didn't want to brag, so didn't
say a word, but after a while the instructor asked how it felt, so I had to
explain that the 730bhp Supra which people were taking pictures of in the car park,
was mine, he suddenly went very quiet. The best part was when I overheard
someone say that if they realized they could’ve driven a racing Supra they
wouldn't have chosen the Ferrari to drive", he laughs.
Adam's story says it all really. While we
all dream of Lamborghini and Ferrari ownership, there's no doubt that a really
well modified car can be far quicker, and a much bigger head turner. And all
this at a fraction of the cost of your average supercar.
