MR2 Only Magazine Issue 3 by MR2OnlyMag

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The dedicated magazine for the MR2 enthusiast & community Issue 3 - Feb/March ‘07 - £3.75

We drive the SP240 Roadster re-invented... Silverstone Performances stage II Roadster Turbo ...plus the MR2ROC’s Dyno Extravaganza Day

Sweeter than chocolate... Two very special Mk 1 MR2s Martin Badaszek from Toronto’s ST205 255bhp Mk1.5 & the UK’s most powerful Mk1 SC, with a staggering 252bhp owned by Pete Mason

Mk2 Suspension Upgrade • Modifying on a budget • Jap Mk1 Meet • Cannonball Run • A day with KO racing

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We drive the SP240

Roadster Extravaganza... This issue we go Roadster crazy,

We are invited back to Silverstone Performance to drive the SP240 stage II turbocharged roadster, and take some photos, what can we say, its awesome, read the full report on pages 70 - 73

we have coverage of the MR2ROC’s Dyno day back in November, where we were taken for a lap of Silverstone in the SP240 by SP director and racing driver Phil . See pages 38-41

Contents...

New Readers Rides & Club Scene 2

Mark Thorpes modded mk2 on a budget... P6

White Lightening - Rikki Bruce’s Mk2 Tubby... P26

Phoenix attends a special MK1 meet in Tokyo ... P10

Bob Baird’s extensive Mk2 suspension upgrade.. P32

Anthony & Maggies Cannon Ball experience... P20

Pete Masons crazy 250bhp Mk1 Supercharger... P44

For issue three we are introducing a new feature called readers rides, this is a good place to show off your pride and joy, standard or modded, concourse or extreme, simply send us a couple of your best photos, and a few paragraphs about yourself and the car, and we will feature several readers rides each issue. Send yours to mr2only@ mr2westmidlands.com Write or email into us with your views, news, or reviews contact steveb@ mr2only.com Also new is Club Scene2, where you can be updated on whats going on in MR2 Owner club land.

N8’s fond farewell to his stunning red Tubby... P50

Topgun’s widebody kitted TRD... P58 contacts...

Martin Badaszeks amazing ST205 powered Mk1.5... P64

SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SUPPORT:PamB - mr2only.subscriptions@ntlworld.com

FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES AND BOOKINGS mr2only.advertising@ntlworld.com Tel: 01782 544854 FEATURES, ADMIN, PHOTO ORDERS OR GENERAL QUERIES steveb@mr2only.com or andyb@mr2only.com EDITORIAL: martin@mr2only.com or Matttheeditor@mr2only.com PRODUCTION, ARTISTS & PHOTOGRAPHY Steve Bishop, Matt Harris, Rich Lee, Luke Reynolds, GENERAL POSTAL ADDRESS: MR2 Only Magazine,1810 Leek Road, Milton, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, ST2 7AF, UK Contact telephone no. 01782 544854 Partners: Steve Bishop - Partner/Co-ordinator - Andy Bishop - Partner/IT Admin Printed by:- Buxton Press Ltd, Palace Rd, Buxton Derbyshire, SK17 6AE, UK www.buxtonpress.co.uk

MR2 Only Back issues While stocks last, we still have some copies of the 1st 2 issues of MR2 Only Mag, just in case you missed it. To get your hands on a copy email:-mr2only.subscriptions or visit www.mr2only.com

Thanks go to... all who have helped and supported us, our distributors, all our contributors, technical guys, all who have subscribed and advertised, and sponsored our project car, Luke Reynolds for the excellent cover car photography, Martin Weaver for his great feature writing, newcomers to the team Nick and Mark, Rich Lee for layouts and last but not least Pam B for subscriptions, advertising and customer services. Thanks also go to Chris Rees, editor of Jap Performance and photographer Martin Vincent for letting us use the stunning photos they took of Pete Masons Mk1 Supercharger MR2 Only Magazine is an independent publication, and has no bias to any one company or organisation. Although every care is taken in compiling MR2 Only, we cannot be held responsbible for any errors, omissions or any technical advice given, and any views expressed are that of the contributor, unless written solely by MR2 Only.

Happy 2007 to MR2 community around the world! As we well know winter generally disagrees with the MR2’s mid-engine, if we are not experiencing tail twitching moments, we are suffering leaking T-tops and bailing out puddles of water. So no doubt some owners have there cars tucked away in garages, carrying out those all important modifications to be that little different for this years show season, while many hardcore owners have braved the elements in their MR2s and driven through the winter. It’s sad to see quite a few on the forums sadly meeting an untimely demise. So think on folks, drive carefully! We begain issue three wondering what to put in it, with no events or shows, but it turned into another cram packed issue, we attended the wicked MR2ROC dyno day back in November, and went back earlier this month to drive Silverstone Performance’s SP240, what more can I say, I want that one! read on to see the full review. In this issue we have excellent feature cars of all Mks yet again, more technical articles and ongoing projects, keep them coming they make excellent reading, and give inspiration to others. We are also pleased to say there is a bit of movement on our MR2 Only project track Mk1, we’ve kindly received replacement sill skins kindly sponsored by Craig at CM Fabrications, and a GT4 ST185 big brake upgrade from Trevor at TCB Parts, and not to mention Kirsty who kindly donated her old Mk1 T-bar to the cause for some much needed spare parts. We’ve acquired a unit short-term to house the two cars while we swap parts over, and start the preparation, so keep reading, the first part of the project will hopefully be in issue four. We also give a big welcome to a couple of newcomers to our team, Nick Turner who will be handling MR2 styling features, and Mark Thorpe helping out on layout. There are lots of great plans for MR2 Only this coming year, one or two new sections have been added into this issue, we are always on the look out for cars, projects and stories to include, so please do get in touch. Steve Bishop Partner/Co-ordinator MR2 Only Magazine

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Turbo Cup Having established the Toyota MR2 Challenge budget race series over the past couple of years Steve Vince of Dragon Autosports promoter of the series has for some time been looking for a plot to get the Turbo models out to play and has come up with the concept of the TURBO CUP .Endurance racing. As it implies it will be for turbo mr2 limited to 300bhp to keep them reliable running over periods from 2 to 24 hours on slick tyres with 2 or more drivers which not only helps with the driving but also the costs. Following the concept on which the current challenge was established ie running initially with another series until numbers reached a level to support its own races the TURBO Cup will run within the EERC Britcar championship for 2007 and with Sky Sports coverage and the opportunity to race in front of thousands of people this is clearly going to appeal to many. Two race teams KPM and Rogue have committed to building cars for an arrive and drive hire , can build turbo race cars for you to compete and can offer advice and help on all aspects of mr2 racing be it for the current Challenge Series or the new for 2007 Turbo Cup. Contact details Patrick Rogue Motorsport 01676 530222 Kevin KPM 07886 503784 Steve Dragon Autosports 01646 6012908 stephenzebra@aol.com

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Do you have a problem or MR2 related question? Maybe our reader can help, to be included in write2 please email steveb@mr2only.com

Write Browned-Off! I am the proud owner of an MR2 Turbo, painted in Astral Black, colour code 202. About a year ago a bird left a large deposit on the bonnet. Although I removed this within the day, the deposit left a mark on the paintwork which was thought to have corroded the lacquer. I approached a spray shop in Brinkworth who claimed that they were able to polish out the corrosion. When I got the car back the corrosion had gone but so had quite a lot of the lacquer! I tried another spray shop in Caine who used the right colour code number but in base coat and lacquer (otherwise known as twin pack, as I understand it). The colour came up a dark brown. This garage kindly refunded my money. I then approached another spray shop in Corsham. Despite the fact that we noted that PPG had two types of Astral Black 202, this garage then went and sprayed the car, again with base coat and lacquer, when it had already been established that direct gloss and lacquer were the better choice. This was confirmed by a meeting with the Technical Representative of PPG. I then went to a one-man business in Melksham where the car was sprayed with what purported to be Astral Black 202. In this case also a base coat and lacquer was used. Toyota in Bath examined the car with what I think is called an electrometer, measuring the depth of paint on the car. The doors and rear wings were identified as having between 90 and 100 microns of paint. The bonnet ranged from

by Ian Gray

240 to 360 microns of paint. It was decided that the only way forward was to strip the bonnet and start again. Correspondence with Spies Heckers indicated that the best way forward might be etch primer, surface primer, base coat and lacquer. A spray shop in Westbury subsequently proceeded to pain the car in this way, only to get the same result as the three previous spray shops, i.e. the black looked brown. After a visit from me, they claim to have buffed the base coat lacquer back and applied direct gloss and lacquer in its place. They used Spies Heckers 202 Astral Black. I am a member of the MR2 Drivers’ Club. Last autumn I posted on the website of the MR2 Owners’ Club one query which was answered within 24 hours. If there is anyone in the Drivers’ Club who can offer a solution here, then please would you reply by email or telephone. If you ring me I will ring you back immediately, thereby saving your costs. At the rate I have been spending over the past year, it would be cheaper for me to travel almost anywhere in the UK to stay in a hotel while a competent spray shop completed the work on the bonnet! Toyota in Warminster think this car was made in 1992. It was imported on to a J plate. The chassis number is SW200066155. Does anyone know the make/brand of paint which the Japanese would have used? My telephone number is 01249 750204 and the email is diane@grayandassociates.co.uk

MASSIVE STOCKS OF PARTS AND TYRES AT OUTSTANDING PRICES... Keeping your MR2 where it should be ON THE ROAD! ORDERS, HELP & ADVICE

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Whats new for your 2? 6 piston calliper big brake kit for the MR2 Japtuningshop.com is exclusive supplier for the world’s first 6 piston calliper big brake kit for the MR2. This kit was first developed for race purposes only, and now after several years it has become ready for the street. The first MR2 kit ever is installed on

Japtuningshop’s show car and after a period of testing the kit now is ready for sale. This big brake kit comes with a 2-pc 330mm rotor disk and for better cooling and dust transport the disks are vented and grooved. The centre of the brake disk is made out of a very high quality

Each issue we will be featuring MR2 bits and pieces available from the specialists. If you have products you would like featured here email steveb@mr2only.com Don’t forget to check out our specialists section on www.mr2only.com

aluminium which is anodized and available in 6 standard colours. It’s also possible to have them anodized in a custom colour. The callipers are also made out of a high quality aluminium and are anodized the same colour as the brake disk. Customisation is also possible. The 6 pistons guarantee the best breaking power ever. There are 5 different brake pads available for these kits. The pads vary from 100% circuit use to an upgraded street version. The circuit version easily holds

temperatures till 1000 degrees C.

The total kit consist out of:

For street use a sport version is recommended. These brake pads produce very low dust levels and have a friction coefficient of 0,38 – 0,48 (FG grade)

• 2 330mm 2-pc rotor disks

• 2 6 piston callipers • 2 Steel brake lines • 2 brackets • 1 brake pad set in sport version For more information pls. contact JP at info@japtuningshop.com

STOCKING PERFORMANCE TUNING PRODUCTS FOR YOUR MR2 Coming soon... V Band Downpipe and a Gated T3 Manifold for the 3SGTE with help from RE:WORX

Te l : 0 1 3 41 24157 3 Mob: 07920 519111

w w w . x s - p o w e r. c o . u k www.roguemotorsport.com

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Photos and article by Phoenix n November 12th, 2006, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with a club meeting in the city of Sagamihara, which is in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Tokyo. The 2 clubs, Midship Heart and Midship Response, are both Tokyo based clubs which their members are the proud owners of MK1 MR2's.

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The day started off early with an hour drive for myself to Sagamihara. Since MK2's were not allowed at the event, I dropped my car off in a parking lot and was picked up by my good friend Nekomata-san in his pristine 1989 limited edition 2, MK1. We met up at a local McDonald's with a few fellow owners who I've met before at previous events. We ate some breakfast and then caravanned for about 10 minutes to a large parking lot. We were the first big group to show up, and at that time, about 20 MK1's were there. By now, the event coordinators were setting up a tent to put tables and chairs under. We stood around and chatted while

we watched many MK1's slowly drive in and park. Show â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;n shine Around 10am, the event coordinators got everyone together for a few words. From what I understood, this event was basically a get together and a show 'n shine for people to show off their cars and hopefully get one of the coveted awards which were to be passed out at the end of the day. The morning went on with people checking out each others rides and showing off rare and customized parts for each of their MK1's.

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A few cars stood out to me when I walked the long line of MK1's that I would like to share with you. The first is Ano-Sans 1987 MK1 with a 3rd Gen 3S-GTE swapped into it. Aside from the swap, he added some interesting Body pieces that are hard to find even in the homeland of the MK1. He graced his car with a Carbon Fiber Front Bumper, CF Hood, CF Doors, and a CF Rear

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Bumper. I can't say I've ever seen a MK1 with so much carbon fiber on it which is why this car was one of the first to catch my eye. The car is sitting on some Work Rims with Yokohama Tires wrapped around them. Cusco Comp Coilovers complete his wheel and suspension setup to give it a nice ride height and comfortable drivability for this beautiful ride.

Kashi Exhaust system, custom made and definitely one of a kind! I told him that people in America and the U.K. would go nuts over this and would be calling me to get them one, but he said he has to be a little selfish with this, because no one else has it, and makes his car one of a kind.

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The second car to catch my eye wasn't really the car because I barely noticed it except it was really shining in the sunlight at the right angles. I had to see what he had under his car so I walked over to this original MK1 to find a beautiful Custom built, by the owner, Titanium Exhaust.

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That thing was beautiful! I had to ask who built it and what to call it when I talked to the person, and he said that he had built it, and to call it the Kashi Exhaust system. So here it is, the Kashi Exhaust system, custom made and definitely one of a kind! I told him that people in America and the U.K. would go nuts over this and would be calling me to get them one, but he said he has to be a little selfish with this, because no one else has it, and makes his car one of a kind. Although disappointed, I had to agree with him. The day went on with lots of conversation and lots of picture taking opportunities. I can't say the meet was really exciting due to the fact that it was put on for everyone to get together and talk, and since I suck at Japanese, it wasn't too thrilling for me. The best part of the meet was simply walking around and

checking out what the Japanese are doing to their MK1's and I gotta tell you, they are doing some really nice and original things. The day ended around 4pm with the awards ceremony. Each of the club presidents judged the cars and came out with awards, which were a plethora of parts for MK1's and TRD shirts and Jackets. The closing speech was quick and within a minute, everyone was getting in their cars for the drive home. This meet was impressive. One of the big reasons was because of the cars and the knowledge that I learned about Japanese MK1's, but I think the biggest reason that this meet was neat to attend is the fact that 90 MK1's showed up which is impressive by any standards!

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Written by Steve Bishop steveb@mr2only.com photos by Davy

f we were to mention car graphics you might recall back in the late 80’s tiger stripes were all the rage on Cossies and RS Turbos, looking back a tad extreme. This roadster owner wanted to stand out from the crowd and with a little help from Likwidart he certainly has, and you have to agree has once again made the use of graphics cool.

Davy lives in Central Scotland, 38-years-old married with 3 kids (all boys) and has owned the stunning black MR2 Roadster since June 2005 bought brand new.

Davy’s passion for the MR2 is a familiar story, having never owned an MR2 before, he recalled “the 1st time I saw one was when I passed a MK1 as the owner was washing it, both doors open, bonnet open, boot lid and

engine cover open...WOW!! look at that.. I thought (remember, I would have been about 10 years old) I want one of those, even though I had absolutely no idea what kind of car it was.” As the years went by the MK2 made it's appearance, and the T-Bar version was something he liked, again i thought WOW!.. nice car (I was a little older by this time) I might get myself one of those. Then came the Roadster, again I loved the styling, and promised myself that one day I would definately buy one, then came the news that Toyota were to stop making them.. so it was now or never, luckily my wife had started working again after 15 years of bringing up our kids and we were in the fortunate position where it was possible.. so off to the dealership we went, 2 weeks later I was a very proud owner of a Toyota MR2 Roadster. It was in Western Toyota in Edinburgh that pen was finally put to paper and of course the car had to be black with red seats, and the only "extra" was a set of floor mats. The day I picked the car up it was gorgeous sunshine and after going over the car the salesman asked a rather silly question before I drove it home.. " Do you want the top up or down?".. with a hint of sarcasm I told him I would rather the top was up... So with the top DOWN off I went, smiling from ear to ear.

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Then came the dreaded modding bug Davy wasn’t planning on doing anything to the car.. “I told friends and fellow club members that the car was perfect as it was”, then the modding bug took over and a set of 17" Tenzo RS5 alloys wrapped in Yokohama Parada Spec 2 tyres were ordered, which compliment the sleek lines of the roadster well. To pep up the performance a little, a Unichip was fitted which boosted the Roadster up to 150BHP and a Magnex twin exit cat back exhaust. On the inside for a little in car entertainment an in dash DVD player was installed. Having fitted the wheels it soon became apparent that something didn't look quite right, the car was sitting way too high. It was time to contact Envy Performance for a set of lowering springs, and after looking at a few options Tien S Tech were chosen and not only did it look a lot better, the handling improved considerably too... by this time the modding bug had well and truly set in and the next item on the shopping list was the TTE rear spoiler, aka the Banana. To stand out from the crowd Now Davy wanted to make the car look a little different from the other Roadsters but didn't really want to go down the all out graphics route, so after trawling good old Ebay, a TRD Sunstrip was found and a friend suggested taking a look at Likwid Art, a new concept in 3D graphic design. So after

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talking to Rob (owner of Likwid Art) graphics were decided upon and sorted out. This gave an excellent opportunity to take the car for a run, as Likwid Art was some 300 miles away.. “so after a round trip of just over 600 miles I had some graphics that I think look stunning on my car” added Davy. Graphics by Likwidart The material used is very similar to the resin that is used in the making of the Centre Badges of some alloy wheels. They are 3D, about the thickness of a £1 coin, hand made, and come on a sheet of grease proof card. The lettering Davy chose is Shadow Lettering.. imagine 3d letters placed on the car, shine a bright light on them, they cast a shadow.. it is this shadow that is on the car., the letters aren't there at all, but you get the illusion that they are. Also, depending on what angle you look at it from, it looks like it has actually been stamped into the panel (rear picture shows this better) The fitting process is very interesting, yet very simple, the graphic is put in position while still attached to the backing card using masking tape, more masking tape is used to mark the position of the graphic on the bodywork,to get a straight edge etc. On more detailed graphics more tape is used to mark a rough outline of the graphic design on the car.

leaving behind the tape outline.. tape is then stuck onto the face of the graphic and the graphic is removed from it's backing card, then it is carefully positioned onto the car and pressed firmly.. The tape is removed leaving the graphic in all its glory. They are very sticky and won't come off when using a power washer, in fact, they stick on better than the standard chrome badges that were taken off. Future modifications As far as the future goes... a set of Konig Sports Seats (red and black) are on order from Envy Performance and maybe a Style Bar in Chrome Red, some engine dress. Will you be going down the ever popular route with the roadster of turbo conversion? “probably not, but then when I got the car, I said I wasn't planning to do anything to it.. so anything is possible as long as it is financially possible too”. Further details of Likwidarts graphics which are completely weather resistant and UV stable and come with quality and craftsmenship that is second to none guaranteed can be found on their website www.likwidart.com or email rob@likwidart.fsnet.co.uk.

Next the graphic is removed from the car

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Renew your drop links

JPR Mo tor Par ts is of feri of MKI ng a fu dro MR2 On p links at £49.9 ll set ly maga zine rea 5 to ders.

Replace those rattly drop links and say goodbye to unnerving knocking from your MR2’s suspension. Rob Hawkins shows what’s involved. The MKI MR2 has gained a reputation for having worn drop links, which up until a few years ago were very expensive to replace (they were a dealer only part at £145 for a front pair). Luckily, there are now a few non-Toyota suppliers of MR2 drop links. We’re using a set of replacement drop links from JPR Motor Parts in this feature (see Parts and Prices for details) and fitting them to a MKI MR2. The job of the drop links is to secure the anti-rollbar between it and the suspension strut. The MR2 has anti-rollbars fitted at the front and rear, with drop links at each corner (four in total). All the ends of

The front drop links usually wear more than the rears, so we’ll start with these. Slacken the road wheel nuts, raise the front of the car with a trolley jack positioned under the spare wheel carrier and secure with axle stands under the front tie-bar mounts or front cross member. Remove the front road wheels.

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the drop links are fitted with ball joints, which when worn, will start to rattle and reduce the effectiveness of the anti-rollbar under cornering. If the 14mm securing nuts for the drop links are not loose, then replacing the drop links is the solution. Problems can arise when replacing the drop links on the MR2. What should be a simple nut and bolt job can turn into a battle with an angle grinder. The following six steps show how to do the job properly and what dilemmas can hit you.

Spray brake cleaner over the brakes and surrounding suspension. This helps to dampen any brake dust, which may be harmful if inhaled. Next, spray penetrating fluid over the top and bottom mounts for the drop links. Also spray into the ends of the threads on the drop links to remove any dirt from the allen key hole.

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Secure a 5mm allen key in the end of the thread for the top mount on the drop link. Make sure there’s no dirt in the allen key hole (clean it out with an old sewing needle). Grip the allen key and slacken the 14mm nut with a spanner. Once undone, do the same for the bottom mount.

If one of the 14mm nuts refused to slacken and the allen key hole rounded off, try gripping the thread of the drop link with mole grips. Also, try filing a couple of flats on the thread and gripping it with a spanner or mole grips. If all else fails, grind off the nut with an angle grinder.

Once the old drop links have been removed, clean up the end of the antirollbar and the mount on the suspension strut. Fit the new drop links. The new drop links shown here have 17mm nuts and a 17mm flat to grip when tightening it. Make sure the nuts are fully tightened and smear copper grease on the threads to preserve them.

Parts and Prices JPR Motor Parts Tel 0113 225 6161 eBay shop: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/JPR-MOTORPARTS Toyota MR2 MKI front drop links £16.95 each Toyota MR2 MKI rear drop links £16.95 each Toyota MR2 MKII front drop links £19.95 each Toyota MR2 MKII rear drop links £21.50 each Postage for the above is £2.95 for one item or £4.95 for two, recorded delivery

The rear drop links are similar to the fronts. Raise the rear of the car on the lower engine mount and secure with axle stands. Use a 5mm allen key to secure the thread of the drop link and slacken the 14mm nut. The new drop links we are fitting are also secured with a 5mm allen key.

Tools used 14mm and two 17mm spanners 17mm socket 5mm allen key Old sewing needle Steel wire brush Trolley jack and axle stands Wheel brace

MR2 Only magazine reader offer for a set of four for the MKI MR2 £49.95 or £59.95 for MKII (£5.95 UK recorded postage) – please quote MR2 Only magazine when ordering Comma Oils 01474 564311 www.commaoil.com Copper grease from £2.49 Release Oil £3.99 Brake Clean £4.99

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Cannon Ball Run Have you ever wanted to test your driving skills? Have you ever wondered how your car would react if you were to push it to the limit? Ever wanted to test your levels of endurance? Well we did... 1st Part of Anthony & Maggies Cannon Ball Run experience. I am Anthony, the driver. I have always wanted to take part in a motor sports event or speed/time trial. My navigator, Maggie is my Mum, who always wanted to navigate in a car rally. She would be the first to say she has no sense of direction. We wanted a challenge. This is our story... It was a Saturday afternoon in late February. Mum had not long returned from living in America. The subject of holidays had cropped up a couple of times over the winter, maybe a driving holiday in the summer, a trip around Europe to visit France or Spain. I had been surfing the web to see what was on offer and had been watching the Cannonball Run Europe website for quite a while, so I presented Mum with the information on the run. It looked to be just the thing for us. We decided if we were to do such an event it would have to be the following year, 2005. There were a number of modifications I had planned to do on my car over the summer months, involving shipping parts from Japan and America, as well as a very busy social schedule for us both. We talked it over at length and decided to do a projected budget for taking part in the event. This had to include entry fees, car preparation to include the planned modifications, petrol and other running costs, potential fines, (unknown), plus many other smaller necessary items (for me, a supply of Red Bull and Pro-Plus). Accommodation was included in the entry fee. As we discussed the possibilities we realised the thrill of taking part in this adventure was awesome. I went out for the evening and when I came back Mum was still going through the papers. We thought maybe we shouldn't wait

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another year. Mum didn't need much persuading! We obtained the 2004 entry form as soon as we could, completed it, wrote the cheque for the deposit, then full of trepidation and anticipation we mailed it all to the organisers, hoping we were not too late to enter the event which was due to take place mid September. We’d been bitten by the bug... we had Cannonball Fever!!! Departure day It had been a hectic summer. It was now Saturday, September 11, the day we were due to leave and start our adventure. Our entry had been accepted, the fees paid and the event stickers received and lovingly put on the car. What a thrill it was to see the final result. I had added a few of my own sponsors’ stickers too. The car really looked the part now. Full of excitement, we had packed our luggage and a good map of the whole of Europe, filled the car with everything we could think of, plus the mandatory list of things the organisers of the event insisted all participants carry with them. We had no idea where we were going; the information would not be available to us until the day of each event. How exciting! We were laughing and joking about the potential possibilities. We had requested single beds in a shared room, so the prospect of not only sharing the car all day, but sharing the bedroom and bathroom would be a trial in itself. We got into the car and set off to meet likeminded friends at Pease Pottage Services. The game was on!! After warm hearted introductions our convoy snaked up the motorway. Two more planned stops later and

the convoy had grown considerably. Everyone was excited and full of enthusiasm for the forthcoming adventure. None of us had any idea where we might be going in Europe although there was plenty of speculation. We knew only that we would be given our mission packs at the start of each day, telling us where we had to be by the end of that mission. Little bit to enthusiastic The start of the run was the next day, Sunday. The first car was scheduled to leave at around 2.00 p.m. On our way to the venue the anticipation and excitement proved to be too much for some of the drivers. Having left the motorway and headed along a dual carriageway, there was a slight collision which resulted in a Porsche Boxter being written off. We hadn’t even reached the starting line and already the first casualty. We checked to see if there was anything we could do for the driver. He said he was fine and to leave in case there was trouble with the police, so we were on our way again. Wacky Races After some naff navigating, wrong turns and travelling around roundabouts a few times very much along the lines of a scene from the Wacky-Races - we arrived at the start venue, The Sunborne Yacht floating hotel on the Thames. We had arrived unscathed and in good time for the evening celebrations. After checking in, we checked out our accommodation, cleaned up and went down to meet our fellow Cannonballers. We met people from all over Europe, and of all

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We were filmed by the event camera crew as we were interviewed by the 2 attractive lady presenters. There had never been a Mother and Son team enter the event before. They thought it an unusual combination. I told them I was in it for the driving, Mum told them she was only along for the ride and to do some sight-seeing!! She had her stash of Baileys at the ready. She told them we didn’t have Sat-Nav. We had Naff-Nav, and she was it!!! ages. Some had done the event before, some, like us, absolute beginners. The organisers introduced the support groups, the presenters, the camera crews, the checkpoint girls. What a party that was. Everyone was in high spirits, eager for the next day and the start of the event. No one went to bed early. We were in great spirits, safe knowing our cars were being guarded in the huge outdoor car park whilst we partied the night away. Great organisation.

Mission 1 – Sun Run To The

ce Calais, Fran Start Point: rgeles, t: Plage d’A Finish Poin France 727.5 Mileage: Sunday 12th Date/Time: 0hrs approx. 23:0

Although the mission didn't start until Calais,

The organisers gave out extra cannonball stickers. The DJ was blasting music over one end of the car park. People were polishing their cars, mentally preparing for the days and nights ahead. The public were enjoying the atmosphere as much as the drivers, their navigators and passengers.

People were doing anything they could to pass the time whilst preparing to hear the words….“Get ready to rock and roll!” We were filmed by the event camera crew as we were interviewed by the 2 attractive lady

our day began around 7 am in London. We were so excited. After we had showered, we joined the queue and helped ourselves to a hearty buffet style breakfast. You could feel the excitement in the air. We knew it would be a long day, just how long would prove to be more than we could ever have imagined. We went back to our room and packed our belongings. After checking out of the hotel, we went down the stairs and out to join our fellow Cannonballers gathered in the large adjoining car park. What a sight met our eyes when we walked out of the doors.

presenters. There had never been a Mother and Son team enter the event before. They thought it an unusual combination. I told them I was in it for the driving, Mum told them she was only along for the ride and to do some sight-seeing!! She had her stash of Baileys at the ready. She told them we didn’t have Sat-Nav. We had NaffNav, and she was it! We laughed, we were in high spirits. Eventually the organisers called the teams together, and after more introductions we were told the rules of the event – “there are no rules”…. immortal words which received a rapturous applause.

It was brilliantly sunny and before us was a fantastic array of wonderful cars, and people decked out in some very funny fancy dress. There were some mini moto’s and riders performing stunts on bikes. The onlookers applauded their skills. It was certainly going to be a day to be remembered and enjoyed to the full. Enthusiasts were “ooing” and “aahing” with a passion at the engines and various modifications on show.

And we’re off!

Cameras were clicking, camcorders recording, interviews being taped. Even the presence of a small number of police officers didn’t dampen the spirit. They were enjoying themselves as much as we were. The hot dog and hot drinks stand did a roaring trade. We took some photographs, had some taken of us with our car, and sitting in other prestigious cars too. There was a Noble, a Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus Esprit, a wonderful selection of cars to choose from. Everyone was very friendly. We watched as the presenters went around doing interviews.

Finally the time came for us to say farewell to family and friends who had come to see us set off on our escapade. The nerves had been replaced by excitement and anticipation. We were finally doing it!! Months of preparing the car, compiling the required bits and bobs and papers to take along, practice sessions for the navigator - we had taken a trial ride to Stonehenge one Sunday morning 2 months earlier. Mum had used the maps to navigate. It took us 5 hours to get there under her direction and 2 to get back by mine. What was I letting myself in for? Only time would tell. We felt it had taken an eternity, but now…. it was here, the time had come. The sun was shining and the sun roof was out. As the convoy lined up ready to cruise to the chequered flags at the starting post, we took our place. As we rolled nearer to the start we were given instructions regarding collecting the first mission pack from the marshals on the start line. Each car was given 1 minute to clear the

starting grid. When our turn came we rolled up to the start, Mum climbed out and strolled around the car to collect our pack. She was sporting a white wide brimmed hat, sunglasses and a red feather boa – her trademark for the event. Well, you know what women are like. As Mum climbed into the car and with chequered flags flying I floored it. She fell into her seat laughing as she had not had time to settle before I hit the pedal. The crowd passed in a blur. It was foot down and away as we started what would turn out to be the event of a lifetime. We were off to a great start. My navigator had no idea which way we were meant to be going, we were just delighted to be on our way heading for the great unknown. Our plans of taking our time and making a nice

steady start had gone out of the window. The adrenalin had kicked in. We were flying. The traffic was light at this point so we really enjoyed the thrill of knowing we were on our way. Which way, we didn’t really care. We just had to be careful we didn’t end up in the “Wacky-Races” scenario again. Eventually I slowed down and we began to move along the motorways quite merrily, watching other teams flying past at high speed. I later heard of one instance where a Ferrari 360 had backed off from a Cossie doing a reported 185mph on the M20!! I wouldn’t be doing that. I was running the Japanese speed limiter. I would be happy if the car performed well enough for me to sit at 118mph all day. I didn’t want to wreck our chances with one stupid moment of trying to play with the big boys at speeds of 150mph upwards. There were plenty of cars in the event with the capacity for sustaining these high speeds. What an atmosphere When we arrived at Dover we headed for the ferry port. The rain had set in. We cleared passport control and joined our comrades in arms. We had noticed the topless AC Cobra team members were getting soaked. We felt for them. This didn’t dampen spirits though, and amidst the honking of horns and the cheering of the car crews we were eventually allowed to board the ferry. What an atmosphere! Everyone was delighted to finally be on their way. The event wouldn’t officially start until we landed in Calais at around midnight, but the atmosphere was great and we knew we were going to enjoy ourselves come what may.

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As Mum climbed into the car and with chequered flags flying I floored it. She fell into her seat laughing as she had not had time to settle before I hit the pedal. The crowd passed in a blur. It was foot down and away as we started what would turn out to be the event of a lifetime. My navigator had no idea which way we were meant to be going, we were just delighted to be on our way heading for the great unknown. Once the car was secure we climbed the stairs, following in the footsteps of our fellow Cannonballers. We headed straight to the bar in the lounge and ordered a refreshing celebratory glass of champagne. It certainly hit the spot and gave me a chance to relax while Mum set out on her challenge of navigating our route to Plage d’Argeles. Some hope!!! Mum with alcohol and a map!!! Dream on. She did however offer her assistance to a team that had arrived late, a point she made to me when she saw it on the official Cannonball DVD. Their car had broken down on the starting line. A disaster for them, but with ingenuity they had fixed it en-route and made it to the port. They hadn’t had time to look at their mission pack before getting on the ferry. It was a smooth crossing, and in no time at all the ferry was pulling into Calais. We

descended the stairs and located our car. As we sat back in the car, the sound of over 100 drivers blasting their horns, revving their engines, getting ready for the off was phenomenal. Other passengers had formed lines at the exit of the boat to see what all the commotion was about. Many of them stayed to watch the cars disembark, waving and wishing everyone good luck. I can’t imagine what they must have really thought, I know I would have been so jealous…. but I was actually doing it!! It felt great. We set off into the night knowing there was at least 727 miles to go until we hit the first check point. It was after midnight. On the motorway cars were passing us at alarming speeds. This was our first event and I wanted to play this leg safe. We knew there was a long slog ahead, and the car would have to work very hard. It was pulling a full load and it was now on the longest journey I had driven in it since I had purchased it. We passed some cars and trucks and it was clear to us they were bemused by what they were seeing, as some honked their horns in support, flashed their lights and waved us on into the darkness. It must have been obvious from the multitude of stickers and the cars that they were witnessing the Cannonball Run Europe. Another casualty After about an hour we arrived on the outskirt

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of Paris. Already there had been casualties. In the darkness we had passed the open topped AC Cobra on the side of the road. We both felt very sorry for them. However, this passed very quickly as feeling a bit smug we arrived at the conclusion that even if it all went wrong for us, we were now ahead of them in the ranking! We chuckled. Paris was a bit of a nightmare as our map did not show masses of detail. We began to realise the maps we had been given were not the most explicit, in fact they were quite misleading at times. We were to learn that this was all part of the plan. We had packed our own map of Europe, but that too was difficult to read travelling at speed in the dark, and I wasn’t going to stop. Luckily a few other teams had grouped in a convoy. As we entered the inner city there was a 400+bhp Mines kitted R34 Skyline leading

the group so we tucked in behind and followed. We had already spotted teams getting off and going in the wrong direction. Travelling at quite a pace, there was no time for sight seeing. Eventually the faster cars took off again. We were zipping along on a stretch of road that was straight and pretty much clear of traffic. A few hours out of Paris I took a quick look out of my rear view mirror and saw a set of blue strobes. Shit!! My immediate thoughts are that I’m about to be busted. I took another look. It is probably a bit sad but I know a set of Evo7 lights when I see them and I wasn’t that easily fooled. The car pulled out and sped past us, the occupants waving as they went by. Spirit of Cannonball The spirit of the Cannonball. Anything goes. We saw one real police car, only one mind, and it had pulled one of the Cannonball cars! The miles rolled by. On the horizon we could see the blackness of night had started to give way to the faint signs of dawn. The road along this part of the route was excellent. Under the wheels it felt like fresh tarmac, so smooth, it was greatly appreciated as the car was running on coilovers I had bought from Japan and fitted myself. I kept my foot down. We rapidly approached a range of mountains, and once we started to climb we hit some really bad fog, so dense at

one point we had to slow to 20mph. We could not see our way ahead, even with the windows open and fog lights on. We persevered, knowing others had to drive through it too. Pretty soon we left the fog behind. We were clear and there were many very fast sweeping turns, nice and wide too. Racing line all the way baby As we started our descent down the mountain, we built up great speed, and as there was no one else around…. racing line all the way baby! There was nothing to stop us, so we raced on and on through the long narrow tunnel, and as we came out of the other side, “flash” the camera recorded our passing just like on the roller coaster rides in the amusement park. We were both smiling into the speed camera as we flew past. Ah well,

onwards and upwards as they say, or in this instance it was onwards and downwards. Out of the mountains we witnessed the most amazing sunrise I had ever seen. It was just typical that our cameras were packed in the boot of the car! After 10 hours of driving we finally made it to the mission check point. Our only stopovers had been for petrol. By the end of mission 1, the engine had been running for over 10 hours. There had not even been a fluctuation in the oil and water temperatures, which I personally thought was quite something. Stage 1 complete We arrived in brilliant sunshine to find that a number of the high speed drivers had arrived there at least 3 to 4 hours earlier. Donuts were evident in the sand. We knew they must have been flying. As we were not the last to arrive, we were happy. Stage 1 was now complete and we had no problems to show for it, other than a possible speeding ticket. Not bad for beginners. 26th out of 70 We came 26th out of around 70 cars that actually completed the run, but there are no losers in an event like this. Over 100 cars had started out from London, some broke down and never finished; some dropped out; some broke down so the drivers rented other cars; some used airplanes and taxi’s to get from

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point A to B in order to rent another car to ensure they completed their missions. Most, like us, were fortunate enough to keep going until we crossed the finish line. All in all, a great time was had by everyone who took part. Why did we do it? We both agree that it had seemed a good idea at the time. I did it for the driving, and Mum did it for her “no sense of direction” navigation. Would we do it all again? In a heart beat! It was a wonderful experience and we enjoyed every minute of it. We both recommend this type of event to anyone with a passion for cars and driving. Some things just have to be done. This event is one of them. If you plan to do it, don’t, just do it otherwise you just might talk yourself out of it and miss the greatest driving adventure ever.

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The Great Escape We made it onto the Cannonball Run Europe DVD, “The Great Escape” … you will see us on there quite a few times, along with some lovely people who shared some wonderful experiences, and like us, take pride in calling ourselves “Cannonballers”. We really did roll with the Cannonball. When I have finished project13 we will be looking to do another one of these events. I hope it will be with a group of people who are just as mad and up for it as these guys were, and with the camaraderie and spirit we shared, which will stay with me and my Mum forever. We hope you enjoyed our story so far, to be continued in the next issue of MR2 Only Magazine. Anthony & Maggie - Team of Car13

Mapping at Rogue Motorsport ogue Motorsport are pleased to announce the addition of engine mapping to the range of services we offer for Toyota MR2s. Our engine tuning specialist, Lyndon Sharp, has a number of years experience mapping Japanese cars in general and Toyota MR2s in particular.

We can map Apexi PowerFC, Link Electromotive, Haltec and AEM (Omex, GEMS) ECU's and are willing to look at other systems such as Megasquirt, Autronic, DTA and MBE on an individual basis. We’re also in the process of adding Motec to the range of supported ECUs. Initially we'll offer two services: Road Map - £249.99+vat Drive your own car on the road while your ECU is mapped to suit your own driving style. Advantages to this style of mapping include configuring your engine under actual real world conditions with unrestricted airflow rather than in a simulated environment. The only drawback is that some load cells may be unattainable, as the car must be driven within the confines of the legal speed limits! Private facilities such as the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground may be hired at extra cost. Power runs are available at Thor Racing for £59.99+vat. Road Map + Dyno Map £349.99+vat The best of both worlds! Your car is mapped to your driving style on the road while travelling to the dyno facility (again, within the confines of the law). Once there the car is weighed and installed on a start-of-the-art Mustang dyno where our mapper is able to configure those load cells that couldn t be reached on public roads. Upon completion, dyno plots are produced and during the journey back to Rogue HQ the map is tweaked for cruise and economy.

Driving Roads This editions driving road is Kirkstone Pass sitting on the A592 between Ullswater and Windermere/Ambleside and is the highest road pass in the Lake District with stunning views and an exhilarating drive. Setting off to attack the Kirkstone Pass in December probably deserves a little more respect than it would in the middle of the summer months. However, with the air being that much colder the engine seems to respond with more urgency. It's as if the car is looking forward to this just as much as you are. The faster you drive, the more the playstation effect begins to take hold. The narrow road lined with dry stone walls demands complete and total attention. You can feel yourself concentrating... your senses that much more tuned in to what your car is doing. I found subconsciously that I was leaning forward almost in my seat...! Once the summit has been reached, I lit a cigarette and breathed in the clean fresh air 1500ft above sea level and smiled at myself at the absurd contradiction of healthy clean air and the fag in my hand...! Back in the car, I headed onwards downhill towards Ullswater. This is an easier run as you can see the road ahead as it twists and turns down into the valley. Once you know there is no traffic heading your way, it's just you... the car... and quite frankly how much bottle you've got. It's a heart in mouth ride from bottom to top and bottom again. I am happy to say that yeah, I had the minerals to push my car far harder than I ever normally would. And that I have never been so scared/exhilarated/excited in all my life...! Written by VC (mr2oc.co.uk) VC is organising a weekend run through the lakes in September 2007. http://www.mr2oc.co.uk/ index.php\?name= Forums&file=viewtopic&t= 54135&start=0

We also offer ECU installation as well as other specialist electronic installation service and customer wiring looms. Please call us for more details.

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A day with... In the second of our spotlight on MR2 Specialist features we visit Kris and Lilly of KO Racing Inc, in Tualatin... KO Racing is known for it’s engineered performance parts designed and manufactured in-house by Mechanical Engineer Kris Osheim (Loki) would first like to introduce myself. My name is Kris Osheim, and I’m what one might call a car enthusiast. Ok, I might be a bit more than your average car enthusiast given the international success that the parts and products I’ve designed and produced have garnered, but I started just like every other car enthusiast where the automobile was just another hobby.

welding, machining, programming, strength of materials, and insight into many manufacturing processes. Cat-back exhaust It was with these tools that I attempted and successfully created my first part – a cat-back exhaust using 4 stock turbo exhaust tips, a Camaro/Firebird style muffler, and several pieces of mandrel bent pipe. It was a little rough, but functional, and looked very good.

Sure, I always played with matchbox cars, radio controlled vehicles, and scale plastic models, etc. while growing up, but it was still somewhat surreal in 1992 when my father came home with a 1 year old, slightly used MR2 turbo as his vehicle of choice to relive his younger days again. Loki (the Norse mythology god of mischief) He wanted a red one, but this black one was too good a deal to pass up. Given the nature of the vehicle and as its purchase was to have some fun, that car was named Loki (the Norse mythology god of mischief). Each of me, my brother, and my sister got taken for rides in it up to and beyond the posted speed limits by my mother and father so we could all appreciate the new addition to the family. I was fairly amazed at its performance, yet I don’t know that it really turned me to MR2’s at that time; rather as the years progressed it was a constant presence in my life. A couple of years after that, I got my first car: a 1967 Ford Galaxie convertible, which I still own. The upside of owning an old American car was that the parts were cheap (here in the US) and the systems

KO Racing was born...

readily available, sporty, and turbocharged, what else could a college student ask for?

simple enough for a 17 year old to work on with a little guidance. It was upon the purchase of this vehicle that my fate was sealed. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life in so much as I wanted cars to be a part of it. Over the next several years I worked at several full time jobs in the high tech industry, modified my Galaxie for more power, and put myself through college on a part time schedule. After completing the necessary courses, it was time to commute to a far off college campus and attend school fulltime. I needed to drive something a little more economical than my Ford for the 90 miles to Oregon State University on a regular basis. It just so happened that my father had recently moved up to an Mclass Mercedes and was thinking of selling the reliable MR2 (still stock, with 75,000 miles). It was

Loki

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Even at this time, I was dedicated to improving my Galaxie and simply using the MR2 as a utilitarian commuter. That was short lived, however, once I started reading more and more on www.mr2.com about the cheap and free modifications that could be done. Turning point... MR2 enthusiast and future tuner So I installed a manual boost controller I made from Home Depot parts and a boost gauge and started dialing it up. I couldn’t believe the instant gratification that came from increasing the boost level with such a simple device. It was a turning point and secured me as an MR2 enthusiast and future tuner. As the proceeding years progressed and my desire for more power grew, I researched the available products and was unhappy to find the cost of many of them to be well out of my reach; perhaps not so hard to believe on a student’s budget. I had learned many useful skills during the course of my hot-rodding days and as a part of my engineering education including

After that I made an air intake, a downpipe and things really started to progress. I found that there were many others also involved with the MR2 that were in search of many of the same products I was making, thus KO Racing was born. While still in college I was making downpipes on the weekends and attending school and doing my school work during the week. In 2002, I graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, incorporated KO Racing, and continued to modify Loki. I worked for over 4 years out of college as a design engineer at Freightliner, LLC (North America’s largest truck manufacturer and a part of Daimler Chrysler) and worked evenings and weekends out of my garage turned fabrication shop on exhaust systems, downpipes, and later turbo kits. Uncompromising quality and a commitment to customer satisfaction As always with the production of our parts we followed the tenants of uncompromising quality and a commitment to customer satisfaction that is unsurpassed in the industry. I’ve designed several parts in my engineering work that were assembled on heavy trucks as well as installing many parts on hot rods and imports, thus having a

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very keen understanding of what is required for a part to fit well and have appropriate tool access. I had a chance to also do some freelance fabrication work at a local tuner shop (Torque Freaks www.torquefreaks.com) on a few project cars that gave me a little wider exposure to the sport compact market in general. I could see and examine many of the products produced by the major manufacturers and came to the conclusion that we were doing something right at KO Racing, as many of them weren’t up to the quality standards I put on my own parts. The work I did at Torque Freaks allowed me to establish a good working relationship with them to gain access to use their Dynojet dynamometer when I required its use. Since starting KO Racing, I’ve added Hydra Nemesis engine management and a larger fuel system to Loki tuning it to 375rwhp on race gas with a stock 2nd gen cylinder head, intake manifold, exhaust manifold and throttle body. I’ve been down the road that many other MR2 enthusiasts would like to travel in my search for power, and have encountered many of the obstacles others will also encounter. I utilize this knowledge to try to best help my customers to achieve their own goals with their cars. My largest support and partner making it possible...my wife Lilly

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phone calls as well as having taken the steps necessary to learn to weld and makes most of the TKO dual exhausts and downpipes we ship out today. 2006, a monumental year for KO Racing... 2006 has been a monumental year for KO Racing. We moved out of the garage and into a 7500 square foot facility located in Tualatin, OR and I quit working at Freightliner and dedicated myself full time to KO Racing. This opened up a lot of opportunities that were not feasible in my suburban home location. We have 2 lifts to allow for long term and short term projects to be worked on simultaneously, we added a CNC milling machine to our tool repertoire as well as more welders, a machine lathe, and dedicated work stations for both MIG and TIG welding. We’ve already conducted several NA to turbo conversions on the MKII MR2 since moving in last March. I’ve installed and tuned the Hydra Nemesis on several vehicles including MR2’s and Celica Alltracs.

KO Racing Services:

• Powder coating of small parts

• Engine swaps (MK2 NA to Turbo, MK1 to MK1.5 3SGTE)

• Custom Fabrication (steel, stainless, aluminum, titanium)

We also have dabbled in diesel performance and offer a range of products for US domestic light duty truck applications. Regardless of what other applications our product line may stretch to encompass, our hearts will always be with the MR2 and we will continue to make and invent parts to improve these wonderful automobiles. Kris Osheim, KO Racing www.koracing.net

Our website has been under a major overhaul since late 2005 and

• MIG and TIG welding

• Suspension work

• Custom Turbocharging

• Brake upgrades

• CNC Machining

• Exhaust fabrication

• CAD services (AutoCAD, Rhino3D)

• Clutch installation

• Tuning services (Hydra Nemesis and AEM)

• Polishing SS or Aluminum parts

• Dyno testing

• Painting of parts with urethane catalyzed paints

New and innovative products in 2007 We will be introducing several new and innovative products in 2007 for the MR2, but the details of which are still not ready for release.

We hope to expand our products and product line further as 2007 rolls on to include other Toyotas including the 2JZ powered turbo Supras (we have a couple ofprototype turbo kits done so far) and the Tacoma Pickups.

New products

We have an unprecedented and unparalleled ability to be dynamic and flexible in producing whatever part necessary for a given project for the MR2.

• Routine Maintenance

KO Racing is also fully equipped to perform any service work from routine maintenance, to clutch installations, to complete engine rebuilds. Our ability to detail parts extends to show quality polishing, painting, and custom fiberglass work when necessary.

is just about ready for release, so be sure to check www.koracing.net for details regarding new products as they come out.

We also introduced new products in 2006 adding versions of our Street Brawler turbo kits using the GT30R and GT35R turbos ($2750) and a GT28RS turbo kit ($1900). We’ve brought the manufacture of our turbo kit adapters and several other small parts in house with our CNC capability.

KO Racing is largely me and my influence, but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the largest supporter and partner that make it possible: my wife Lilly. She responds to many emails and

• Engine rebuilding including performance rebuilding

Mk1.5 project We are currently working on our first MK1.5 project utilizing a Gen3 engine and are of course doing our own take on this time honored conversion and will apply the same ingenuity, and commitment to quality that we have applied to all our ventures in solving the issues that arise.

• Complete restoration services • Auto transport services in our fully enclosed 26' car hauler.

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KO Racing Services:

• Powder coating of small parts

• Engine swaps (MK2 NA to Turbo, MK1 to MK1.5 3SGTE)

• Custom Fabrication (steel, stainless, aluminum, titanium)

Our website has been under a major overhaul since late 2005 and

• MIG and TIG welding

• Suspension work

• Custom Turbocharging

• Brake upgrades

• CNC Machining

• Exhaust fabrication

• CAD services (AutoCAD, Rhino3D)

• Clutch installation

• Tuning services (Hydra Nemesis and AEM)

• Polishing SS or Aluminum parts

• Dyno testing

• Painting of parts with urethane catalyzed paints

New and innovative products in 2007 We will be introducing several new and innovative products in 2007 for the MR2, but the details of which are still not ready for release.

New products

We have an unprecedented and unparalleled ability to be dynamic and flexible in producing whatever part necessary for a given project for the MR2.

• Routine Maintenance

is just about ready for release, so be sure to check www.koracing.net for details regarding new products as they come out.

KO Racing is largely me and my influence, but I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the largest supporter and partner that make it possible: my wife Lilly. She responds to many emails and

• Engine rebuilding including performance rebuilding

• Complete restoration services • Auto transport services in our fully enclosed 26' car hauler.

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Feature written by Martin Weaver - martin@mr2only.com photography by quantum-capture.co.uk and Rikki Bruce ave you ever seen such a gleaming example of a Mk2? Nor me! When the photos of this car first landed in the Mr2only office we all thought that Rikki Bruce, the meticulous owner had photoshopped them – it’s that clean!! Turns out the pictures are genuine and Rikki is actually a photographer by trade with a mega eye for detail and style.

Back in 2003 he was driving Rovers (bear with me, it gets better) but due to their, how shall we put this, reliability issues he knew it was time for a change. As an avid cruise attendee and all round car fanatic, Rikki launched his own website & forum. The now massive strathycruise.com was born and now all he needed was a car. Rikki had always loved the Mk2 tubby and knew exactly what he wanted when looking to buy one. “I'd never been in an Mr2, let alone driven any but wanted one because they looked so good and on paper the spec was outstanding”, Rikki recalls. And so in early 2004 this GT-S 1994 Revision 3 3S-GTE Turbo got a new owner, and plans were already afoot for it. The test drive was slightly disappointing as the car did not live up to expectations, however this quickly changed once monies had been exchanged. I’ll let Rikki tell you in his own words. “I returned to cough up the rest of the cash and went to

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drive home with the girlfriend in the passenger seat. It must have been sitting for a while in the showroom and gone into some kind of fail safe mode because after driving for about 20 minutes it spluttered, coughed and went super-nova. Coming off a roundabout heading back to Glasgow it just went into warp speed. The girlfriend nearly soiled my new purchase and the grin I got that day took months to subside” So keen was Rikki that before the car was even home, he had stopped off to purchase and fit a dump valve, unfortunately the store did not have the correct part in stock, damn! To make himself feel better a set of Boss XTR 18in alloys were mated to the car the very next day! As the car was already lowered when Rikki took ownership, it was looking great and only 2 days in. Next to come were a set of Lexus/Altezza lights to spruce up the rear end. Remember this is 2004 we are talking about, the lights were new on the market and complemented the white paintwork perfectly and still do. Now, about those graphics, Rikki explains their origins. “I was going to a

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“after driving for about 20 minutes it spluttered, coughed and went super-nova. Coming off a roundabout heading back to Glasgow it just went into warp speed. The girlfriend nearly soiled my new purchase and the grin I got that day took months to subside” big show and wanted to promote my website, so a friend who runs a graphics company took some photos of the car and produced the saltire graphics you see on it now. They were only going to be on the car for the weekend but everyone thought they looked so good I've had them on for over 2 years now!” We would have to agree, the colour & design looks great and is still fresh as the day they were applied. Next came a suspension overhaul, the shocks the car came with had grown tired and a replacement kit was sourced. A set of KYB AGX struts along with various Whiteline goodies care of Job Gevers now take care of road-holding duties. Lets move inside shall we, as you can see from the photos, the interior is just as stunning as the exterior. A full Leather Re-trim including Seats, Door Cards & Gear Gaitor bring the cabin bang up to date. An AutoGauge EL Boost Gauge, Forrest Pod, Type-VR Gearknob, Mountney Steering Wheel and SpeedHut Indiglow Dial Kit all work in unison to further enhance the unique look. Of course, a show car like this would not be complete without a top notch ICE system, Rikki has enlisted a JVC EXAD DVD/ Multimedia TV Screen headunit, SoundStream Amplifiers, components and a pair of 10in Subwoofers to take care of the sounds with a Playstation installed just for fun. The appearance, chassis and interior were all now sorted, so onto the engine we go. One of the big reasons Rikki bought the car was its tuning potential. With an ideal figure of 300 bhp in his head, there weren’t many cars that could reliably deliver. A visit to Gerry Gaffney who runs Dastek UK in Fife started the ball rolling. He modified the cars ECU and installed one of their own boost control units. These 2 simple mods returned 305 bhp at the flywheel, a real testament to Gerry’s brilliant products and know-how. A NOS kit has recently been installed but is not plumbed in yet, so expect that figure to hike upwards yet again. To further aid performance, Rikki has had one of the maddest exhausts I have seen installed,

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Toyota MR2 GT-S (1994 Revision 3 - 2.0l 16v 3S-GTE Turbo) Engine Powertec 8” SL1x Stainless Steel Mesh Air Filter Samco Coolant Hose Kit Samco Turbo Hose Kit Samco Anciliary Hose Kit HKS SSQV Blow Off Valve (Colour Coded Blue) NGK Type R Plugs (2 Grades Colder For Higher Boost & NOS) Holey NOS Wet Fogger Kit (50bhp) Meercat Snakehead Downpipe (3") Meercat De-Cat Section (3") Meercat Silencer Free Stainless Duplex Exhaust (3") Dastek Unichip Piggyback Computer Dastek Electronic Boost Controller Dastek Nitrous Driver Module Berk Technologies Intercooler (Polished Alloy) Heatshielded Alloy Intercooler Pipes 8" ZIGRO Intercooler Fan Cool-It ThermoTec Exhaust Wrap On Downpipe & Exhaust Pipercross Blue Anodised Crankcase Breather Colour Coded Toyota X Strut Brace Apiro Blue Oil Cap Apiro Anodised Blue Quick Release Clamps Apiro Anodised Blue 3” Alloy Air Filter Pipework VenAIR Silicone Vacuum, Coolant, Vapour Tubing TRD 1.5kgs Radiator Cap Colour Coded Toyota Oil Catch Tank HKS Recirculating Attachment Fitted to SSQV Polished Plenum & Throttle Body Gold Plated Engine Bay Grounding Kit Pivot Raizin Voltage Stabilizer Silicone HT Insulators, Cable Sleeves & NOS Line Shields Magnetic Sump Plug Copper Contact Distributer Cap SPEC Stage3 6 Puck Paddle Clutch Suspension KYB AGX Fully Adjustable Dampers

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Whiteline Control Lowered & Stiffened Springs Whiteline Adjustable ARB Links Whiteline Adjustable Front Anti Roll Bar Whiteline Adjustable Rear Anti Roll Bar Toyota OE Front Stut Brace Toyota OE Rear X Strut Brace PowerFlex Bump Stops & Gaitors TB Developments Front & Rear Polished Alloy Braces Brakes Black Diamond Drilled & Grooved Rotors (Front & Rear) Black Diamond Predator Pads (Front & Rear) Calipers Colour Coded TopSpeed Master Cylinder Brace Wheels Boss XTR 18" x 7.5” Alloys Powder Coated White Tyres Toyo T1R 225/40/18 On Rear Federal 535 215/35/18 On Front

Windows Tinted Blue Evo Graphics Custom Saltire Decal Kit & Sponsor Banks Rear Lexus Light Clusters Meshed Front Grille PIAA High Performance Headlamp Bulbs PIAA High Performance Side Light Bulbs LED Clear Side Repeaters Interior Full Leather Retrim Including Seats, Door Cards & Gear Gaitor AutoGauge EL Boost Gauge A.Forrest Gauge Pod Type-VR Gearknob Mounteny Steering Wheel SpeedHut Indiglow Dial Kit Alloy Tax Disc Holder NOS Bottle (Anodised Blue) Fire Extingwihser Plasma Website Sticker LED Lighting Kit Twin Pre-IC / Post-IC Temperature Displays

SpecFile

Audio JVC EXAD KD-AVX2 DVD/DivX/MP3/CD Player With 3.6” Screen SoundStream 720.4 Amplifier SoundStream XSC6 Components 2x SoundStream 10" Subwoofers Components Custom Fitted To Doors With Blue Lighting Dynamat Xtreme Sound Deadening On Floor & Doors Audio Installtion by MF2K (Glasgow) Exterior Bomex Customised Front Bumper (Hole Filled) Bomex Side Skirts Erubini Rear Bumper T-Bar Panels Triple Tinted Blue Metalic

Security TOAD Ai606 Cat.1 Alarm & Immobiliser Tracker Retrieve Satelite Tracking System Hu-Sun Pager System

Thanks To: XS Motorsport, Evolution Car Security Evo Graphics, Dastek UK, WhiteLine Automotive UK KR Tuning The Bodyworx Enigma Bodytech Trim Workshops SpeedHut DCDezign AATC MF2K Meercat GTSChris, TB Developments

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a bespoke Meercat Custom system manufactured in 316 grade stainless steel, hand built with NO silencer boxes at all, just a 3" pipe from the back of the turbo out to the rear of the car now lives underneath the Mk2. With the down pipe based on a Subaru Prodrive WRC item nicknamed the "snakehead" due to its Adder head shape and a wastegate screamer pipe it really delivers and is of supreme quality. A Berk Tech intercooler and whole host of Samco plumbing finish the engine compartment off nicely. “I'd always wanted a car that ticked all the right boxes. It had to look good, sound good and go well. I think I've managed that by being careful about the mods I've chosen and who I've had work on the car”, Rikki tells me. Sounds like a recipe that makes a lot of sense. Lots of admirers are clearly thinking the same as our man is constantly being asked when the car will be up for sale and what is coming next. Rikki’s response is one of an obvious fanatic – “nearly 3 years in, I'm still as happy as ever with it. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have spent my Xmas holidays in the garage cleaning, polishing and waxing the engine bay and colour coding all the pipes and braces!” Hopefully this car will be sitting pretty with Rikki for some years yet!

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Part 3 of our regular MR2 turbo tuning guide by Tim at TB Developments

Removing Restrictions ow that we’ve talked about preparing the mr2 for future power and the basics of increasing the boost pressure provided from the turbocharger we move to increasing the efficiency at which the standard equipment works, with upgrades such as performance air filters, Downpipe/Decats and Exhaust systems.

The basic principle behind these upgrades is to remove restrictions in the intake and exhaust of gases through the engine. All engines run with restrictions from the factory, mainly for emission control restraints in the case of catalytic converters, smaller bore exhaust systems which provide improved ground clearance of the vehicle and noise suppression, restrictive baffle system silencers to lower engine noise. On the intake side of the engine resonator boxes are used to reduce the induction noise created by the engine and the sucking of the turbocharger.

Performance Filters Performance air filters usually come in 2 common types, the panel type filter and the cone type filter. The Panel filter is a direct replacement for the paper type used in OEM Toyota installations, although they use a much less restrictive filtration element to give a greater flow. With this type of filter the standard air box and intake track are retained and ideal if wanting to retain the “standard” look. With the standard layout and components retained in the intake track, the resonating chambers are still present so the loud rawing and sucking often associated with performance filters and turbocharged cars is still silenced making this the ideal upgrade for people not wanting the sounds of a performance car while still having an increase in performance. The other type is a Cone Filter. This type is more for the performance end of the market although they are usually more expensive than the panel filter as they replace the whole intake track of the car, removing resonating boxes, air boxes and plastic ducting. Because a lot of the restrictions have been removed they offer a greater flow than the panel filter but also create more noise, so the droning induction noise is now present in the case of Naturally Aspirated MR2s and a loud sucking in the case of the turbocharged cars. With the differences

between the revision 1/2 and 3+ turbocharged mr2’s, mainly the air volume calculation equipment affects the volume at which the turbocharger sucking can be heard. With the revision 1/2 cars the ECU uses a device called an AFM to calculate the amount of air being consumed; this is a large door that’s pulled backwards with the amount of air entering the engine, and the more air the further the door moves. This device although effective at its job is a restriction to the air being drawn into the engine but being vital equipment it can’t be removed and this large door silences the noise generated by the turbo. Because of this the sucking heard from the turbocharger is louder on the revision 3+ cars as they don’t use this AFM device and don’t suffer from the restriction or silencing effect it creates. There are also a lot of mixed minds with owners and tuners regarding which is best for performance between the 2 types of filters, both have there pro’s and cons. The panel filter retains the standard car’s feel and sound, it’s also contained inside the OEM air box which is shielded from the heat created from the engine in the bay. Although

Now with the cone type filters you have removed the OEM intake track so this maze of pipe work is no longer present to cause a restriction, but the ducting from the side intake vent is also no longer present to ensure a cold flow of air to the engine. Meaning some of the air being consumed by the engine will be heated air from the bay which is less dense. Because of this you’re drawn into a catch 22 situation where the panel filter means less volume of air but more oxygen in the air than cone filter and the Cone filter means more volume but less oxygen in the air than panel. I know it chemically doesn’t work out this way but good enough for this article) My personal recommendations here are to fit a cone type filter, Apexi, HKS, Blitz or other well known brand is recommended with the use of a cold air duct from the side vent to provide a cold air feed. This enables the best of both worlds, a free flowing filter element and a cold air supply. This is mainly advised on N/A mr2’s as with the case of turbocharged cars once the air enters the turbocharger its superheated way above the level of the air in the engine bay, so the cooling of this air is taken care of via an intercooler, although we’ll discuss this in future instalments of tune 2. Removing restrictions The next step is to remove restrictions in the exhaust side of the engine. Removing restrictions here involves replacing the standard exhaust system for something with a larger bore, freer flowing silencers/mufflers and removal of the catalytic converter. Decat and downpipe

because it’s inside the air box its more restrictive for the engine/turbocharger to pull air through this filter as it also has to pull the air through a maze of pipe work, although this pipe work ensures air is drawn from close to the side intake vent so minimising the amount of heat soaked air entering the engine. As I’m sure many of our readers know that cold air means more oxygen molecules per mass (denser air) equalling more power, so colder the better.

The Decat/Downpipe is the part of the exhaust system which connects the turbocharger to the rest of the exhaust system which runs under the oil pan, on the turbo mr2 as the exhaust pipe runs down the back of the engine this is where Toyota have housed the catalytic converter. In the case of the N/A mr2’s the catalytic converter is housed in the main exhaust section before the main silencer just after the exhaust passes over the chassis cross member. The purpose of this device is to turn exhaust emissions that are harmful to the environment into less pollutant gases. Although great for saving the planet they do little for the efficiency of a performance engine. Certain legislations allow the catalytic converter to be removed on our cars, with turbocharged mr2’s because there is a non-UK equivalent car a loop hole

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RUN BY MR2 ENTHUSIASTS FOR MR2 ENTHUSIASTS

has formed where if the car was registered pre July 1995 the cats can be removed with no problems come MOT time. Decat pipes for the N/A MR2s are fairly straight forward, there a small length of pipe around 12” in length with 2 matching flanges at either end to replace the section of exhaust the catalytic converter previously occupied, installation is easy and not very time consuming. In the case of the turbocharged cars there it’s a little different; because of the location of the catalytic converter it makes replacement a few hour job. Decatting a turbo can be done in 2 ways, A full downpipe replacement or a process of modification of the standard item often referred to as “gutting” the cat. The 2 main restrictions in the turbo downpipe section are the catalytic converter and the 90 degree elbow at the top of the downpipe which connects to the turbocharger. When gutting the cat the catalytic converter is removed from there car and separated. This allows you to remove the catalytic element from its housing. This can then be reassembled and refitted to the car. The restrictive element has now been removed but the other restrictive concerns, like the elbow for example are still in place. Also because the catalytic element has a far larger diameter than the standard exhaust diameter this leaves a large expanse in the downpipe, the gases will leave the turbo through a restrictive elbow, massively expand when they reach the expanse where the cat used to occupy and then be forced back into a 2.5” diameter exhaust pipe to travel the rest of the journey out the exhaust. The other problem with having a constantly expanding and contracting exhaust diameter is it causes the exhaust gases to “tumble” and ”hurricane” through the pipe which again causes even further restrictions to its flow. Gutting the cat will give an improvement in power and turbocharger response but is far from ideal, but this modification is free Performance downpipe The other option is a performance downpipe, these are the ideal solution to the problem. A well designed downpipe will have a subtle transition from the housing where it connects to the turbocharger to promote flow, the elbow will now be a constant diameter and a progressive curve and the whole downpipes construction will be made using the same diameter material, 3” being ideal. Before Rushing out and purchasing any downpipe that takes your fancy I recommend you do your home work into the product, there are many different companies all over the world making these items. Some excellent others not worth the

www.tbdevelopments.com

metal they’re constructed from. Ideal qualities to look for are; materials the downpipe is constructed from, mild steel and stainless steel are common favourites but also the grade of stainless steel that’s used. The design of the pipe in general whether it fits perfectly or interferes with factory items like aircon. The other design to look for is; wastegate clearances as some downpipes on the market are known for restricting wastegate operation causing overboost and poor boost control. These types should be avoided despite their often cheaper price. Free flowing exhaust systems The last section here is free flowing exhaust systems. In the case of the standard item they were designed for acceptable flow while also conforming to tight manufacturer’s noise restraints, Because of this you have an exhaust which is acceptable in standard form but less that ideal for performance applications. Upgrades in these systems can see increases in boost pressure and a great responsive feel from the engine. Many aftermarket exhaust systems come with an

are involved with excessively noisy exhausts. With the increase in efficiency at which the engine can breathe boost pressure can again be increased to take advantage of this. Rev 1/2 Turbo 1.0 Bar increased pipe diameter to create less restrictive gas flow resulting in less back pressure on the engine, with the main improvement of free flowing silencers. These operate very similarly to those found on a gun. A long perforated tube surrounded by sound absorbing materials; as the gases flow through the silencer along the perforated tube the sound radiates outwards which passes through the perforations in the tube and absorbed by the surrounding material. This allows the gases to travel through the silencer with little restriction while still removing a huge amount of sound created by the engine. Performance exhaust systems come in all different sizes and styles with different manufactures exhaust creating a different engine tone, selection should be made on quality just like with the downpipes but also your own personal taste. Remember not all performance exhausts produce the same noise volume so certain exhausts will attract more attention than others. This can either be a benefit when seeking that race car sound or a nuisance when authorities

Rev 3+ Turbo

1.2 Bar

Next months instalment we’ll talk about the effects of performance intercoolers/chargecoolers and water injection.

Tim - TB Developments www.tbdevelopments.com

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