Let me start by putting things into perspective: Takashi Koike never intended to execute a Porsche 935 replica with his Z33 Nissan Fairlady Z. He simply wanted to pay homage to a car that he has huge respect for, and in the process build a Z like no one had ever seen before.
One look at Takashi’s Nissan, and I think you’ll agree that he has pretty much nailed the brief.
View the Z from the rear and you’d not even know that the front end has received such a drastic conversion.
In fact, the nose tuck is so smoothly integrated that you may not even spot the difference from a profile view.
I call it a ‘nose tuck’ because this goes so far beyond bolting on aftermarket aero parts – it’s a true transformation that Takashi executed himself. Of course, it helps that he works in a bodyshop and is a seasoned pro when it comes to these sorts of custom modifications.
Deleting headlights is no simple feat, especially when they extend into the bumper and fenders like the OEM items on a Z33 do. To remove them altogether, substantial work needed to be done around the hood line and where the bumper meets the front fenders. The integration of the large round HID projector lights and LED DRLs was actually the easy part, as they sit beautifully recessed in the custom mounts that Takashi created.
As these build images that Takashi shared with me show, everything was shaped hand. Much care was taken refining the radius for the bumper snout, the new hood line and both the front and rear wheel arches. You can see just how far back the conversion stretches too. In fact, it’s just the doors, roof and rear deck lid that remain stock.
The fenders were cut and molded into the overall new shape of the car, taking that added width and bringing it around and over the arches, right down into the side skirts.
At the time of our shoot, Takashi was running on aftermarket coilovers and a set of 19-inch Work Gnosis GS-1s. Behind the squared-off spokes of the front wheels hide Central 20 6-pot brake calipers biting down on 2-piece slotted Project µ rotors.
The modified side steps brings a nice angular feel across the profile of the car, something that helps counteract the fact that the Z33’s rear is rather bulbous. They meet the massively widened 3/4 fenders which taper inward to almost meet the original width of the rear bumper.
Takashi finished it all off with an integrated lower bumper skirt, large diffuser section and a Battle Aero wing with tall stays that sprout from behind the bumper.
On the back glass, Takashi proudly displays the Raiden logo, a club he belongs to with all his friends.
There is something just so imposing about a slantnose car. The Kremer Racing 935s of the early 1980s took a base 911 and lobbed off the car’s signature bug-eye headlights for that flat-nose look. The main projectors were moved to the corners of the bumper and with that a legendary transformation was born, one that Porsche ended up offering in 1986 with the pricey Flachbau (flatnose/slantnose) option for the 930.
I think Takashi’s headlight conversion has a Garage TBK feel about it, you know, like the 930 from Wangan Midnight.
The hood modifications also include a pair of dummy louvers and a functional center air outlet.
A lot of thought went into the color – a custom-mixed blue/gray – and the contrasting black detailing, and I think it works well.
Takashi has stuck to very minimal upgrades under the hood with an HKS induction kit to give the VQ35 V6 some character on the induction side. The exhaust has also been enhanced with a full Fujitsubo system and the ECU was re-flashed with a custom map.
Takashi may look at some substantial engine mods in the future, but for now he’s enjoying having completed the exterior styling.
With the car oozing 935 vibes, it only seemed right to somehow try and tie the interior in too. Takashi found these Sparco Martini Racing sports seats that hint back at the legendary livery the Kremer-built 935s are most associated with.
It’s always a true pleasure to meet talented young builders. Without guys like Takashi and his Raiden team, the Japan car scene wouldn’t be what it is.
It was so cool that they all made the trek from Nagoya to Tokyo to meet me for this shoot, and I can’t wait to share with you what the rest of the Raiden crew brought along.
SH Garage: Pushing The Limits Of Project GC8 – Speedhunters
SHARE SH Garage: Pushing The Limits Of Project GC8
The Purchase
There are two ways in life: the quick way and the long way. If we use food as an analogy to unfold this deeply profound philosophy, the quick way is Uber Eats and TV dinners, while the long way is slaving over a hot stove while following a Michelin-star chef’s recipe and feeling a real sense of achievement when belts are loosened at 9:00pm.
Almost everything in life is better when we take the time to savour the moment and really put in the hard yards. It allows us time to make plans, contemplate outcomes and work out how to get there. It also helps to eliminate any chance of things going wrong, although, Sod’s law dictates that something will always go wrong. Bracing for the inevitable, the best we can do is take it slow and do it properly the first time.
As they say, if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. These profound words of wisdom also ring true when it comes to building cars. And when it comes to modifying or repairing our pride and joy, the stakes are a little higher.
I’ve learnt my lesson in the past, rushing things with my project cars and ultimately making them worse. This one will be different, or at least that’s the plan.
As is often the case with rare old cars, my GC8 was at the other end of the country, which meant I bought it sight unseen after a late-night, Asahi-fuelled Yahoo! Auctions Japan bidding battle. Win!
To be fair, the car was very true to its photos and listing blurb. Mostly. The body is straight and paint the is excellent, but unfortunately some specifics were omitted from the mechanical description. The ad stated: “engine runs fine with no problems, but 3rd gear sometimes pops out.”
The latter part of that statement I could deal with, because a 6-speed swap from a newer GD series STI was on the cards regardless. But the first half of that statement did not really tell the full truth. While the engine did indeed run fine, boosting nicely and not leaking oil from every orifice, there’s a subtle rattling sound coming from deep within.
I’m generally a pretty trusting guy, and even more so in Japan where I stupidly think that people are 100% trustworthy and honest. Because of this I didn’t really listen carefully to the engine when I collected the car, and with a photoshoot to get to I simply drove my auction win away into the sunset.
After the shoot I stopped to take some pics of the new car, and in the quiet of the night it was soon obvious that the engine did in fact have a problem. By the time I emailed the seller, I was told “I didn’t hear anything, why didn’t you say something?”
Honestly, I’m actually at peace with the whole thing and looking forward to replacing the engine’s innards soon. Considering how much I won it for at auction, I’m pretty happy anyway.
The Trip
Before I start pulling the WRX apart and replacing everything, I wanted to see what the weak points of the car are. A visual inspection would have probably been enough, but where’s the fun in that?
When I headed to Nagano Prefecture for an event recently, I had two choices: take the toll roads and get there in two hours, or take the scenic route and get there in five. Obviously, I decided to go the long way and make a kind of touring holiday out of it. It would be a good opportunity to just enjoy the car before it goes in for surgery. After all, taking things slow is my new zen, remember?
Pushing the plucky little Impreza through the twisting mountain roads, it was easy to imagine how McRae and Burns must have felt on WRC tarmac stages. The sparse interior allows a direct connection to the outside world; the rush of the wind, growl of the motor and gentle pssshhh of the turbo blow-off valve make every corner a delight.
And boy, there were a lot of corners.
Taking the scenic route means leaving Kanagawa Prefecture, going past Mt. Tanzawa and heading into the highlands of Yamanashi Prefecture. From there it’s a couple of hours driving through the Minami Alps past Mt. Kita (Japan’s second largest mountain after Mt. Fuji) and Mt. Aka until finally arriving in Nagano Prefecture where Nagano City has an altitude of 371.4m.
Even though I had an evening photoshoot to get to, I could not resist stopping at what seemed like every mountain pass to take photos of either the car, the road or the view. It’s a trip that I won’t forget any time soon. A soak at one of Nagano’s local onsen was a welcome respite from the day’s drive.
The Test
This isn’t the first road trip I’ve had in Project GC8. Some of you may remember I that I drove it home from Tokushima, a 12-hour trip, if not you can check out that story here. What I didn’t tell you was that, because of the aforementioned engine issue, I babied it, keeping revs under 4,000rpm for most of the way.
That’s why this trip was so much fun. I just stopped worrying about things and just enjoyed the drive. Knowing that I’d be replacing most of the engine, I wound down the windows and removed the exhaust silencer which drowned out the mild-but-ominous ticking from under the hood. I wanted to see how the suspension components had held up after years of track use. I was never going to really lean on it, because I didn’t want to be stuck on a mountain with a conrod lodged in my radiator, but I could at least hit boost every now and again and focus on the handling.
Admittedly, to really test the limits of an Impreza, it really needs to be driven on a track, but with very few cars on the road, I was able to attack the tight corners of these mountain roads with enough vigour to get an idea of how things are holding together. Surprisingly, the tired and worn Dunlop Direzza tires did a pretty decent job keeping grip.
Less surprising was the lack of body roll through these corners. The Cusco half cage and strut tower braces make the chassis and body very tight indeed with little-to-no flex. Steering is direct and basically the GC8 will just go anywhere you point it. However, left-hand turns induce an irritating squeal from the steering pump and right-hand turns invokes a lovely whir from the front drive shaft, or somewhere in that vicinity.
Once I started pushing the car through some serious corners it became obvious that each side of the car was handling differently; the left side hard and the right side soft. When you’re driving a car renowned for its balance and low center of gravity, having mismatched coilovers is like Usain Bolt running with a trainer on his left foot and a stiletto on his right.
The Verdict
Overall, despite the elephant in the room (or in the cylinder block), the little Impreza is in good structural and cosmetic condition and is an absolute joy to drive. It’s a very direct, visceral and sensory-tickling experience which will only improve with some attention to its worn parts.
As I’ve said before, these cars were never built from the factory as rally cars or track weapons. Basically, they were sold – especially in the case of the Type RA – as a base car for works teams, privateers and hobbyists to build into race cars as they deemed fit. Subaru were not, and still are not, a big company compared to the likes of Nissan and Toyota, so manufacturing costs had to be kept low in some places to make any profit. Considering that 99% of this car is stock, I think it’s held up pretty well.
Half of the modifications it does have are inside the cabin. There’s a Sparco bucket for the driver, HKS boost meter and a Lamco triple gauge set, a Momo wheel and of course an ETC reader who reminds you to insert your card every time you turn the key.
Being a Subaru, this one, like most, has lived a colourful life, and it’s been setup for light track work and spirited road driving. It came with some extra goodies, those I’ve mentioned already plus a Cusco rear diff brace and master cylinder stopper, as well as Endless brake lines and pads.
The weak points are definitely all the bits made of rubber. After 22 years and 170,000km it’s safe to say all the suspension bushings need replacing with OEM STI items. The engine, gearbox and rear diff mounts could all probably do with being upgraded to poly bushings too. Further inspection found a ripped open steering rack boot.
The Next Step
So, what’s next? Well, like a newlywed couple planning their honeymoon weekend away in Tahiti, I’m busy planning the purchase of all the new internal parts for the EJ boxer engine. It’s all very exciting, although I’ve never got as far as a honeymoon so I can’t compare.
The Cusco coilovers have to go because they have either not been looked after or have just given up the ghost of their own accord. Thankfully, one of Speedhunters’ fantastic Official Suppliers has stepped in to help in this department, and I look forward to bringing you that story in due course.
Anything Is Possible At Daddy Motor Works – Speedhunters
SHARE Anything Is Possible At Daddy Motor Works
Welcome to Daddy Motor Works where your wildest engine swap dreams can become reality.
As you probably recall, we met up with Oto-san a while back when he showed us his soon-to-be-GR-Yaris-powered AE86 Levin drift car. As I touched in that story, engine swaps aren’t something Oto-san simply dabbles in – they’re what he does day in and day out, and it’s pretty much been that way right back to the time he was a mechanic at C&Y Sports.
Oto-san is the sort of fabricator that Japan needs more of. Most modifying here revolves around bolt-on parts and kits ordered out of a catalogue, all fitted via an instruction booklet.
A lot of it comes down to people only wanting aftermarket upgrades that been proven and tested countless times before, perhaps so that if it all goes wrong there’s a warranty or they can just complain to the tuner that did the fitting. That’s understandable I guess, especially when you’re talking about late-model or brand new cars, but it really does stifle creativity.
Oto-san’s customers are different. They want something unique, and Daddy Motor Works is a company that can take all these ‘what ifs’ and make them come true.
Not that every car that passes through the shop leaves with a motor swap; Oto-san will take care of any request. Take this SR311 Datsun Fairlady 2000 for example….
It runs the stock – albeit now worked – 2.0L four-cylinder.
In was in for a little modern touch in the form of an electric power steering conversion. Oto-san does quite a lot of these, using compact steering systems from modern kei cars. They’re easily integrated to all sorts of Japanese classics, making them far more easy to live with.
The Swaps
It didn’t take me long to notice the RPS13 in the corner of the shop.
The eight aggressively-angled, shiny velocity stacks protruding from the center of the engine bay was instant confirmation that the Nissan’s original four-cylinder is gone.
If you’re the type that doesn’t like cross-brand engine swaps, then this one’s probably not for you. But is there really anything wrong with a Toyota 1UZ-FE in a 180SX? This won’t be the most powerful S13 out there, but that wasn’t the goal.
The goal was reliability, smoothness and sound. That’s three boxes checked in my book!
A 1UZ would probably go quite well in this Toyota Crown Super Deluxe, but that’s not happening.
And neither is this 2JZ sitting close by – such a swap is far too predictable for Oto-san.
The Crown is getting a VQ25DET (that engine wrapped in plastic), the 2.5L single turbo V6 that originally powered the M35 Nissan Stagea. How’s that for unique? The DET version of the VQ was a strong motor that on paper had 280PS, but in reality made over 300 horsepower and bucketloads of torque. Mated to an automatic transmission, this old Toyota will soon be a real pleasure to drive.
On the other lift were two more engine-less cars ready for heart transplants.
First up, the BMW 2002. Can you guess what it’s getting? That subframe is a modified AE86 unit…
No, not a Toyota engine, but a Honda F20C from an S2000. When I think of a modified or race-ready 2002 I picture a high-revving four-banger, so this is a very cool swap in my opinion.
Oto-san reassured me that the Hakosuka was only in for an engine refresh, so will continue to run the stroked L-series that’s been powering it for a while now.
On the floor next to the Skyline were the headers, exhaust system and intake setup.
The SSR MKIIIs get a big thumbs up from me; the gold centers are a great look against the Skyline’s glossy red paint.
The Machine Shop
There is very little that Oto-san orders from a catalogue – other than sheet metal and steel tubing that is. All fabrication is done in-house, and there’s enough machinery on the far side of the shop to bring all his ideas to life.
From the lathe and drill bench to multi-axis drill machine and pipe bender – Oto-san has pretty much every tool he needs.
He’s even modified this sheet metal bender with a Nardi steering wheel. He uses the bender so much that he figured it might as well look and feel special.
The main workbench is where components are laid out and cleaned up when rebuilding or upgrading engines, transmissions, differentials, or anything else that needs attention.
Like any shop that specializes in this sort of work, there is a seemingly endless array of parts laying around. From bits and pieces to be used on current projects….
…To stuff that will be stocked up and used another time on future builds.
Whatever it was, it was just fun finding out from Oto-san what things were.
On each side of the workshop is a mezzanine level. One side is reserved for storage, and that includes a BBQ grille for those important shop cook-outs.
The other side is where Daddy Motor Work’s air-conditioned office is located. Check out the old Speedhunters stickers I gave Oto-san when I first met him back in the day.
This is where Oto-san meets his clients and sits down to talk ideas.
The setup really does maximize the available space.
The large paved yard in front of the shop is where Oto-san’s donor cars are stored. They’re constantly giving up bits and pieces so that new projects can be completed and made functional.
If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you can’t wait for Oto-san to finish the G16E-powered AE86. Hopefully we’ll get to see it before the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon in January next year.
Long before drifting became a professional motorsport – more than a decade before Formula D cars slapped on their first wraps, and even before the birth Japan’s own D1 Grand Prix series – Pro Shop Wave was building and tuning drift cars for local drifters in Kanagawa, Japan.
As usual, I found Pro Shop Wave purely by chance. Driving past the shop on my way home from Odawara Castle, drift cars, piles of tires and parts, and the unmistakable face of a Hakosuka Skyline peering out from a dark garage drew me in for a closer look.
Out front the team were working on a drift-hardened S14 Nissan Silvia, but they were more than happy to chat and let me take some photos.
Pro Shop Wave has been located here since 1992, and I don’t think the shop’s changed much since then. Time has not been kind to the building; vines and rust are slowly reclaiming it for the earth. If you block out the traffic from the adjacent freeway, you could almost imagine this shop servicing Mad Max-esque machines in a post-apocalyptic world where drift cars rule the roads.
To say Pro Shop Wave is well established would be the understatement of the year. Expanding on my opening comment, the company opened its doors eight years before the first D1 Grand Prix event and 12 years before the first Formula D competition. Of course, drifting was already popular in Japan in 1992, as the first organized drift event had happened six years prior.
Pro Shop Wave are the guts and muscle behind sister company B-Wave, who make really cool custom parts for drift cars, and also for people-movers like the Honda Odyssey. Their body kits are even available on Japanese online shopping giant Rakuten.
One of the mechanics I talked to told me that he, along with a few other staff members, were part of the Night Walkers street racing team. They’ve been around forever, racing mostly four-door sedans like the Toyota Chaser and Nissan Laurel. The Night Walkers have produced a couple of pro drifters from their ranks, notably Tomokazu Hirota.
Back in the day, Hirota-san was famous for being one of the only D1GP drifters to run a Toyota Verossa, a model I’d never seen or heard of before. The car’s 2.5L 1JZ-GTE and fine tuning helped him take second place at Round 4 of the 2008 season, and Keiichi Tsuchiya even crowned him ‘D1’s best Verossa drifter’.
Looking around the place, I was interested to find out how Pro Shop Wave has managed to survive as a business for almost three decades. If you check out their website, you’ll find all their aero parts, gauge clusters, suspension and engine components, which I’d say probably make up a substantial part of their revenue. If you’re looking for period-correct JDM drift style, the parts are all perfect; my guess is the designs haven’t been changed since they first hit the market. I personally love the 180SX body kit.
If the online shop is the bread and butter, then working on customer cars must be Pro Shop Wave’s pudding. Adding to this, motorcycles – classic, custom and contemporary – are also restored, modified and maintained from the premises.
Drifting is a legit hobby in Japan and not just for people wanting to relive the ’90s. Apparently young kids are getting into the sport too, but it’s not cheap to buy a base car anymore. The rapidly rising value of 180SXs and even Chasers is enough to make the eyes of a sea otter water, but once that initial purchase is taken care of, drift consumables like wheels, tyres and fuel are all pretty cheap in Japan.
This is great news for drivers, small shops like Pro Shop Wave, and for Japanese motorsport in general. The more young people and grassroots drivers there are developing their skills on the various circuits in Japan, the higher the chance for pro drivers to emerge and inject both talent and revenue into the industry.
Of course, keeping the drift spirit alive has a great cultural effect too.
I really cherish workshops like this, and hunting them out – or just randomly chancing upon them, as was the case here – is possibly my favourite part of Speedhunting. Finding companies like Pro Shop Wave is just my style – junk everywhere, cars in pieces, colourful characters elbow-deep in engine bays who are happy to shoot the breeze.
For a ’90s JDM drift nostalgia trip, you can see Pro Shop Wave’s blog here. And check out YouTube for a few Night Walkers videos here.
Two AE86s Pushing The Engineering Envelope – Speedhunters
SHARE Two AE86s Pushing The Engineering Envelope
Tsutomu Miyoshi’s Mid-Engine Levin
When it came to selecting cars to spotlight at Wekfest Japan last week, I was spoilt for choice. Instinctively though, I sought out two very much function-oriented builds as my first.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against cars solely built to look good with nice wheels and perfect fitment, but I feel they like they need that little bit extra to be worthy of a closer look. It’s overall balance, where every aspect of a car stands out for excellence in both execution and function, that always grabs my attention.
Or, as in the case of Tsutomu Miyoshi’s AE86 Toyota Corolla Levin, utter over-complication.
I remember a time when swapping a 20-valve ‘Blacktop’ 4A-G was all the rage in the AE86 world, but nowadays this AE111 engine conversion could be seen as a little passè – at least if it’s just a straight swap in the bay. If you want to stand out and differentiate your car from all the other swapped Hachis out there, you need to approach things a little differently.
Miyoshi-san thought so too, hence why his AE111 4A-G is mounted where the car’s back seat once resided.
If you think about it, by taking the transversally-mounted 20-valve 4A-G and gearbox combo out of its FF home and dropping it in the back of an AE86, you are kind of simplifying your life.
OK, that might be a stretch, but doing so has allowed Miyoshi-san to forgo the modifications needed to straight swap this engine into a Hachiroku, and at the same time – and much more importantly – create a unique mid-engine Levin.
It also brought the ’80s hatchback into the new millennium by doing away with the live axle and giving it an independent rear suspension.
Outside, the Levin wears TRD-inspired overfenders, which makes it look like it’s ready to hit the AE86 N2 competition at Tsukuba against Tsuchiya in his TRD racer and Tec-Art’s in their wild purple dry-sumped monster.
How the new engine and transmission positioning will impact handling isn’t yet known, but with the radiator still in the front and a fuel cell taking the original place of the motor, I’d imagine this is an aspect Miyoshi-san has spent some time getting right.
Seeing as the transmission tunnel has been made redundant, the Levin’s original floor was cut out and replaced with a flat sheet of metal, and the driving position relocated to just off center, which I’m assuming was done to counterbalance the weight of the engine/gearbox assembly.
As you have probably gathered, this is still very much a work in progress and as such nothing is really connected or plumbed up yet. I also wonder what Miyoshi-san plans to do for a firewall between the cockpit and the engine, as surely that will be on the cards.
Needless to say, when this car is completed I will need to take a closer. But no passenger rides!
Inazuma Worx’s 1UZ-swapped Levin
In contrast, the Inazuma Worx TRD N2 racer-themed AE86 Corolla Levin project looks rather mundane – but of course it really isn’t.
This is the cleanest Hachiroku I’ve ever seen, but you can’t expect anything less from Ikeda-san, who over the last few years has cemented himself as a true master AE86 builder. We first met Ikeda-san back in 2015 when we awarded him the Speedhunters Choice Award at the Offset Kings event at Fuji Speedway.
Since then, Ikeda-san’s style has continued to evolve and be perfected, and the requests to build cars have been coming in thick and fast, to the point that he’s had to stop working on his own projects. This 1UZ-FE-swapped example is mind-blowingly clean; the 4.0L Toyota V8 looks like it’s floating in the shaved, tucked and tubbed engine bay.
The exterior is finished off with a Pandem kit and the unmistakable colors of the TRD livery.
But this car is so much more than just a clean engine swap. Ikeda-san’s fanatical attention to detail and impressive fabrication is evident throughout, which is why the car snapped up the ‘Best Toyota’ and ‘Best Engineered’ awards at Wekfest Japan 2021.
Take a look at the symmetrical layout of the switch gear on either side of the AiM digital dash.
Powder-coated pressed sheet metal is used throughout the entire cabin to sculpt things like the dash and door cards.
And the fuel setup in the rear is laid out with twin swirl pots, sending juice up front to the eight-throttle-body-equipped 1UZ.
Finally, the quad-exit exhaust hints that this is no ordinary Levin.
I really want to find out more about this build, not to mention hear it in action. Yep, I’m going to have to get myself down to Wakayama one of these days and spend some time with Ikeda-san.
Ones Man’s Mission To Create His Perfect Porsche Supercar – Speedhunters
SHARE Ones Man’s Mission To Create His Perfect Porsche Supercar
What Is A ‘Supercar’ Anyway?
“One of the many goals I had with my Porsche 930 was to create my version of a supercar. This is why one of my favorite points is the exterior.”
When Yuki, the owner of this 1981 Porsche 930 Turbo, mentioned this to me during our outing, it really got me thinking about an age-old question: what is the purpose behind a ‘supercar’?
That question has, like many things, has evolved over time. Without dating myself too much, the Lamborghini Diablo SV was the supercar that adorned my bedroom wall.
A screaming mid-engined V12 mated to a 5-speed manual transmission producing a little over 500PS (all of which was sent to the rear wheels) seemed ludicrous for the child version of me. Then there was the look of the thing. From all angles the SV had presence and theater. You just knew that if you were lucky enough to own one, everyone – car enthusiast or not – would notice you. It’s no wonder that I always picked the SV in Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit.
To me, performance and styling were – and perhaps still are to this day – the critical components that define a supercar. As I’ve grown older, the allure of these exotic machines has somewhat disappeared as the performance figures have risen to such absurd levels, that you might not even be able to use a tenth of a supercar’s power potential on the public road. And then, most supercars will never see any kind of serious track time where one could use all of the power. Yes, I do know there are exceptions to this, but as a generalization I don’t think I’m that far off the mark.
Then there is the styling aspect of supercars. With regulations tightening all of the time and engineers designing for optimal aero efficiency above all else, the crazy supercar looks that inspired me as a child are long gone.
Talking supercars, Porsche has always been a bit of a taboo topic, as it seems that any comments made which could be interpreted as negative will wind you up behind bars with the comments section ablaze. But hear me out before you skip to the bottom to write how wrong I am.
I’ve had the privilege of driving many different Porsche models (both air- and water-cooled) over the years, and I think they are brilliant. Porsche hasn’t gone to the dark side in the horsepower arms race just for the sake of boasting, and a vast number of owners beat on their cars regularly at tracks all over the world.
They’re a supercar that you can use every day, and not have to deal with the typical shortcomings that come with the territory of owning one. To me, that’s a massive selling point and the driving force behind Porsche’s cult-like following.
I should really want one. I should aspire to own one, as I know how capable they are on a track and how great they are to use as a daily – unlike the Diablo SV. And yet, both Yuki and I feel as if they are lacking one major substance to be a truly desirable supercar. Style.
The Game Plan
A supercar should be instantly recognizable by enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike, with wild styling to make them look like nothing else on the road. Because of this, they should create awe for those who know what they’re looking at, and curiosity for those who don’t. It’s something I feel most Porsche models fail to do.
When it came time to buy his first car, Yuki was leaning more towards the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R, but that changed when one day he picked up a magazine and found Nakai’s RWB inside.
(Yuki’s brother did go down the Skyline route though, but that’s another story…)
Say what you want about RWB and the whole cutting up classic air-cooled Porsches, but you have to admit that they have a style that makes them unique. Almost immediately, Yuki decided he needed to own a Porsche – a 911 of course.
So he came up with a game plan. Yuki gave up going out for fun, and stopped drinking with friends. He started saving his monthly pay checks with the goal of buying a 911 as soon as possible. A year and half later at the age of 21, he accomplished this by purchasing a 930 Turbo
Two years later he crashed it.
It took Yuki another three years before he found a suitable 930 Turbo replacement, and a further seven years on and off to bring it up to the spec you see here.
“I’ve spent more time fixing it than I have driving it,” Yuki said with a big laugh. Having seen his 930 in various forms over the past three years, I can attest to this statement.
Racing Inspiration
With the goal of creating something worthy of the supercar image, Yuki turned to Porsche’s illustrious race cars for inspiration. After all, if you’re going for something that creates shock and awe to all those who see it, race cars check those boxes off quite nicely.
“I talked the idea over with my friend Tetsu, of Tetsu International. He runs a small shop out in Chiba and has worked on other Porsches in the past, so I knew he could help me out with my vision of creating a kit to transform the 930 Turbo,” explained Yuki. “The main inspiration came from the [Kremer] 935 K3 racing car.”
“It may look like an exact replica, but in fact there are a lot of subtle differences that I wanted, such as the ducting and rear wing. It took a lot of work, but I think Tetsu did a fantastic job in creating a one-off kit for me,” Yuki added.
For wheels, Yuki went with a staggered BBS and Work combination. The 17-inch BBS RS mesh wheels pay homage to the 935, where as the Work Meisters add some JDM flair.
At 18×14.5-inches wide with a -93 offset, the Meisters have to be the largest set of wheels I’ve ever seen fitted on a road-legal car, For reference, my phone’s screen size is 5.8-inches and there is still space and another lip remaining.
“Bigger tires would fit around the Work Meisters, but anything larger than 345 would require custom ordering which, besides the extra costs, would be a pain to deal with,” says Yuki. “Thus, I decided anything larger wouldn’t be necessary for now.”
Brake calipers from a Porsche 964 RS have found their way to all four corners of Yuki’s car, and as you would expect provide plenty of stopping power for the lightweight 930.
Judging by the number of times people of all ages stopped to look at the 911 as I shot pictures, I’d say Yuki has totally accomplished his goal of creating the visual aspect that a supercar must have.
It’s here he could have said ‘mission accomplished’ and called it a day. This being Japan though, meant that there was no way Yuki was going to leave the job half finished. To create his perfect supercar, more work was required inside the 930 and under the rear hatch – Yuki’s inspiration was a race car after all.
Leaving No Stone Unturned
It should come as no surprise then, that everything deemed not necessary was removed from the 930’s cabin.
A custom carbon dash panel house new gauges for monitoring air/fuel ratio, boost, and also a Stack multi-function display. The roof has been redone in carbon, and both Yuki and his passenger sit in Bride full bucket seats.
And yes, that is the original 4-speed shifter you see.
Walking around the back, the single IHI RX6 turbocharger and Sard wastegate hanging exposed in the rear bumper not only looks tough as all hell, but lets you know there is a bit more poke underneath the fiberglass hatch than stock.
Four spring-loaded clips hold the hatch to the body, but with those undone using a trusty flathead screwdriver, the 3.3L flat-six engine is fully revealed.
Running around 1.1 to 1.2bar of boost, the large HKS intercooler helps keep the engine cool. Yuki has had the unfortunate luck of destroying the motor before, so has since upgraded the internals and made other modifications, including 993 head studs to increase durability. The end goal is to put down around 600 horsepower to the rear tires, but as it stands now, Yuki estimates the engine is putting out 400 horsepower.
Interestingly, there isn’t an aftermarket ECU in play, but rather a Nissan Z32 unit.
“Besides creating my version of what a Porsche supercar should be, I also wanted to challenge myself and try to do as many things on my 930 as possible,” says Yuki. “There are tons of parts available for cheap still, and I really like the Nistune ECU tuning. It’s very user friendly and something I felt comfortable with, thus I decided to go that route.”
Under the elongated frunk, a 56L (little under 15-gallon) ATL racing fuel cell and supporting mods ensure more than enough fuel is delivered to the engine.
Seeing that Yuki was still working on the tune of his current rebuild, I wasn’t really expecting him to cut loose. He did however offer to let me get a taste of the experience, if I could squeeze myself into the passenger seat. Challenge accepted.
[embedded content]
I could try to explain it in words, but I think the short video clip above does it much better.
“Once I have the tune dialed in and have made a few other changes, such as changing the 4-speed transmission, I really want to try Fuji Speedway. If you have time, you should come and join me,” Yuki said as a parting comment.
December is always a time for reminiscing. 2020 has been such a tough year that it’s almost hard to remember what normal life was like. You know when you could actually go out and do things or even participate and cover events?
Well, in the most optimistic and positive way possible, I’d like to bring you back to one particular shoot that I was on the set of that netted some of the most memorable shots I’ve ever taken. And that’s before we even consider the car at the center of it all.
It was 2016 when Takeshi Kimura of Car Guy decided he would take his Ferrari F40 on the snow-covered slopes of Nagano, you know, just because. The crazy idea spawned one of the most epic viral car videos to come out of Japan, a Red Bull production put together through a collaboration between Luke Huxham and his team, and the guys from Abandon Visuals in the USA.
Kimura-san had become internet-famous the previous summer when he took his F40 camping along a river. Naturally, he wanted to keep it going, and I believe this is why the idea to strap rally lights onto Enzo Ferrari’s final masterpiece came to be.
Traction on the ski slopes was going to be tough, but Kimura-san’s team prepped the Ferrari with custom studded snow tires, which of course didn’t work that well. They did find more grip with 335-section snow chains.
Seeing an F40 dressed up in such a way, with suitcases strapped to the roof no less, was… well let’s just say I haven’t seen anything quite so in the almost five years since. The chance to get up close and personal to what I have always regarded as my favorite car of all time, was special enough, but to see Kimura-san slide it all over the place was an absolute treat.
[embedded content]
In case you forgot, above is the video that came from the crazy few days in Nagano.
Here’s the man himself, using the back of his F40 as a place to rest in between film takes.
The visuals that we were presented every day were nothing short of stunning; it was a creator’s dream to be working alongside a production team like this.
The twin-turbo 2.7L V8 doubled up as an expensive on-site heater, the video crew forced to keep their drone batteries warm and away from the freezing ambient temps. Short battery life of course means reduced flight time and extra stress for nailing the shot.
If I needed another reason for this shoot to remain so vivid in my memory, it was the fact that my wife gave birth to our twins just days before we all had to drive off to Nagano.
The craziest part of the shoot was pulling the F40 with a snowcat all the way from the hotel we were staying…
… to the very top of the mountain.
That’s where the final scene of the film was captured, and where one sequence included a shot of Kimura-san blasting downhill at 120km/h. To this day I still have no idea how he even managed to slow down and stop!
The F40 ended up taking quite a beating; the gearbox lost second gear and needed to be rebuilt, and body damage was aplenty thanks to the chains snapping off and inflicting deep scars on the carbon-Kevlar cowls. There was talk of US$100K worth of damage, but Kimura didn’t seem too fazed. He had helped create one of the craziest car films ever made, and given me the chance to shoot images that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Dino Dalle Carbonare Instagram: speedhunters_dino dino@speedhunters.com
If you caught my drive feature on the new Gazoo Racing (GR) Yaris, you might be wondering if its 1.6L 3-cylinder turbo G16E engine and the 270hp it generates can be pushed further? And if so, how much is safe?
Well, HKS is well on their way to answering that question, and on my recent trip down to the Japanese tuning company’s HQ at the base of Mt. Fuji, they also pulled out a GR Yaris that they’ve been playing around with for a few months.
A while back, Gazoo Racing supplied HKS with a couple of pre-production cars so they could get a head start in their GR Yaris aftermarket tuning parts design and production program. As you may have seen on social media, Daigo Saito got his hands on a GR Yaris too, and that car – and the one we’re going to look at today – have both been on the receiving end of a Pandem wide-body aero kit that Miura-san managed to produce in lightning-fast speed.
While Daigo has gone with a 2JZ swap in his Yaris, HKS have focused their attention on extracting more power from the factory G16E engine that powers this Gazoo Racing special.
What you’re seeing here is what HKS calls their ‘Step 1′ setup, a functional and well-performing drift and race car that’s destined for exhibition use. HKS driver Nobuteru ‘Nob’ Taniguchi has already put the Yaris through its paces at a series of closed test sessions, where HKS engineers set up the suspension and fine tuned the engine settings and the experimental bits and pieces they’ve developed for the model.
The moment I finished shooting the Yaris at HKS’s facility, it was taken back to the workshop where the engine was pulled for the start of ‘Step 2′, which involves tearing the motor down to inspect the internals and looking at possible improvements.
We’ve previously taken a digital look at the overfender kit that Miura created for the car, but seeing it in person is something else. The proportions are spot on, and it really does look like a fully-fledged WRC or World RX car, but with some JDM spice to it.
To fill its beefed-up arches, the HKS GR Yaris runs what we used to refer to back in the day as ‘GT-R size’ wheels and tires. That’s 18×9.5-inch wheels – in this case Yokohama Advan Racing R6s – shod in Yokohama Advan A052 semi-slicks. It’s pretty crazy to think about a Yaris running such a large combo, but they definitely don’t look too big for the car.
Suspension is enhanced by prototype HKS coilovers, and the car runs custom front and rear arms to extend the hub position and take advantage of the increased body width.
That aggressive stance is further highlighted by the iconic HKS oil-splash graphics, which are an instant visual cue that this is a car built to perform.
Of course, no proper JDM demo car would be complete without a pair of Craft Square carbon fiber mirrors. These simple but effective items have become an industry standard.
I personally think the Pandem kit looks its best from the rear, as the gap it leaves along the original body lines gives it serious character. I took a closer look but there’s nothing functional happening with the air – it’s purely aesthetic – but I’m sure we kind of all knew that already.
This car runs the red GR brake kit, which comes on the RZ model when it’s fitted with the optional ‘High Performance’ package (which also adds cool things like the front and rear Torsen diffs and an intercooler water sprayer).
The beefy 4-pot front and 2-pot rear monoblock calipers are yet another reminder of the extent Gazoo Racing has gone with this car. This is a far better and higher-spec braking system than what the GR Supra gets; something to think about there…
Any rally-inspired aero package needs a serious hatch/roof spoiler, and there’s definitely no missing this one. Two metal rods help support the wing, but again I think they’re more of a visual addition than anything else.
This HKS build has presence for days, but one aspect left me happy but confused. As I mentioned in my previous GR Yaris drive feature, Gazoo Racing developed a carbon fiber roof panel to help lower the Yaris’s center of gravity, only to finish it off with a carbon-look vinyl. Peel it away and you get what you see above.
Seriously, why would you ever want to cover that up? Toyota, please explain…
The Engine Room
I’m sorry to have to reveal this to you, but the G16E without its plastic engine cover looks like the back of a washing machine. While modern performance engines have become as efficient as they are potent, they’ve become extremely complicated. Read: they are not pretty, and with the GR Yaris it’s hard to even see the engine itself.
Under the hood, HKS have done very little to the motor for this first stage of modifications, but that doesn’t mean it’s not making more power. Quite the contrary.
HKS started by replacing the factory ECU with a MoTeC M150 engine management system, allowing the tune to be refined as they add modifications. The idea has been to push the stock G16E as far it can go, and so far that’s entailed adding a prototype bolt-on turbo and raising boost from the factory 1.4bar (20.6psi) all the way up to 2.7bar (39.7psi). To support this, a prototype intercooler was made up, along with a modified intercooler spray system and a hard pipe kit. The stock air box was also ditched in favor of an HKS Super Power Flow filter. The result of all this is 375hp – a solid 100hp gain over stock.
But HKS didn’t stop there. An additional 100hp was gained through a 100-shot of nitrous oxide, for a total of 475hp. That’s enough juice for Taniguchi to effortlessly four-wheel drift the car around in recent tests.
The most impressive thing is that with an extra 200hp in play, both the engine and 6-speed manual driveline are still working perfectly. Toyota has a reputation for over-engineering their performance products, and the GR Yaris seems to be no exception to the rule.
With its custom open exhaust, the engine sounds pretty aggressive with a WRC-like overrun. Watching it dart around HKS’s inner test roads really was something else.
[embedded content]
In the video above you can see Taniguchi having a lot of fun in the HKS GR Yaris during one of his first test drives of the car.
It also makes total sense why HKS seemed so excited to jump on the second phase of research and development for the G16E. If this thing is so tough in standard form, it will no doubt respond well to an additional and more substantial round of modifications. Could a 500hp+ GR Yaris be the tuner norm in a few years? That would be pretty crazy!
The GR Yaris is such a good addition to the Gazoo Racing line-up, in which the A90 Supra also fits with its ripe-for-tuning BMW B58 powerplant. It’s news like this that puts a big smile on my face, as I’m always fearful that we are on our last few legs of combustion engine tuning.
The Inside
As soon as you open the driver’s side door, it’s obvious that this a pre-production car; the trim pieces use experimental plastics and finishes and there are many bits and pieces missing. Not to worry though, as HKS plans to completely gut the car as the tuning process evolves.
Surprisingly enough, the stock steering wheel has been retained, although this is soon to be swapped out for a race item, potentially one of Taniguchi’s signature Nardi wheels. The stock “90s dash” as it was referred to in the comment section of the GR Yaris feature (a reference that made me laugh), has been replaced by a MoTeC C125 color display/data logger to provide all of the realtime data you’d ever need from the ECU.
HKS once again collaborated with Bride on this project and the car benefits from some of their lightest carbon fiber seats, including a XERO RS for the driver’s side.
This car, along with Daigo Saito’s 2J-powered GR Yaris, certainly helps guys in my age demographic reignite a passion for hot hatches. Back in school I used to dream of owning a Peugeot 205 GTi or Golf GTI 16V, and once I had a chance to drive both of them, they became cemented in my mind as the benchmarks I continue to judge modern cars against.
I again totally commend Toyota for allowing the GR Yaris to not only happen, but as HKS has proven, endowing it with a powertrain and driveline that us enthusiasts can play around with for the next decade to come. Now I’m just waiting to see how the tuning world embraces this car. I’m sure Tokyo Auto Salon 2021 will give us some great first examples of aero tuning, while HKS and other parts manufacturers figure out how to offer reliable power packages to their customers.
On a side note, Toyota, don’t disappoint all our car enthusiast friends over in the US. The GR Yaris is too good for it to be limited to a few select markets!
The Off Time Meeeeting: An Event For Friends, By Friends – Speedhunters
SHARE The Off Time Meeeeting: An Event For Friends, By Friends
The Off Time Meeeeting
I find it fitting that the first organized meet that I’ve attended since COVID state of emergency restrictions were relaxed here in Japan resembled more of a gathering of friends than a big car show.
Not that there is anything wrong with big shows of course. The huge crowds and diversity of builds provide countless opportunities to hunt unique and interesting cars.
If I’m truly lucky, I may even bump into the owners of these cars and are able to schedule follow-up meetings where I can have better control of the environment and timing to perform proper shoots. This is something that I really want to try and do more of in the future.
Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows with bigger shows though, as the human element tends to get lost in the size. The larger the show, the more difficult it becomes to really feel a part of the event itself. Not bumping into anyone that you know only exacerbates this feeling.
So when Shunsuke extended an invitation to attend his first ever attempt hosting a sanctioned gathering at Fuji San Mese – a small exhibition center at the foot of Mt. Fuji – I was both excited and curious to see what kind of meet it would be.
Wanting to keep up an element of surprise, Shunsuke kept the main details of the ‘Off Time Meeeeting’ to himself, only revealing that around 80 cars were signed up to attend.
Upon arriving at Fuji San Mese, it became clear that this was in fact a gathering of friends, and friends of friends.
Although nearly everyone was wearing a mask, and there were mandatory alcohol hand sanitizing and temperature checks upon entering the venue, it almost felt like things were back to normal. =
Even though Shunsuke had opened the event to all makes, styles, and genre of car, the popularity of stance was easily the dominant fashion on the day. It wasn’t all negative camber and stretched tires though…
There is something special about kanjozoku culture that draws us in and gets us excited when we have the rare chance to see it in person.
From afar, this Civic pairing didn’t seem to fit in with the rough and battle-scared image that we have grown used to seeing with dedicated Osaka Loop weapons.
But when you take a closer look – particularly at the interior – the kanjo vibe is there.
I didn’t have a chance to catch up with the owners of these cars, but seeing them in person does make me want to dive a bit deeper into the culture in the future. Who wants to see that?
Even though the variety of cars present was enough to keep things interesting, it was clearly obvious that the Skyline family was the platform of choice.
I lost count of how many 34s in both ER and BNR guise were present, but given that Shunsuke also drives a GT-R – a track-inspired car to be specific – it shouldn’t come as any surprise that a number of his friends would drive them too.
A pair of Bayside Blue R34 GT-Rs were particularly popular at this event, and I’ll be taking a closer look at them in an upcoming spotlight.
The youthful nature of the Off Time Meeeeting reminded me of the energy I used to encounter when traveling throughout South East Asia. Of course, it doesn’t come close to that raw, damn near unregulated sensation that you get from Malaysia or Indonesia – there is simply too much bureaucratic red tape in Japan for that to happen – but you could truly feel that, for Shunsuke, the goal for this meet was fun.
