Toyota Performance Magazine from 10 years ago

TPM issue 1

June 2010

£4.25GBP

The ONLY read for all things Performance Toyota & Lexus, past, present & future.

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[ ed speak ] We may well be the new kids on the block, but we’re no strangers to magazine publishing or indeed to Toyotas. A large part of the Toyota MR2 owning fraternity has been reading our sister mag, MR2 Only Magazine for the past 4 years. Launching a second title broadening our coverage to all Toyota performance models seemed to be a natural progression.

welcome to

Toyota Performance Magazine TPM encapsulates the whole Toyota experience, celebrating the manufacturer that brought us so many iconic models throughout the decades and its legendary feats in motorsport.

While of course we’ll be bringing to you exclusive coverage of big power Toyota-badged projects from the biggest names in the tuning scene, we’ll also be going back to grass roots with a look back at Toyota’s heritage. For instance, the likes of the 2000GT - of James Bond fame - will be covered. The Celica GT4 that dominated rallying in the 80’s and 90’s (becoming my childhood hero) will feature, and we’ll take an in-depth look at the Corolla AE86, which

We’ll also be bringing to you the very latest news about future performance models from the Toyota and Lexus stable, of course including the Lexus LFA and the much anticipated Toyota FT86 concept. Could this be Toyota’s return to the sports coupe? We certainly hope so. steve@toyotaperformancemagazine.com

has seen revival in recent years thanks to its ability to steer from the rear and win many a drifting event. We’ll go through all of the Toyotas you’ve ever heard of, many of which are true cult classics still enjoyed today.

What we may in size compared to multiple million pound publishing conglomerates, we make up for in our enthusiasm and passion for the performance Toyotas we own, and indeed the ones you drive. So come show time it won’t be unusual to find a member of the TPM team crouching down photographing your car or asking you questions, notebook in hand. In fact each member of the TPM team owns, modifies, fettles, races or purely enjoys driving a Toyota, which you’ll read more about issue by issue.

Just like our sister publication, MR2 Only, we are very much owners’ club focussed and have already forged strong relationships and received encouraging support. In return we’ll be profile featuring many Toyota/Lexus based clubs each issue in our club scene section. We’ll be attending as many club and Jap car events as we can with full reports and photo coverage in each issue.

All that’s really left to say is that we hope you enjoy reading our hard work and efforts in this very first issue of TPM. We would love to hear your feed back and ideas which you can either email to myself or any other member of the TPM team, or leave a comment over on our website www.toyotaperformancemagazine.com. Do you feel you drive an MR2 we’d like to hear about? On our website you can also fill out and submit your own car for forthcoming feature consideration.

Steve Bishop, TPM Editor

[ in this issue of tpm ]

[ thank you ]

Cover Car: pg6 Fensport’s Celica GT4X

To all of the TPM team, Pam, Cyril, Mark, Gareth and Johnny for their hard work and efforts in putting together the first issue of TPM, very proud of you all. It’s been quite a long journey but now it’s printed in all its glory, it’s well worth the blood, sweat and tears. To all the photographers, writers, feature car owners that have all done their part in contributing to TPM. The owners’ clubs that have collaborated with us and all of the companies who have supported us with advertising. All of our subscribers and readers. Thanks also (I think?) to my best friend Mark and our sub ed Johnny who both encouraged me to take the plunge with TPM. Finally, my partner Lisa who has been very supportive and put up with my long working hours these past few months.

Without each and every one of you TPM would have never reached the paper it’s printed on. Thank you all.

Steve Bishop, TPM Editor

pg 24 Celica ST185 GT4 pg 38 Marangoni 3SGTE Yaris pg 46 700bhp MkIV Supra pg 54 400bhp 2JZ-GTE Aristo pg 61 Revision 5 MR2 Turbo pg 68 Japfest photo report pg 74 Toyotafest photo report pg 92 Gen 7 Celica

[ contacts & general info ] EDITOR:- Stephen Bishop - steve@toyotaperformancemagazine.com SUB EDITOR:- John Gaskell - johnny@toyotaperformancemagazine.com ART/FEATURES EDITOR:- Mark Thorpe - mark@toyotaperformancemagazine.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Gareth Evans - gareth@toyotaperformancemagazine.com

www.toyotaperformancemagazine.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS & CUSTOMER SUPPORT:- PamB - pam@toyotaperformancemagazine.com FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES AND BOOKINGS: advertising@toyotaperformancemagazine.com or Tel: 01782 544854 GENERAL POSTAL ADDRESS: Toyota Performance Magazine Ltd, 40 Malstone Avenue, Baddeley Green, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire ST2 7NN Contact telephone no. 01782 544854 Directors: Stephen Bishop, Pamela Bishop, Printed by:- Buxton Press Ltd, Palace Rd, Buxton Derbyshire, SK17 6AE, UK www.buxtonpress.co.uk

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Toyota Performance Magazine is an independent publication, and has no bias to any one company or organisation. Although every care is taken in compiling Toyota Performance Magazine, we cannot be held responsible for any errors, omissions or any technical advice given, and any views expressed are that of the contributor, unless written solely by Toyota Performance Magazine.

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[ toyota & lexus news ]

Hilux drives to the heart of Iceland’s devastating eruption The vehicles used for the expedition were prepared by specialist firm Arctic Trucks to the same extreme environment specification as the Hilux used by Jeremy Clarkson and James May for their historic polar expedition. With giant low pressure 38-inch tyres, the go-anywhere Hilux had the measure of every challenge in its path as it made its way through ice and snow towards the volcano’s fiery heart.

A new chapter has been written in the world-conquering history of Toyota’s mighty Hilux as it took on the ice and fire of Iceland’s Eyjafallajökull volcano, just hours before its eruption brought chaos to the skies of Europe.

DOUBLE TOP FOR TOYOTA - BRITISH INSURANCE VEHICLE SECURITY AWARDS Toyota scooped two awards at the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards, which took place today at Thatcham, the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Berkshire.

The Toyota Land Cruiser V8 retained its top position in the large 4x4 category for the third year running, and the Prius won the inaugural Green Car category.

Prius earned the new honour for having the lowest emissions among the UK’s top-rated cars for security, acknowledging the importance today’s motorists place on vehicle protection standards and CO2 performance, for peace of mind and lower ownership costs.

Mike Briggs, Thatcham’s Vehicle Security Manager, said, “It’s great to see Toyota taking first place in both the Large 4x4 and the new Green Car categories. Prius demonstrates that consumers concerned about both security and the environment need not compromise. Toyota’s success shows its commitment to design-out crime, thereby reducing the risk to insurers and the motoring public.”

Prius’s advanced Hybrid Synergy Drive system allows it to be driven using its petrol engine, electric motor or a combination of both to achieve optimum efficient performance - CO2 emissions are from just 89g/km. And as a full hybrid, it can run at low speeds over certain distances on its electric power alone, giving zero fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions.

The iconic Toyota Land Cruiser V8 is now in its eighth generation. With the ability to seat seven and a host of sophisticated handling, suspension and drivetrain systems, it ensures safety, comfort and secure handling both in the rough and on the open road.

The British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards are designed to raise consumer awareness of best practice in vehicle security. Vehicles are assessed according to the New Vehicle Security Rating Scheme (NVSR), with points awarded under the categories of ‘theft of’ and ‘theft from’ the vehicle. The winners are the models achieving the highest score in each category.

The legendary pick-up that Top Gear simply could not destroy and which was the first car to be driven across the Arctic to the Magnetic North Pole proved the perfect transport for scientists racing to set up monitoring equipment before the long-dormant mountain blew its top and sent a vast cloud of ash 30,000 feet into the sky.

With Europe’s most advanced aircraft rendered powerless by the ash-filled atmosphere, it’s Hilux that once again has proved itself the master of everything man and nature can put in its path.

LEXUS LFA IS THE “MUST HAVE” SUPERCAR Initial expressions of interest in the new Lexus hypercar soar far beyond the number of cars to be built. Since its unveiling at the Tokyo motor show, the Lexus LFA has been greeted by critical acclaim worldwide.

Even though it is one of the most exclusive supercars money can buy, the number of formal expressions of interest in purchase received

by Lexus is already greater than the limited production run of just 500 examples available across 56 countries.

The centre for all European sales is Lexus Park Lane, where the LFA commands a prime showcase position on one of London’s most prestigious streets.

Manager who looks after all LFA sales, said: “The level of interest we have witnessed reinforces just what an exceptional car the LFA is. Even though few people have even seen the car in the metal, let alone experienced its breathtaking performance, it has quickly achieved the status of a truly rare and highly sought-after machine.”

The LFA is designed to deliver the supreme driving experience, powered by a mid-front mounted 4.8-litre V10 engine that produces 552bhp for nought to 62mph in just 3.7 seconds. Hand built in strong but ultralightweight carbon fibre material, it represents the pinnacle of advanced automotive design and engineering.

Devshi Varshani, the Personal Liaison

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Toyota specialist tuners Fensport announce their brand new Fensport website www.fensport.co.uk The new site covers 97 different models of Toyota and Lexus Vehicles and includes crossover vehicles like the Lotus Exige, Peugeot & Citroen as well as Kit cars with Toyota engines.

At the moment there are over 3,000 products available to purchase

securely online, and the site can handle deliveries throughout Europe.

The website has been completely custom built to work with Fensports accounts system, which means both stock control and prices are always kept up to date.

Every model of Toyota or Lexus covered can be entered in to the search system and only parts which fit that particular vehicle will be shown, making online shopping a very simple process and ensuring the customer receives the correct part first time.

There’s still more to come and Fensport plan to make it the best Toyota Parts site on the web!!!

Fensport Performance 8 Dock Road, Chatteris, Cambs PE16 6RE Tel: 01354 696968 Fax: 01354 696973 Email: Sales@fensport.co.uk

www.fensport.co.uk

[ tuning news ]

www.toyotaperformancemagazine.com

Launch their new website

TPM On-line TPM website is not only our portal in which to receive magazine orders and subscriptions, you can also submit your own Toyota as a potential feature car using the feature request form found in the top header of the website. TPM online has enjoyed over 15,000 unique visitors since its launch and is a great place for you to share comments and feedback about the magazine, keep up-to-date of news and developments, see further photos of feature cars that we did’nt have space to use in the printed mag, and you can generally post photos of your own ride. On TPM online you’ll also find a selection of respected Toyota tuners and news about their products and services.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep updated of the latest TPM news, what we’re up to, events we’re attending and so on.

YOUR HORSEPOWER! The Research and Development team at Turbo Kits.com has been busy. The release of the new V2.0 turbo kits for the 1ZZ and 2ZZ powered Toyota Celica, Corolla and Matrix, are a collaboration of everything you loved about the successful V1.0 kits and the feedback we have received about the turbo systems over the past years.

Cast high flow manifolds, fully polished aluminum intercooler piping, stainless steel downpipes, T-Bolt clamps, Forge blow off

valves, and high strength silicone couplers are just some of the upgrades you will find in each kit.

Each platform and engine type can expect a gain of roughly 100 wheel HP from a properly installed turbo system.

A step by step install guide is included with all kits to assist the seasoned mechanic or backyard turbo “guru” with the fitment process. The turbo kits are model specific and designed to complement the factory installed

components of the vehicle. Air conditioning and power steering can still be enjoyed along with the added horsepower of the turbo!

If achieving maximum power is your goal, TurboKits.com does have turbo upgrades capable of supporting 450 + HP! Internal engine components, fuel and management system upgrades, drive train components, and coating options are all necessary decisions when tailoring a custom system to meet your needs.

While most customers opt to install the turbo systems on a completely stock power plant, some find it in their budget to build a tire blistering, boost fed, street weapon just itching to show its tail lights to the next unsuspecting victim! The reengineered kits now available from TurboKits.com are your next step in achieving “Boosted Bliss”.

We need your help in curing the world of power starved Toyotas. Log onto www.turbokits. com or call +1-860-676-2929 to get your prescription for power ordered today!

turbokits.com

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[ concept toyota ]

Written by Gareth Evans, photos from Toyota

Toyota’s new skid on the block!

This is the car that could change the face of modern performance Toyotas.

Enthusiasts, meet the FT-86.

If for a moment you forget Lexus exists, what’s the hottest Toyota-badged car you can buy today? A bit of research provides some chilling reading. Believe it or not, the fastest modern Toyota to 60mph is the Land Cruiser. Highest top speed?

The Avensis; at a mind-blowing 131mph.

Clearly, the brand needs a sporting lifeline.

Remember the days when you could walk into a showroom and choose between the Supra, the Celica and the MR2, all available turbocharged, with racing pedigree and supercar-worrying performance? Well so does Toyota, and here’s the proof.

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Pictured here alongside the fourth generation Supra, the Corrolla AE-86 and the ST205 Celica GT4, Toyota obviously expects the FT-86 to draw influence from what many see as the hey-day of the performance Toyota, the 1980s and 1990s.

That makes for exciting reading.

Tell me about the car!

On first inspection the car looks promising. Expect a 2-litre Boxer flat-four engine borrowed thanks to a collaboration with Subaru. It’ll be naturally aspirated and making around 200bhp. I can almost hear your cries of discontent at the idea of using a Boxer in a Toyota. Blasphemy?

I think not. Consider this: the engine,

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Heroes of the past inspire Toyota’s future sports car vision

when compared to a similar four-pot from Toyota, is considerably shorter (around 100mm, according to some). This means it can be mounted lower, hence lowering the centre of gravity and improving dynamics. Makes more sense now, doesn’t it? The Scooby lump will send power through a 6-speed gearbox and to the rear wheels. Yes, skidding fans, you read that right. This car will be permanent rear wheel drive.

Based around the exact set of ideals that brought us the Corolla AE86 - one of the most revered and in-demand Toyotas of the last 20 years – the FT is the product of the philosophy of a “rear wheel driven, lightweight coupe”.

Our sources report the car already laps the Nurburgring in “less than nine minutes”; not too shabby at all considering the supposed power output. Currently a concept car, we have it on good authority that the new ’86 will grace showrooms sometime in 2011, although, like most things ‘concept car’, that has the capacity to change at a moment’s notice.

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You mention the car being sporty, but 200bhp isn’t much these days…

Correct, it isn’t. In fact, given the 19” wheels and 225 profile rubber the FT wears, we were beginning to doubt there will be enough power to get the rears spinning at all. However, this is the Boxer engine’s second ace in the hole.

Remember all those turbocharged Imprezas your Toyota keeps embarrassing? I think you can see where this is going…

We’re pleased to report that Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s new racing partner, has already got its mitts on the FT-86. If you’re wondering why all the drifting references have made their way into this article, it’s because Gazoo started it. It’s produced a tuned version of the FT-86 concept as part of their new modification program, dubbed G’Sports. It wouldn’t look out of place sliding sideways into any drift event you like, and we expect it to do just that.

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[ concept toyota ]

We’re pleased to report that Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s new racing partner, has already got its mitts on the FT-86.

It’s produced a tuned version of the FT-86 concept as part of their new modification program, dubbed G’Sports.

Just check out the wide arches, staggered wheels (245 wide fronts and 275 rears), huge rear spoiler and carbon bonnet. Perhaps more significantly, there’s a nice big intercooler hiding behind the front bumper, meaning turbo power has already found a home under the FT’s low-slung bonnet. So, it’s a front-engine, rear-wheel driven, turbocharged sports car. What’s not to like?

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There’s even a version of this car included in the next instalment of Gran Turismo, but with the release date for the game changing regularly and no confirmed launch schedule for the car, it’s anyone’s guess which will be available first.

We here at TPM are very excited about this development in Toyota’s road car mantra, and look forward to giving you the lowdown on how it drives (and slides) as soon as we get our hands on one.

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[ toyota news ]

Toyota recall programme passes 80 per cent completion as new car sales continue to rise In mid April it was announced that since the launch of its recall programme, Toyota had successfully processed 80 per cent of the UK cars that required adjustment to their accelerator pedal. The numbers involved were huge – more than 180,000 cars – but unstinting efforts by the teams at Toyota service centres across the country ensured owners have been able to have their vehicles fixed at their convenience, with minimum delay.

The programme also ensured no new or used vehicles were sold without first receiving the required adjustment.

In spite of the high profile recall programme, Toyota continued to prosper in terms of new car sales, with healthy increases posted both in March and the first quarter of the year. Last month saw

figures up 15.5 per cent compared to the same month in 2009, at more than 18,000 units. The first three months of the year show Toyota outperforming 2009 by almost seven per cent, with more than 28,800 new car sales.

The full hybrid Prius remains a star performer in Toyota’s line-up, with sales running at three times the 2009 level during the first quarter.

Already this year almost 4,000 Prius have been sold, confirming its status as Britain’s – and indeed the world’s – most popular hybrid model.

Toyota’s sales performance has benefited from the Government’s Scrappage scheme, with many owners keen to trade in their old model in order to get behind the wheel of a brand new Toyota.

Between January and March, 4,770 new Toyota cars were sold through the scheme, taking the total

Scrappage-generated sales to just shy of 28,000 units – or more than 28,500 when light commercial vehicles are taken into account.

Toyota’s positive sales momentum is set to continue, thanks to its ground-breaking new customer option of an extended five-year warranty or three years’ free servicing on all new retail and small business car sales. Under the banner “your choice, our promise”, it delivers perfect peace of mind for motorists when making their new car purchase decision.

Toyota promotes quality commitment with new five-year warranty To reinforce the quality message, in particular for people thinking about buying a Toyota for the first time, a new five-year warranty is being introduced.

The extended cover will be provided as standard on all new Toyota cars purchased in the UK from 1 June. Its introduction follows on from the success of Toyota’s Your Choice, Our Promise campaign this spring, which offered customers the choice of an extended warranty or three years’ free servicing on their new car.

“Our new five-year warranty is tangible evidence of our commitment to quality and to our customers – both those who are loyal to the brand, and those who are considering switching to Toyota for their next car,” said Miguel Fonseca, Toyota GB Managing Director.

“By taking this major initiative we are giving our customers complete peace of mind. We want to reassure them that, in choosing a Toyota, they are getting the best in quality, reliability and durability.”

This message is to the fore in a major new advertising campaign breaking today across radio, television and the internet.

Under the banner Your Toyota is My Toyota, the men and women who design, build and sell Toyota cars take centre stage to talk about the personal pride they have in the quality of the work they do.

The new five-year/100,000-mile manufacturer’s warranty builds on the established three-year/60,000-mile warranty. Full details for customers are available from Toyota Centres or at www. toyota.co.uk.

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Toyota signals continued confidence in UK motor manufacturing with new Auris Hybrid production Europe’s first volume production hybrid built in Britain Toyota’s decision to build its new Auris Hybrid in Britain is a tremendous vote of confidence both in its UK operations and in British car manufacturing. Being given the opportunity to produce the first volume hybrid vehicle to be made in Europe is a source of great pride for all Toyota Manufacturing UK (TMUK) employees.

Tony Walker, TMUK Deputy Managing Director explained: “Auris Hybrid is very important for TMUK. It provides a great opportunity for us to increase production and for Toyota to increase sales, and it is a source of great motivation for everyone here. As the first car in the C-segment to benefit from full hybrid technology it is helping lead the move to a low carbon economy in Europe.”

Auris Hybrid production is the latest chapter in Toyota’s on-going investment in TMUK. Britain was the site of Toyota’s first European manufacturing operations, a car plant at Burnaston in Derbyshire and engine factory in Deeside, North Wales, came on stream in 1992. TMUK remains the company’s largest manufacturing business in Europe, benefiting from £1.54 million in investment to date.

Experience, a skilled workforce, a strong environmental profile and the fact petrol and dieselpowered versions of Auris are already built by TMUK were key reasons for Toyota’s decision. Tony Walker added: “As we are already building Auris here, adding a new powertrain was a cost-effective manufacturing and sourcing decision. The UK is a great place for producing low carbon technologies, with strong Government support and public interest in cutting vehicle CO2 emissions.”

Toyota’s investment in new skills, quality and production systems at TMUK, both at Burnaston and at Deeside, where the 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine for Auris Hybrid is built, ensure that TMUK can respond to growing customer demand.

“We think more customers will make hybrid their powertrain of choice and at TMUK we have the capacity to make more vehicles and meet this demand. Toyota’s strategy is to progressively expand full hybrid technology, with the goal of offering a hybrid version of all its models by 2020. As this happens, we will be well placed to produce more hybrid vehicles here in the UK.” Auris Hybrid production starts at Burnaston in June and the new model officially goes on sale on 1 July. [ july 2010 tpm ]

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[ motorsport ]

GARAGE

WHIFBITZ

Race report written by Peter Payne (Team Whifbitz) Photos by John Stewart, www.flatoutphotography.com & Steve Bishop TPM

When TPM were approached by Supra pioneers Whifbitz to sponsor their 2010 Time Attack team we jumped at the chance.

Read race by race reports straight from the pit lane issue by issue. We headed down to Oulton Park to catch the guys in the action in the first round. Team Whifbitz writer Peter Payne reports...

Following a long and at times frustrating hibernation period over the winter months, it was finally time for the team at Garage Whifbitz to dust off their equipment in preparation for the 2010 Time Attack season opener at Oulton Park near Cheshire.

Whilst both Paul Whiffin and Steve Linton had not managed any seat time in the cars since the closing round of the 2009 season at Snetterton back in October, their cars had undergone numerous changes. Starting

with Paul Whiffin’s car, which has earned the affectionate nickname of ‘stealth bomber’.

The new exhaust system is a one of a kind, full titanium 3.5” from the turbo back and weighs just 7kg with the two silencer boxes!

When noise tested at the trackday prior to the opening round of Time Attack at Oulton Park, it registered a mere 95db which helps it to maintain its stealth-like qualities when blasting around the track (and creeping up on some poor unsuspecting victim before flying past into the distance!).

Paul’s main target over the winter months was to lose as much weight from the car as possible so the remaining sound deadening was removed (this job was made easier due to the extreme cold conditions and meant most of it broke away rather than scraping for hours!). The heater system was taken out in its entirety as a heated front screen has now been fitted for those cold days, the dash being stripped right back and tidied up before

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being flocked and the engine treated to a new twin wastegate/scroll manifold designed and made solely for Paul by a UK engineering firm which has been dyno proven at SSR to improve spool up, hitting boost around 500RPM lower down, and peak torque around 1,000RPM earlier than the old setup. Ikeya formula rose jointed toe arms, lower arms and traction rods were fitted, in addition to some Super Pro bushes which have transformed the handling and saved yet more weight. Paul has estimated a total saving of around 40-50kg based on the above changes which anyone would agree can only be a good thing when dealing with these big GT cars. Cosmetically, the car now has a Ridox replica carbon fibre front splitter which complements the other Ridox items and also replaces the stock undertray to create a flat bottom effect which should improve airflow and aid stability. Moving on to the brains of the operation, a new SYVECS ECU has been fitted and mapped by Ryan Griffiths of 2Bartuning which packs a huge number of features and has been mapped to extract the optimum level of performance from the car without sacrificing reliability.

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guys!) installed which have replaced what was probably the original 18 year old factory fitted items, and tightened up the handling immensely. Steve also tidied up his dash over the winter, but focused mainly on simplifying the wiring to aid in maintenance and replaced the old wires to boost reliability. Steve also opted for the newly improved Garage Whifbitz manifold, but with a single wastegate fitted as opposed to Paul’s twin setup as well as the SYVECS ECU installed and mapped again by Ryan. Dyno runs again at SSR have proven the value of this particular modification, with big improvements over the HKS manifold to the spool up, earlier boost and improved torque across the rev range. The car also underwent a more comprehensive cosmetic surgery programme with a Ridox front bumper with the same carbon fibre front splitter as found on Paul’s car, Ridox replica sideskirts and the same lightweight bonnet with NACA integrated ducting as Paul.

Both cars will also be running slightly wider Toyo tyres this season (Toyo are the regulation tyre for Time Attack) having increased from a 285 section to a more substantial 295.

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in earnest, to take into account the significant changes that were carried out.

A trackday was booked at Oulton Park for the Friday before the opening race, which meant lots of last minute preparation work was needed and many late nights for Paul, Steve and Darren Robinson who is the workshop manager at the garage, in order that the cars would be ready for collection by Richard Turnbull of Triple T Services who has been transporting our cars since we started Time Attack back in 2007.

Richard has always been punctual, professional and helpful to us all in making sure the cars are safely delivered to the circuits around the UK. He not only transports the cars but stays with them overnight by sleeping in his truck, and mucks in with anything anyone asks of him during the events. It’s thanks to guys like him that the team survives and we cannot thank him enough.

Thursday night saw the team on their way up to Cheshire which is by no means local to the team’s North London base, but we needed to be on-site first thing Friday morning for the driver briefing and to get the cars unloaded and prepared for their first outing of the season.

In addition to the regular faces namely: Paul Whiffin, Steve Linton, James Hawkins, Peter Payne, Derek Linton and Richard Turnbull, the team were fortunate enough to have Ryan Griffiths from SYVECS join them to fine tune the

ECU map he did for the car. When you consider the parameters and tolerances exerted upon the cars when pushed hard around the circuit, it is not surprising to find that the ECUs require very different and unique mapping to what you would need for a road car. Also joining us was Tim Moore who is a friend of Steve’s from childhood and a very good applier of vinyl it would turn out! Tim is considering supporting the team further throughout the season and we thank him for all his help so far.

With both drivers back from their briefing and the cars ready for action, it was time for the sighting laps which allow all the drivers to drive the circuit at a slow speed behind a pace car to see what they will be facing.

As Steve Linton left the pitlane, the electrics died and thankfully Steve was able to coast the car off circuit and onto one of the exit roads and behind the safety of the barriers. After some investigation, it was diagnosed as a faulty electrical kill switch on the scuttle panel of the car and this was soon re-wired by Ryan (a man of many talents!) and ready for another attempt.

Frustratingly, the lunch break was called so the team set about applying the various vinyl logos to the cars ready for the opening event.

In addition to the official sponsors for Time Attack, the team were delighted to have new sponsors for the season, including the law firm Nelson, Levine de Luca and Horst (NLDH) who 21

20/06/2010 09:33:29

m 1min

the team headed back to their hotel for some dinner before turning in for some much needed sleep before the big day.

a podium finish for team whifbitz... are based in New Jersey and were introduced to the team by yours truly as they work in the London insurance market, and expressed some interest during a business lunch to sponsor the team. In addition, the team picked up K&N as a further sponsor as well as Toyota Performance Magazine, Wheels in Motion and of course our veteran sponsors: Motul, AET Turbos, Nitron Racing Shocks, Porterfield Brakes, Racepak, Carbonetic, Triple T Services and Sybora Projects.

With the lunch break over and the majority of the logos applied, it was time for both Paul and Steve to get back out on track and begin their shakedowns.

The afternoon session went without any further incidents for either car, although one of the other cars on track lost some oil at one point which meant another delay whilst the 22

TPM Issue 1 section 1.indd 22

track staff made the area safe. Overall however, both drivers were able to get some much needed seat time, and carry out the necessary changes to the car’s setups which included bleeding Paul’s AP brakes which were not operating effectively at certain key points around the circuit.

After the trackday came to a close, the team moved the cars and equipment into their allotted garage in preparation for an early start the following day. Paul had been made aware of an unusual sound coming from the turbo of his car and decided to carry out a strip down with help from Ryan to try and find the source of the problem. It turned out to be a blown manifold gasket, which was soon remedied with the help of another team providing us with the much needed washers we required to rebuild it (thanks guys). With both cars safely tucked away under Richard’s watchful eye,

Both Paul and Steve were up early on Saturday morning and were ready to go, with the whole team excited to finally be competing again. After getting to the track at an ungodly time to make the driver briefings and sound checks, the announcement was made for the Club Class to form up ready for the opening warm up session. Whilst Steve managed to record a time, Paul’s transponder didn’t seem to be working, and a quick trip back to the guys from TSL produced a different one that would hopefully operate properly. The only positive outlook from this would be that it happened at this point in the day, where times are not particularly important as the session is more a chance for the drivers to familiarise themselves with the track (not everyone did the trackday the day before). Although a quick look at the Racepak dash saw a 1min 37.1 lap time, already beating his best time from last year.

Paul’s brake issues from the day before hadn’t been solved with bleeding the brakes and this would remain an issue for the rest of the day.

This will be investigated over the next few weeks and fixed before the next round.

With the new transponder in place, the team were ready for the practise session to begin. From the pit wall, it looked as if both drivers had managed to find some space and set respectable times. The timings were flashing up on Ryan’s laptop, and the session closed with Steve managing a time of 1min 34.365secs and Paul a best of 1min 35.112secs. Despite it being early in the day, both drivers had beaten their previous personal bests of 1min 37.193secs for Steve, and 1min [ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:33:31

m]

and see how the guys had done.

Paul finished 3rd in class with a great time of 1min 34.257secs, just beating his qualifying time, whilst Steve managed to finish 2nd in class with an even better time of 1min 33.866secs and was less than a hundredth of a second behind the class winner in the Lotus Exige S1.

When both drivers got back to the pits and heard the news, they congratulated one another and thanked the team for all their efforts which had allowed them to beat all of the four-wheel drive competitors who by nature are at a distinct advantage, and only just beaten in what was a true David versus Goliath battle with the considerably smaller, lighter track focused Lotus on a circuit not best suited to the bulkier Toyota Supra.

Paul finished 3rd in class with a great time of 1min 34.257secs, just beating his qualifying time, whilst Steve managed to finish 2nd in class with an even better time of 1min 33.866secs and was less than a hundredth of a second behind the class winner in the Lotus Exige S1.

38.179secs for Paul, and were in the top two places for the entire club class. When they returned to the pits and were shown their times, both drivers were very pleased to see the changes had shaved around 3 seconds off their previous best time from the year before, and felt there was more to come as they weren’t pushing to the full extent of their abilities at this point in the day.

With the lunch break over and the other events now safely off the circuit, it was time for qualifying. Both drivers wanted to do well given their positions in qualifying would be worth points towards the championship. Steve was unfortunate to get caught up in traffic and struggled to find enough space to put in a clean lap but was still able to qualify 3rd in class and 4th overall (this includes the FWD, 4WD and Non-Turbo classes) with a time of 1min 34.928secs. Paul was more fortunate and managed a very impressive time of 1min 34.277secs which qualified him 1st in class and 2nd overall, ahead of a newcomer to their class in a Lotus Exige S1.

had done enough as we lost the use of Ryan’s laptop when he had to get away to prepare for a trip abroad to do some mapping for another customer.

Normally, we take a television with us to the circuit but this wasn’t the case this time, and I had to sneak into another team’s garage to try

When you consider the fact that Oulton Park is a tight and technical circuit, both drivers managed exceptional times and whilst it was not the fairytale 1-2 finish they achieved the previous year, no one could argue that improvements of approximately 4 seconds each from their prior personal bests was anything other than a huge success. With the loss of Silverstone from the event calendar this year, the guys only circuit with long straights is Snetterton, which suits the cars’ considerable power and speed more than the shorter technical tracks like Oulton Park.

Thanks to all of our sponsors for their support without which none of this would be possible, and to our supporters from the MKIV Supra Owners Club (you know who you all are), and we look forward to the next round which will be taking place at Knockhill in Scotland on Sunday 16th May. Why not take a trip and come and experience the action for yourselves?

If not, be sure to check back for my next report to see how we get on, I can’t wait!

Club Challenge - RWD 1st – Jamie Wilson Lotus Exige S1

104

2nd – Steve Linton Toyota Supra

93

3rd – Paul Whiffin

85

Toyota Supra

With everything still to play for, both drivers waited for the final session to begin. Steve had more work to do having lost points in qualifying, but if past experience was anything to go by, this might not cause much of an issue as he is renowned for pulling out that bit extra when he needs it most.

Both cars waited in the garage until the field had all joined the circuit in an attempt to create some space for their hot laps, as catching up with slower traffic can and does ruin your times. Both cars were settling into a groove and with the signal for a fast lap attempt being given (headlights switched on), the team could only hope their drivers [ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 1.indd 23

23

20/06/2010 09:33:33

[ tpm feature celica st185 gt4 ]

g, racing in y ll ra it e b ilt for action u b r a ack to c b a ta s o a y w o T r u is o h F e T ided to tak c e The Celica G d s k o ro B is ving. Lou track. e c or justhard dri ra e th d n ping grou m to s l ra tu a n ’s it

c a r t e h t 4 n r bo Bishop ut by Steve yo la d n a y ph s, photogra ouis Brook L d n a ll e k John Gas Written by

24

TPM Issue 1 section 1.indd 24

[ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:33:37

ack

m]

[ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 1.indd 25

k. What’s to hit the trac Celicas love l, it’s a el W e? t this on different abou modified GT4 that ed, nicely prepar your face in the skin from can detatch s, I speak rners - and ye high speed co ’ e! nd experienc from first ha arted ir with cars st The love affa , which an d Mini Clubm is out with an ol Th ! up ow ed to bl Louis manag r, not with te ap ch nd co started the se

erful and all, light, pow nese you not? Sm his first Japa drive. He got uxhall – “The ta to yo Va sy h To it ea w ed t rt bu Toyota, ter, an impo af ’t provide him y dn tl di or it sh t r bu ca ch he Griffin” tried, for. So, his -Limited whi was looking MR2 Mk2 G ost fun cars m e th ng of di e with what he ci on de r as te es af – rib d sc ue de e, with great search contin er had to driv was after, he ev he s er ha w he 170bhp. po e od power at it was mor s, and go ce d oi an ch g s lin nd nd frie ha the MR2 was looked to his an MR2 Mk2 s came when d m ha le s ob r an nd Pr ie fr a drive accident afte one of his t Louis have ten off in an le da rit w he an 0 ch 40 hi he w er Turbo t with a Rov ing to Louis, rd en m co gu ac , ar it in. That was sa. se cars after Vauxhall Cor onto Japane d was hooked and how coul r, ca e th d that. He love

25

20/06/2010 09:33:41

Now looking fo r another car he drove a Celica GTFour ST185 CS (Carlo s Sainz) Edition, owned by a friend who let him have a drive. Louis wa s hooked again and it was still a Toyota, it seems the prog ression from 3SGE to 3SGTE was a natural on e for Louis.

With more powe r, four wheel dr ive and plenty of room, what m ore could you as k for? Even in stock form, wi th 200bhp plus , it’s quick enough to see off most of the cars on the roads today, Lo uis was now a To yota man through and th rough.

He was sold im mediately, so af ter about 2-3 weeks of lo oking, his wife found one on the Internet at first, Louis sa ys, “I never looked back, I paid £2300 for it, with 6 month MOT and 1 mon th tax and was very pleased with it.

It had a few little modifications on the car, such as HKS air filte r, 17 inch alloys ,

26

TPM Issue 1 section 1.indd 26

turbo timer, an d a sports back box”. Happy motoring ensued for a few month s until the quest for more power reared its head again.

It’s a constant theme we see no w amongst modified car ow ners – always wa nting that little bit more an d Louis certain ly has been struck by the m odifying bug, bu t he couldn’t chase the figure s immediately, his main aim was to get the power but al so keep the car reliable and that meant the common, proven modifica tions came firs t - a Blitz Boost Controlle r was used to go od effect as it managed to ge t 235bhp and 28 0ft/lbs of torque at 1.1bar on an old CT26 turbo and stock engine, an amazing torque figure for that turbo, show ing that it was still in great shape. It was “p retty quick” bu t then our old

nemesis, the po wer bug, came back to haunt Louis as he got more and more used to the power, eventual ly getting to th e point where he wanted mor e. Deciding that it was time for an ECU – Th e EManage Blue piggyback ECU from Gred dy was fitted an d the CT26 turbo was chan ged to a CT20b from an ST205, the later revisio n to the ST185.

The result on the dyno wa s 280bhp and an astonishing 315ft/lbs! The car was making good figures and backing it up on the road with stunning performance fro m such minor m odifications.

Louis was very happy with the extra power, but the engine wasn’t, and it ev entually failed causing Louis to look at his optio ns – is it a second hand en gine or a fully fo rged rebuild?.

A fully forged re build started, m aking the car

[ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:33:48

m]

“

It’s set up very nicely for the tra ck, as demonstr spirited lap in th ated when we w e car at the GT4 ent for a very O C .n et Fun Weeken is a very assure d , held at RAF Ba d driver, using th rkston. Louis e natural unders great effect in th te e r a n d lift of oversteer e slower corners of the car to and the sheer g rip of the four w heel drive syste pulling the car th m what is now fast ro ugh the quicke , safe, reliable r an corners. d superb in the corners. wheel drive syst em pu

It’s set up very nicely for the tra ck, as demonstrated when we went for a very spirited lap in th e car at the GT 4OC.net Fun Weekend, held at RAF Barkston . Louis is a very assured driver, using th e natural understeer and lift off overstee r of the car to grea t effect in the slo wer corners and the sheer grip of th e four

lling the car th the quicker corn rough ers. The lag on the turbo is barely noticeabl e and the car pu lls clean to its redline, whic h it gets to rath er quickly in the first 3 gear s. Impressively, the brakes showed no sign of fading when scrubbing the speed off. Th e car was on tra ck a lot over

”

the weekend an d never suffere d a gl Louis definitely gave it a hard tim itch, and e.

If you’re on a tra ck and you see a red ST185, with wh ite graphics on the rear three quarter panels, move over, it’s Louis Brooks coming through.

to see unused feature photos visit our website

www.toyotaperformancemagazine.com [ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 1.indd 27

27

20/06/2010 09:34:01

[ the spec ]

engine modifica

tions

Cylinder head sk immed Valves relapped New Valve Stem Seals Brand New 1.4m m Metal Head Ga sket Heavy Duty Racin g Shells Forged 86.5mm CP Pistons and Ri ngs.

Forged ‘H’ Beam Rods.

Block rebored to 86.5mm Block cleaned an d honed.

ARP Fasteners Crankshaft regrou nd and balanced.

S148 Hybrid Turb o JUN 264 Cams.

JUN Valve Springs .

Head Port Match ed and Polished Port Matched an d Polished Inlet M anifold Port Matched an d Polished Exhaus t Manifold TRD Thermostat Mocal 13 Row Oi l Cooler With Reloc ation Kit and Thermostat Heavy Duty HKS Timing Belt.

HKS Adjustable Ca m Pulleys 800cc Sard Injec tors Sard Fuel Pressu re Regulator 8mm Dual Feed Fu el Rail Walbro Fuel Pump HKS Air Filter.

JDM ST185 377 BHP 350FT/L

HKS Magn Full 3 3” De Cold A EVO V 2.5” In HKS D Batter Ground

BS AT 1

28

TPM Issue 1 section 1.indd 28

[ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:34:04

fold

Kit and

HKS F-CON V-PRO Gold ECU. Magnecour HT Le ads.

Full 3” Exhaust Sy stem 3” Decat.

Cold Air Box. EVO VIII Intercoole r 2.5” Intercooler pip ework.

HKS Dump Valve Battery Relocation Grounding Kit

S AT 1.4BAR

m]

[ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 1.indd 29

drive train modifi

cations

ST205 Gearbox Quick Shift.

RPS 6 Paddle Cl utch D2 8 Pot Front M ount Brakes with 300mm Discs Drilled and Groove d Rear Discs with EBC Red Stuff Pads Goodridge Braided Brake Hoses D2 RS Coilover Sy stem Polyurethane Fron t Wish Bones Polyurethane An ti Rollbar Kit Fron t and Rear BK 17” Racing Al loys 235/40/17 Avon ZZ3 Tyres

[ the stats ]

Power to Weight : 266 bhp/ton 0-60 MPH: 4.2 seconds 0-100 MPH: 10.4 seconds 60-100 MPH: 6.2 seconds 1/4 Mile Estimat ed Time:

12.44 seconds

1/4 Mile Termina

l Speed:

111 MPH

Drag strip 1/4 M

ile Estimated Tim

12.20 seconds

e:

114 MPH

d:

Drag strip 1/4 M

ile Terminal Spee

29

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30

TPM Issue 1 section 2.indd 2

[ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:46:33

m]

[ toyota heritage ]

50yrs of Toyota Motorsport Heritage

In 1957, a humble showroom specification ‘Toyopet’ Crown completed the 19-day, 17,000km Rally of Australia, marking Toyota’s official sporting debut.

In the last 50 years Toyota has enjoyed success in a vast range of racing formulae around the world, including all-conquering dominance of the World Rally Championship, the American IMSA and Cart series and international Formula 3 competition. From the mighty Lexus SC 430 that defines the muscle of today’s Japanese GT racing, to the Camrybased stock cars battling for glory in American NASCAR racing, Toyota’s sporting involvement is wonderfully varied and vibrant, expressing the passion that has fuelled its activities for half a century. We’ll be taking a look at Toyota’s motorsport history over the next couple of issues

I

FROM ‘TOYOPET’ CROWN TO FORMULA 1

n the course of almost 50 years, Toyota has shown itself to be one of the most passionate car manufacturers in motor sport.

Although motor racing in Japan began before World War II, activities were confined mainly to individual events, rather than structured competitions. Toyota, which was established as a car manufacturer in 1937, marked its first entry into the sport in 1957, when Toyota agreed to a request from the Japanese Consulate General in Australia to enter the Crown in a gruelling rally that would run a 17,000km course around the country in 19 days. In agreeing to the venture, Shotaro Kamiya, president of Toyota Motor Sales declared: “There will be no progress if you fear failure.”

Testing was undertaken in Japan and on the event the car – a near-production standard model and the first Toyota ever seen in Australia – performed brilliantly, completing the full distance and marking an historic first step in Toyota’s motor sport activities. Just a year later, Toyota recorded its first victory, when a Crown won the Around Japan Rally.

[ milestones in toyota motorsport ] 1957 Rally

Toyopet Crown enters the Rally of Australia, finishes 47th out of 102 starters.

1958

1962

1963

Toyota Sports 800 prototype is revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Toyota claims 3 class victories in the first Japan GP at Suzuka with the Crown, Corona and Publica.

TMC

Sportscar

1964

TMC

Plans for the Toyota 2000GT are initiated.

Rally

Toyopet Crown wins the Around Japan Rally. [ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 2.indd 3

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[ toyota heritage ]

[ 2000GT ] The 2000GT was the car which effectively launched Toyota’s circuit racing history. It made its debut at the Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji circuit in 1966 and immediately demonstrated its potential against more powerful competition, taking third place.

Unveiled at the previous Tokyo Motor Show, the 2000GT was Toyota’s bold bid to enter the global sports car market, an ambition that could be usefully supported by high profile success on the race track.

Two cars were modified to Group 6 specification for the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji – the first to admit prototype race cars. One car retired due to a simple technical problem, while the other claimed a third place against fully race-designed machines such as the Prince R380 and Porsche Carrera 6.

and second place in the Suzuka 1000km race, giving Toyota the encouragement it needed to press on with its motor sport programme.

Three further victories were claimed during the 1967 Japanese season.

of the Cobra Daytona, was to be tasked with the job of preparing the cars, but at the last minute the deal was done with racing legend Carroll Shelby, Brock’s former boss and the mastermind behind the high

the 2000GT was Toyota’s bold bid to enter the global sports car market, an ambition that could be usefully supported by high profile success on the race track.

Success in the USA was crucial for the 2000GT and Toyota decided that the car should be entered in the SCCA (Sport Car Club of America) series to demonstrate its abilities against potential showroom rivals such as the Porsche 911, Lotus Elan and Triumph 250.

One month later, Toyota took first

Initially, Peter Brock, designer

performance AC Cobra and Ford Mustang.

It is a quirk of motoring history that, in missing out on the Toyota 2000GT project, Brock devoted his efforts instead to developing Nissan’s competition programme.

This work

would subsequently help deliver the famous Datsun 240Z and subsequent generations of Nissan high performance “Z” sports cars.

Shelby’s preparation of the 2000GT focused on tyres, suspension and a new cylinder head. The body required little work, stripped of all soundproofing and insulation to bring the weight down. Goodyear developed new low profile rubber for the car, which brought the ride height down by around 6cm. Lowering the car’s centre of gravity delivered benefits in handling along with superior grip from the wide tyres. Roadholding was also improved with the addition of new steel anti-roll bars and Koni coil springs and shocks.

The 1,998cc straight-six engine retained its iron block, but was fitted with a new aluminium DOHC cylinder head and larger pistons. Output was in the region of 200bhp.

Driven by Scooter Patrick and Dave Jordan, the 2000GT competed in the production class of the SCCA series in 1968.

Even though the Toyota delivered less power than its main rival, the Porsche 911, it still recorded a number of race victories. A Porsche took the overall title, but Patrick finished the season second and Jordan third.

That single season was to be the end of the 2000GT’s American racing story, the production sports car failing to achieve the sales breakthrough Toyota sought in the US market.

Toyota focused instead on developing the formidable Toyota 7 sports car for CanAm competition.

[ milestones in toyota motorsport ] 1965 TMC

Creation of the Toyota Motor Sports Club (TMSC) First Toyota 2000GT prototype is presented at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Sportscar

Debut of the production Toyota Sports 800, Toyota’s first

32

TPM Issue 1 section 2.indd 4

sportscar

500km and claims a 1-2-3 GT-1 class finish in the Japanese GP

Car Club Championship.

1967

Toyota Sport 800 wins All Japan

1966

Sportscar

Toyota 2000GT finishes third on its racing debut at the third Japanese GP. Toyota 2000GT sets three world and 13 international speed trial records.

Toyota Sport 800 wins the Suzuka

Sportscar

Toyota 2000GT takes first and second in the Fuji 24 hours endurance race with the Sport 800 third in its final competition outing.

Plans for the Toyota 7 sportscar are announced.

1968

Sportscar

First Toyota 7 is unveiled, equipped with a 3.0-litre V8 engine.

Toyota 7 finishes second at the Japanese GP. Toyota 2000GT developed by Carroll Shelby for the SCCA series in the USA and scores victories in its first competition season.

[ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:46:38

m]

[ toyota 7 ] 1970s: The birth of TOM’S Racing

Toyota took a big leap forward in the prototype category by commissioning the Toyota 7, its first competition thoroughbred machine.

An open two-seater built to international sportscar Group 7 regulations, the original car was designed by Jiro Kawano, the man behind the 2000GT. Development and construction, however, were entrusted to sporting partner Yamaha. The design was typical of its day, with the main cockpit structure made up of aluminium side sills and scuttles and the body formed in fibreglass.

First track tests took place at Suzuka in February 1968, using the DOHC fuel-injected six-cylinder, two-litre engine from the 2000GT. This was subsequently replaced by a full-blooded 300bhp DOHC three-litre V8 all-alloy unit in time for the car’s race debut in March of the same year. It was up against more powerful competition, however, with both the Nissan R381 and Taki Racing Lola T70 benefiting from the 450bhp five-litre Chevrolet V8. This disadvantage destined the Toyota 7 never to win a Japanese Grand Prix.

It did enjoy success in endurance racing, however. In 1968 the first Japanese Can-Am race – an event of similar status to the Grand Prix – was held, featuring many overseas entries. Sachio Fukuzawa drove the Toyota to fourth place, leading home three more 7s in fifth to seventh.

The following year Toyota presented a new five-litre Toyota 7, which made its racing debut in the Fuji 1,000km. This raised hopes for success in the Japanese Grand Prix, but the strength of the new Nissan six-litre engine relegated Toyota to third, fourth and fifth places. There was better success when a revised 7 piloted

by Minoru Kawai took on the visiting American stars to win the Japanese Can-Am race. Later in the same season the 7 notched up victories at the Fuji 1,000km, the Suzuka 12 Hours and Suzuka 1,000km.

The cancellation of Toyota’s sportscar programme had a direct impact on the career paths of some of Japan’s most promising young racing drivers. Nobuhide Tachi, Kiyoshi Oiwa and Naohiro Fujita were a trio of promising touring car drivers who hoped to graduate to international competition in the Toyota 7.

Toyota continued to be represented in domestic touring car competition, principally by racing Celica and Corolla models. Its greatest success came with the Celica LB Turbo winning the Fuji 1,000km in 1973, but glory was shortlived: the international oil crisis brought Toyota’s racing activities to an abrupt halt.

The loss of that opportunity became the driving force for a new racing initiative.

In 1974 Tachi and Oiwa created TOM’S Racing (Tachi Oiwa Motor Sport), an enterprise that would grow to become one of the central elements in Toyota’s domestic motor sport programme for both Group C and touring cars.

The 1970s saw private racing take the lead in motor sport in Japan, with the launch of the Grand Champion Series in 1971. Toyota did little during the decade as a manufacturer, aside from minor touring car and TS races for the Starlet and taking on the role of engine supplier for the Formula Pacific series from 1977.

The founding of Toyota Team Europe At a meeting in London in 1972, the first steps were taken in forming a team that would dominate international motor sport. On one side were representatives of Toyota, on the other the tall, quiet Swedish driver Ove Andersson, winner of the previous year’s Monte Carlo Rally. Plans were agreed for him to drive a Toyota Celica on Britain’s RAC Rally that year and a subsequent ninth place finish – well ahead of the more highlydeveloped works Datsun 240Z entries – ensured the new rally programme would continue.

Toyota relished the success and supported the principle of an international rally campaign, but it was not keen on the demands of worldwide travel to and from its Japanese base such a venture would make. The solution was for Andersson to set up his own workshop, establishing Toyota’s first European team – Andersson Motorsport – in Uppsala, Sweden, early in 1973. Soon the team moved its base to Belgium, preparing and running Corolla and Celica models, with support from Toyota in Japan on major events.

The oil crisis which followed the Yom Kippur War in 1974 forced Toyota to halt all future motor sport development, threatening the existence of Andersson Motorsport.

A reprieve was secured thanks to the combined efforts of Toyota’s national sales and marketing partners in Germany, Great Britain, Finland, Belgium and Portugal and help from Toyota Motor Sales in the USA. Large amounts of equipment were shipped to the team, which in 1975 changed its name to Toyota Team Europe (TTE).

Competition success was not far off, with Hannu Mikkola storming to the team’s first victory in Finland’s 1,000 Lakes Rally in a 1600cc Corolla in August the same year. It wasn’t Toyota’s first world championship win – that honour went to Walter Boyce in the United States round of the world championship in 1973 – but it was the beginning of what was to be an exceptional run of world-beating performances.

These results were to provide a springboard for Toyota to enter Can-Am competition in North America in 1970, but the 7 project was destined for a premature conclusion. At the time, Toyota was developing a twin-turbocharged V8 delivering 800bhp, tipping the scales at just 620kg, but the ruling body of Japanese motor sport changed the grand prix regulations, effectively ensuring this awesome machine would never race.

Have you owned a classic Toyota in years gone by? or maybe photographed a classic Toyota in motosport action?

If you owned a Toyota of yesteryear, back in the 70’s, 80’s maybe an old Celica or Supra? or maybe standing in the crowds spectating the rallying stages and grabbed a shot of a GT4? if you have, why not share your photos and experiences with us here at TPM, please email the editor -

steveb@toyotaperformancemagazine.com

1969

1970

1971

5.0-litre Toyota 7 is unveiled and goes on to finish third in the Japanese GP. Further wins are claimed in the Fuji 1,000km, Netspeed Cup and Japanese Can-Am series.

Toyota Corona Mark II GSS enters the Monte Carlo Rally.

The first Celica race car is developed.

Sportscar

[ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 2.indd 5

World Rally Sportscar

Turbocharged 5.0-litre Toyota 7 is unveiled.

World Rally

Touring Cars

Sportscar

A Celica is entered in the RAC Rally in Great Britain and finishes ninth overall, driven by Ove Andersson.

1972

1973

World Rally

Toyota Motor Corporation prepares to enter the international motor sport arena.

Toyota’s first European team, Andersson Motorsport, is established in Uppsala, Sweden.

TMC

Rally

The Celica 1600 GT finishes sixth at the Nürburgring 6 Hours and ninth at the Spa 24 Hours.

Canadian Walter Boyce claims Toyota’s first world rally championship (WRC) victory, driving a Corolla in the USA’s Press On Regardless Rally.

33

20/06/2010 09:46:40

[ retro toyota ]

How it all started - Toyota Sports 800 The First Production Toyota Sports car The road-going Sports 800 was launched alongside the 2000GT at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show, having been developed from the Publica saloon. Toyota’s first sports car, it featured a neat, aerodynamic two-seat body with a detachable roof panel. At the front, the recessed lamps with chrome surrounds echoed the styling of its more powerful stablemate.

The Toyota Sports 800 is affectionately called the “Yota-Hachi”, which is a Japanese short form for “Toyota 8”.

It was powered by a 790cc flat-twin air cooled engine with twin carburettors and its output of 45bhp enabled a top speed of 155km/h (96mph).

Drum brakes were used and the suspension featured double wishbones at the front and a rigid axle at the rear.

Its competition potential was quickly realised and it claimed victory in Japan’s biggest race of the year, the 1965 All Japan Car Club Championship. Tojirou Ukiya’s battle to first place against more powerful competition became a Japanese sporting legend.

Following this early success, the Sports 800 went on to feature regularly in domestic motor sport events. In 1966 the car’s low 9km/litre (25.4mpg) fuel consumption allowed Shihomi Hosoya to finish the Suzuka 500km race without having to stop to refuel, delivering a victory over rivals including the

1975

Novamotor-prepared Toyota engines begin to make their mark in European Formula 3 competition.

Backing from American and European Toyota sales and marketing companies secures the future of Andersson Motorsport, which relocates from Uppsala in Sweden to Brussels and changes its name to Toyota Team Europe (TTE).

Formula 3

TMC

World oil crisis prompts Toyota to halt all motor sport development.

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TTE

World Rally

Hannu Mikkola scores TTE’s first victory, winning the 1,000 Lakes Rally in Finland in a 1,600cc Toyota Corolla.

1978

Formula 3

The Toyota-powered Ralt RT-1 carries Nelson Piquet to the British F3 title.

Prince Skyline GT, Nissan Fairlady and Triumph TR4. The same year it achieved a 1-2-3 finish in the GT-1 class in the third Japan Grand Prix, competing against Porsche 911, Lotus Elan and Honda S800 entries.

In 1967 the gallant racer completed a Toyota top three in Japan’s first 24-hour race, following a brace of 2000GTs to the chequered flag and taking the class honours. This was to be the works Sports 800’s competition climax, successfully achieving its ambition of demonstrating the durability of Toyota vehicles. Its achievements had a lasting impact, providing valuable inspiration for Toyota to develop and expand its motor sport activities.

The Sports 800 went out of production in 1969, but privately entered cars continued racing until 1970. The model enjoyed a brief revival in 1977 when it provided the platform for a prototype hybrid power system combining a gas turbine engine with an electric motor. This was the forerunner of today’s Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system which powers the Prius model.

[ milestones in toyota motorsport ] 1974

The Toyota Sports 800 is affectionately called the “YotaHachi”, which is a Japanese short form for “Toyota 8”.

1979 TMC

Toyota Racing Developments (TRD) is established to coordinate racing activities in North America.

TTE

TTE moves its operations from Brussels to Cologne.

In the next issue of TPM we’ll be continuing our Toyota Heritage section by taking a look at Toyotas in Motorsport during the 80’s and 90’s Subscribe to TPM today at www.toyotaperformancemagazine.com [ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:46:43

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Massive stocks of Toyota Parts Service Parts, Tuning, Spares & Accessories & Tyres Keeping your Toyota on the road, where it should be...

[ july 2010 tpm ]

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[ tuner profile ]

Garage 786

“The build spec of Garage 768 owner Ash’s personal car speaks volumes about this self-confessed Supraholic’s sheer attention to detail. ” Engine Specifications:

HKS 3.1L Oversize piston HKS H-style con rod HKS cams (ex272, In264) F1 black metal gasket TOYOTA original crankshaft balanced and O/H. Fidanza pulleys Greddy Timing belt BL Crank Damper pulley Modified intake manifold 4 layer radiator

Turbocharger & Induction: HKS T51 Kai BB Turbo kit HKS V Band Manifold HKS 60mm GT Waist gate HKS V band down pipe HKS GT R Intercooler Oil cooler

Fuel, Tuning & ECU:

AEM ECU AEM 5 Bar map sensor HKS DLI New coil packs and clips Sard Fuel Rail Sard 1000cc Injectors Sard RB FPR Twin fuel pumps and braided fuel lines NGK Racing Plugs

Exhaust: Full Trust

Drivetrain:

OS triple plate clutch

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Weight Reduction & Transfer:

Rear seats removed and rear stripped out

Suspension, Wheels, Tires & Brakes:

Cusco Zero Z fully adjustable suspension Weds wheels with Toyo TR 1 Brembo F50’s with 13inch racing rotor Porterfield race pads Full suspension geometry and corner weighthttp://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/ showthread.php?t=118573

Interior & ICE:

Full Cusco roll cage Recaro seats Sabelt racing harnesses OZ Racing steering wheel Defi BF’s All dials Pro comp rev counter and shift light 75 BHP wizard of NOS kit added with NOS tank.

Exterior:

Top Secret body kit Ganador mirrors GT Wing CAT 1 alarm, immobilizer and my Fist

Performance: 655BHP @1.4bar 11.00 sec @ 124MPH 200 MPH RAF Marham http://uk.youtube.com/

Garage 786 are a Midlands Supra Specialist, but it doesn’t stop there. Being a genuine Supra owning enthusiast, owner Ash offers that little extra care and attention to your Supra.

Garage 786’s vast experience of tuning Supras over the years offer the Supra owner, whether for the street or the drag strip, help and guidance with servicing, fault finding, tuning, mapping, build projects as well as of course the single turbo conversion.

Offering old school work ethics coupled with substantial investment in key technology and staff, Garage 786 offer care for every aspect of your car all in-house with a standard of work that is second to none, you can be rest assured that your Supra is in safe hands.

Our aim is always to build a long term relationship with our customers so that we can better serve you and look after your car.

A bit of Garage 786 history and an interview with owner Ash. “My Dad was a Rally driver and mechanic, as a kid I was always fascinated when he worked on Rally cars with his brothers. I always used to have a spanner in my hands and try and open engine parts and ask all sorts of questions. 30 years on I am still doing what I love doing, working on cars.”

“The best bit, I have a talented 22 year old son who is also following in the family tradition, as we are a father and son team at Garage 786.”

When did Garage 786 form, and when did your interest in Supras begin?

“My son and I set up Garage 786 in Oct 08. My interest in Supras started early 2004, when I did my first single turbo conversion for a friend, then did another one and just carried on from there..”

We know that you own and race Supras personally; I guess this gave you a vested interest and insight into the Supra tuning world?

“Correct, as I developed a passion working with Supras I naturally perfected my own Supra and passed on my passion, care and experiences to other Supra owners’ cars.”

I believe you’ve pioneered in twin to single turbo conversions on the Supra?

“I would not say pioneered single turbo conversion, just had an opportunity to do some single turbo conversions to release some healthy power out of the TT engines. In the early days 600bhp was unheard off, I just found it easy to achieve figures with the right mods of course.”

[ july 2010 tpm ]

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[ tuner profile ]

Do you have any interesting Supra builds currently underway?

“At present we are working on a high power Supra build, but all will be revealed at a later date.”

What specialist services do your workshop and technicians offer the Supra owner?

“We can offer complete one stop solutions at Garage 786, from

[ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 2.indd 9

servicing, engine builds, mild to wild turbo conversion builds, engine swaps and Dyno Dynamics rolling road.”

What future plans do you have at Garage 786 that would be of interest to the Supra owners?

“We have just installed a 1200bhp Dyno Dynamics rolling road which will enable us to tune, map and give accurate power run figures.”

“We offer competitive prices and deliver excellent service, every time.

But don’t take our word for it check the unsolicited customer feedback that we get almost daily. or come and visit us.”

GARAGE 786 LTD, 218 Loughborough Rd, Leicester, LE4 5LG, UK t: 0116 266 2227 f: 0116 266 2237 m: 0786 786 8005 www.garage786.co.uk e: garage786@hotmail.co.uk

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[ lexus news ]

Lexus and Gazoo Racing takes on the Ring Lexus and Gazoo Racing headed back to the legendary Nürburgring in May to challenge for glory in the 24 Hours endurance race with its LFA supercar.

Playing a key role in helping to finalise the development of the LFA before it enters production in December, the gruelling 24h race offers Lexus and Gazoo Racing the unique opportunity to not only foster the peerless quality, durability and reliability by pushing cutting-edge technology to the extremes of mechanical endurance but also to hone the technical skills of the personnel involved in the development of future Lexus and Toyota production vehicles.

Furthermore, by participating in the 24 Hours Endurance Race, Lexus and Toyota aimed to showcase their dedication through Gazoo Racing to produce more emotional cars and becoming more attractive and desirable to a wider range of customers.

It was the first time the production LFA was seen in full-blooded competition, taking on one of the world’s most challenging circuits in a marathon test of speed, handling and durability. In two previous outings in the event, development versions of the LFA were raced primarily to help hone performance and handling. This time the LFA will line up as a prime challenger in standard production car guise.

races of 2010. Consistently finishing in leading positions in its SP8 class, the LFA has also demonstrated its competitiveness against trackprepared specialist racing cars, with a best finish of 17th overall in VLN2.

Jochen Krumbach, who finished second overall in the 2008 Nürburgring 24 Hours; and Andre Lotterer, Super GT 500 champion in 2006 and 2008.

Led by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC)’s master test driver Hiromu Naruse, the Gazoo Racing team made its fourth appearance at the Nürburging 24h race. It is a team comprising engineers and technicians from TMC, and, whilst they’ve regularly come together over recent months to support the LFA in the build-up to the 24h race, their ‘dayjobs’ are within the TMC engineering community.

This kind of virtual organisation ensures that the collective learning is transmitted directly back into the core of the engineering activity.

After a gruelling and exhaustive 24 hours, the #50 Lexus LFA finished 18th overall and placed 1st in its SP8 (near production) class at the Nürburgring 24h race. Unfortunately the 2nd LFA team in the race, had an extensive 11 hour pit stop but did manage to make it back out onto the track to finish 160th.

The driver line-up included four Japanese and three German pilots with outstanding endurance and GT racing credentials, including three champions from the Japanese Super GT series.

It’s a formidable proposition: with its advanced, lightweight composite construction and 552bhp mid-mounted V10 engine, it will reach 62mph in just 3.7 seconds and race on to a top speed beyond 200mph.

Takayuki Kinoshita is a six-time winner of the Super Taikyu Endurance Series and has competed more often and finished higher (fifth overall) at the Nürburgring 24 Hours than any other Japanese driver. Akira Ida was overall winner of the Tokachi 24 Hours in 1995 and 2007, and both Juichi Wakisaka and Kazuya Oshima have recorded consistent success in Japanese Super GT 500 and GT 300 competition.

As part of the preparation of the cars and the drivers, Gazoo Racing entered the first three VLN

The German team members were Armin Hahne, winner of the Spa 24 Hours in 1982 and 1983;

Nürburgring 24h race Results

The IS-F team driven by Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi, Auto Express’ Owen Mildenhall and ex-Indy 500 star Hideshi Matsuda, finished 60th despite earlier fuel pump issues failing them to qualify.

Lexus SC 430 and IS 350 return to Japanese Super GT series Lexus defends its clean sweep of driver and team championships in Japan’s premiere racing series this year.

The SC 430, powered by a 3.4-litre V8 engine, will again contest the GT 500 class, fielded by five teams and piloted by an international line-up of drivers. These include Richard Lyons from Northern Ireland, who will pilot one of the Lexus Team Zent Cerumo cars. A single IS 350 will contest the GT 300 competition.

[ and then there were 2 ] The Lexus LF-A concept car has never been camera shy, but it has not been seen like this before. Here for the first time is not one, but two of the sleek V10, 500bhp sportcars pictured parked side by side and in race livery ready for the Nürburgring 24-hour race.

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[ lexus news lfa nürburgring ]

ultimate LFA unleashed In celebration of its LFA supercar taking on the challenge of the Nürburgring 24 Hours race in May, Lexus has launched a new performance package designed to appeal to customers seeking fullblooded track performance.

The new Nürburgring package provides additional aerodynamic features and technical revisions that improve handling and downforce without compromising the exceptional speed and acceleration that are central to the LFA’s driving character.

Greater downforce, essential to peak track performance, has been gained through revisions and additions to several of the LFA’s CFRP components, including a larger front spoiler, side fin-type spoilers and a new fixed rear wing.

Maximum power from the mid-front-mounted 4.8-litre V10 engine has been increased by 10bhp to more than 562bhp and gear shifts in the six-speed sequential transmission have been cut to just 0.15 seconds. Thanks to these changes, nought to 62mph acceleration in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 202mph are maintained, in spite of the extra drag created by the new aerodynamic elements.

Handling modifications include sports tuning of the suspension and mesh-type wheels shod with dedicated high-grip tyres.

[ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 2.indd 17

Just 50 LFA will be available with the Nürburgring package, within the car’s strictly limited global production run of 500 examples.

If they wish, customers will be able to take advantage of individual driving instruction on the legendary Nordschleife circuit from the Nürburgring’s chief instructors. They will also receive a one-year driving pass to the track.

Nought to 62mph acceleration in 3.7 seconds and top speed of 202mph maintained in spite of higher downforce

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Urban

[ tpm feature supra iv ]

e c a R Street ner Jay Evans

. Photography by ow Written by John Gaskell

et Racer” the phrase “Urban Stre It is raw, could not be more apt. rt to make with just enough comfo e noise is it a short daily driver. Th the ride is loud but not obtrusive, ring and firm but not bone shatte ge. the acceleration is sava Well, it is 700 plus bhp.

“

”

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[ july 2010 tpm ]

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cer

m]

[ july 2010 tpm ]

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t obsessively modified os m e th of e on is re he ce and What you’re looking at rope. The sheer presen Eu en ev be ay m or d s Supras in Englan to performance Toyota ly on t no t en am st te a e manners of this car ar its owner, Jay Evans. of so al t bu s, 90 19 e th of a passenger ride in After the privilege of , Jay pra Su ft eli fac , n Street Racer” could ck ba car, the phrase “Ur Bought as a stock, bla the it’s n. ow his raw, with just enough king this car not be more apt. It is quickly set about ma ce an rm rfo pe ry eve h short daily driver. The wit comfort to make it a something he’s done firm starting with d, ne ow r obtrusive, the ride is eve t ’s no t he noise is loud bu oriented Toyota 2 ion MR rat the ele h acc wit s, the d ota g an h Toy but not bone shatterin his first encounter wit d ite one with 300bhp an it is 700 plus bhp. ll, we e, ag sav is Turbo, a red and a wh d Jay loves to modify, an 400bhp respectively.

Supra. his ht ug bo d town, with the he as on Travelling slowly aroun began almost as so g din bin re we ning and staring, is brakes general population tur The stock J-Spec front them e lac rep to y tine, until the five, nit rtu rou rt of Jay’s morning pa on, which was an oppo m fro ing go s, d Defi gauges tell him front brake yes, five custom house with a set of UK Spec the on ce en fer dif rature or pressure, l rea a rything is up to tempe eve 2 pot to 4 pot makes for ll we y ctl acceleration, psst, work perfe then it’s an assault of large Supra and these dI l an Jay th bo t tha int po ’re going the nationa pssst, psssst and we UK road conditions, a fully agree on.

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[ july 2010 tpm ]

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m]

going the national ’re we d an st ss ps t, ss ration, psst, ps the it’s an assault of accele isn’t. It’s far, far back in r, pe m bu ar re e th to e was clos uges speed limit. The car that complete control, the ga in is y Ja . ish ol fo ite qu ing distance, probably feel health at any point. r’s ca e th of ed rm fo in y constantly keep Ja sake of has been done for the

“

r t was close to the rea speed limit. The car tha ce, tan dis , far back in the bumper, isn’t. It’s far plete foolish. Jay is in com ite qu g lin fee probably ed of orm inf stantly keep Jay control, the gauges con y point. the car’s health at an

word ‘obsessive’.

Earlier, I mentioned the gging the laptop in plu er How bad is it? Wheth U, ation from the AEM EC and logging the inform ure to rat pe tem nt bie am t rec or waiting for the cor ce RaceLogic Performan do a power run with the er ord in sed aly an y usl ticulo Box, everything is me car s thi ing performance to maintain the stunn hp might l! Running with 700b na tio nsa Se . produces l is key tro delivery and the con sound scary, but the uning arT 2B of ths ffi h Ryan Gri and this was done wit of er mb and you’ll find a nu programming the AEM lls. ski ’s an Ry ng the UK usi high power Toyotas in ogic asionally, is the RaceL occ in, r we po the ng , Reini ion rus int al nim . Set for mi Traction Control system want - the ver ne you t tha on asi it’s there for that occ unexpected.

[ weight ]

s you most about this

One thing that strike

car

”

is that nothing ve rpose. If it doesn’t ha it, everything has a pu ight saving, we s re’ The d. ove a purpose it’s rem ’s ipping, then there’s Jay then there’s weight str Weight sic (Ba ++ R+ BW as n approach, also know d, The 19” wheels he ha Reduction Extreme). . So avy he too t bu , ely lov re Racing Hart C4’s, we ain ag s, Rim lit 18” TRD Sp they were swapped for van Ad the for d ge an ch ly too heavy and ultimate not tly adorn the Supra. Do RS wheels that curren eels, wh r hte lig on car s thi be surprised if you see the ilable. Again, brakes, should some come ava the to s, ke bra t en ell its exc Supra is renowned for st production be the as ed ard reg point where it was ough production road car thr braking system for a GT. However, ra rre Ca he rsc Po to the launch of the of being d are in the process these are too heavy an interior The s. ng eri off st be g’s replaced by AP Racin the ts, sea r rea ne are the went the same way. Go me so by ed lac rep ts nt sea apparently heavy fro htweight ing in the rear and lig slight sound deaden s sse rne ha h wit te comple Recaro Speed seats the n Eve oint rollcage. attached to the multip r by AAS in Newcastle. hte lig de ma s wa exhaust lightening was that ust ha ex A bi product of this Jay d 12mm - which gave it was raised up aroun the ride uce red to ed ed ne all the opportunity he car a und, thereby giving the height by 10mm all aro and k loo y, a more menacing lower centre of gravit t igh we e siv ses The most ob more road presence. body of kg 20 ing dd she f, sel saving came on Jay him weight!

[ personal ]

” person, as well as Jay is a very “hands on e-shelf grading it with off-th driving the car and up ches to tou his own personal parts, he loves to put ble. ila ava y dil rea t aren’t it by making things tha re-trim or eri int r rea tom Examples include a cus t ck rear seats for weigh after removing the sto mount nt fro the on ng cti du saving, some custom cold air efficiency, a custom intercooler to improve ance rm rfo pe ve pro im kit to box for the induction tor/ ica ind tom set of front on hot days and a cus es ess rec er mp bu nt the fro side lights hidden in y, “it car and its communit Jay comments on the y, must be nit mu com 2 MR the is fantastic, as was nks ota blood. But a big tha something in the Toy h my wit up t pu s ha o wh to Rachel, (Jay’s wife), been an d my friends who have endless spending an to the s nk tha big o Als y. wa ear to bend along the have and its members who MKIVSupra.net forum ”. ted ple com car the tting been invaluable in ge oto shoot and the At the point of the ph ce y with the performan pp ha interview, Jay was ne fi a s re’ The . be ll uld we of the car - and he sho ity and bil vea dri d an lag ch line between too mu has let turbo on Jay’s car the Precision 6765 Bil 00rpm 35 r ove ht, rig s rev that just right, get the ase in takes off. I went in ch and this car literally s left wa I say to d an e, e tim my 400bhp Supra on this , pra Su atement. For a behind is an underst forged a for up set t os bo low car is running quite a ar ne ere wh r this car is no engine, running 1.6ba le, sty te, tas h wit ed - modifi its absolute maximum

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research and intelligence.

with Aeroquip Fittings

[ the spec ]

electronics:

built engine:

Eagle H-Beam Rods Aries Pistons 86.5 mm Coated ARP Main Bolts ARP Head Studs Clevite Bearings Balanced Crank, Engine Honed & Decked, Modified Oil Channels PHR Modified Oil Pump New Water Pump Gates Timing & Auxiliary Belt Boostlogic Crank Pulley

head:

Greddy Polished Inlet Manifold Q45 Polished Throttle Body HKS Cams (264 In/Ex) Unorthodox Chrome Cam Gears NGK BKR9EIX Plugs Custom Breather with Forge Motorsport Alloy Tank & Braided Lines, Anodised Fittings

turbo & exhaust:

Precision PT6765 Billet DBB Polished H-Cover K&N RD-1410 Filter on Polished 4” Hardpipe in Custom Cold Air Box HKS GT Tubular Manifold SP 4” Downpipe & Midpipe HKS GT 60 mm Wastegate with Screamer HKS 4” Titanium Racing 107 db Exhaust AAS Custom Switchable 99 db Rear Muffler Tial Dump Valve Braided Turbo Water & Oil Hoses

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AEM ECU with 3.5 BAR MAP Sensor AEM Boost Solenoid @ 1.6 BAR AEM Wideband O2 Kit RLTC with Digital Controller Defi BF Blue Full Gauge Setup with Indicator Defi includes Oil Temp, Water Temp, EGT, Fuel Press, Oil Press & Boost HKS DLI Varley Red Top 25 Battery with Rear Relocation Kit

cooling:

Greddy 4-Row FMIC Kit with Custom Hardpipes & Ducting Induction Cold Air Box Koyo Radiator with Blitz 1.3 BAR Cap & Water Wetter AAP Twin Fans Polished Aquamist 1S Water/Methanol Injection 0.9mm Jet TRD Thermostat Mocul Oil Cooler with Filter Relocation Kit Power Steering Cooler with Ducting

fuel:

Precision 880cc Injectors Walbro Twin Fuel Pumps HKS Fuel Rail Aeromotive Fuel Filter & FPR Braided Fuel Lines/Aeroquip Fittings Drivetrain & Transmission: RPS Stage 3 6 Puck Clutch RPS Cyn-R-G Segmented Flywheel AP Solid Gearshift Bushings

Brakes:

UK Callipers 3G Grooved Discs Hawk Pads Goodridge Braided Hoses Castrol SRF Fluid Suspension & Chassis: RS-R Sports-I Coilovers Cusco Front & Rear ARBs with New Droplinks TRD Chromed Front Strut Brace Carbing Type R Rear Strut Brace Do-Luck Rear Cross Bar

exterior:

Carbon RMM Style Rear Spoiler Carbon RMM Style Lip Spoiler Carbon TS Style Diffuser by ShineAutoProject OEM Skirts & Spats UK Spec Bonnet Scoop Advan RZ Bronze 18” Wheels, Front 9”, Rear 10” Toyo R888’s, Front 255/35/18, Rear 285/30/18 8000k Dip Beam HID Kit with LED Fogs Custom Front Side Light/Indicator Units Clear rear indicator conversion

interior:

Recaro Profi SPG Drivers Seat Recaro Apex SPG Passenger Seat Seats on Recaro Sidemounts on Lightweight Custom Frames Schroth Racing ASM 4 Point Harnesses Custom Rear Seat Deletion Retrim

Momo Millennium Steering Wheel & Boss Momo Handbrake & Gearknob with Leather Gaiters Custom Dash Mount for 6 Defis MVP Facelift Aluminium Dash,Auxiliary & Shifter Rings Thor Powder Coated Blue/Black Dial Kits Blue LED Dash Conversion Weight Reduction at BWR+++ 1390kg: Rear Seats Rear Seatbelts Stereo Headunit, Speakers & Power Aerial Spare Wheel & Jack AC System Heater System

engine dress:

Polished Cam Covers with Breathers HPF Polished Radiator Panel & Support Panel HPF Polished Spark Plug Cover SP Polished Injector Panel Greddy Billet Oil Cap Blitz Radiator Cap PHR Polished Upper Rad Hose Billet Brake Fluid Cap Whifbitz Aluminium Power Steering Tank with Braided Lines Chromed Radiator Clamps & Bonnet Stay Chromed Auxiliary Pulleys Electronics/Wiring Relocated to Inner Wings Idle Control Valve Delete

[ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:48:01

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[ new model lexus is-f ]

Sharper handling, sweeter sounds for 2010 Lexus IS F Sharper handling, new hightech features and a cool new all-white interior lead the list of improvements and changes for Lexus’s ultra-high-performance IS F for 2010.

Limited slip differential As announced at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show, the fullblooded sports saloon gains the benefit of a new limited slip differential. Fitted as standard, it gives the IS F significantly better traction and stability in high-speed cornering: Lexus test engineers were able to improve the car’s lap time around the Fuji International Speedway by a full two seconds.

The Torsen unit is robust enough to handle the 505Nm delivered by the IS F’s 5.0-litre V8 engine, automatically directing drive torque to the rear wheel with the most grip. Out-and-out performance is unchanged, with the IS F capable of nought to 62mph acceleration in 4.8 seconds and a top speed (electronically limited) of 168mph.

HDD satellite navigation In keeping with Lexus’s reputation for effective use of advanced technologies, the IS F is fitted with a new satellite navigation system, powered by a 40GB hard disc drive (HDD). It is one of the fastest-responding and most accurate guidance systems on the market, giving full-map

coverage across Europe, with automatic links to local traffic information data to ensure efficient route planning.

The HDD also provides an onboard ”sound library” function, with 10GB of disc space available for owners to store tracks from CD – space enough for around 2,000 songs.

DAB audio

The tuner in the IS F’s 14-speaker Mark Levinson 5.1 surround sound system has been upgraded to receive DAB digital broadcasts and a USB port has been added (in addition to the Aux-in jack), to allow for fully integrated connection of portable digital music players.

New leather interior and alloy wheel options IS F can be ordered with a new white leather interior in place of the standard black finish and with new mesh-design 19-inch alloy wheels instead of the standard 10-spoke design. Both are no-cost options.

Prices The 2010 Lexus IS F is on sale now, priced £55,995 on-the-road.

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[ specialist profile supra racing developments ]

The pursuit of perfection

Written byGareth Evans Photos by Aaron Clarke

We hit West Sussex-based SRD for an interview with Supra guru and company owner Lee Perryman.

SRD builds and looks after some of the highest powered and best-known Supras in the UK. Some may think that’s a bold statement, but let me clarify: One of the best known Supras on the planet – the Do Luck demo car – only gets work done at SRD. The Supra that held the lap record at the Nurburgring for several years now resides in West Sussex, being rebuilt by SRD to its former glory. Also, Lee is the man responsible for building Jamie P’s monster-powered single turbo car. If you don’t know what Jamie is about, have a search on You tube and you’ll just about be able to see him and his car through the clouds of tyre smoke...

Cars with history and heritage aren’t the only Supras Lee works on, though. He also takes on projects, turning everyday cars into show- or track-ready monsters. Make no mistake, this isn’t a backstreet garage.

This is the place where customer’s dreams come true.

What do you do?

“I build Supras. The idea is to provide a service where customers book their car in, be as involved in the build process as they want, and end up with a wellengineered and reliable car. I will only take on one car at a time, simply because I want to do a quality job.

Nothing is rushed, because I believe in doing a job properly... and doing it once.“

How did SRD come about?

“The company has been going around two years, but I’ve been working on Supras since I bought my first one, back in 2002. At that time I was a Ford fanatic, having owned a succession of RS and Cosworth cars that I found myself taking apart and rebuilding. When the time came to get a new car to play with, I narrowed the choice down to an Escort Cosworth or a Supra. I eventually settled on the Supra after going out in a friend’s high powered car, and never looked back. After a few major issues with tuning companies working (and in some cases not working) on my car I decided to have a go myself.

I built my own car into a unique machine with big power, and once people began to recognise it I was asked to help with other people’s projects. As 52

TPM Issue 1 section 2.indd 24

time went on and the cars got better, one of the owners suggested I start doing this as a business. I didn’t want to run before I could walk, so I’m doing this part time around my day job with work happening mainly in the evenings and on weekends. I’ve never advertised before, and all of the work I get is thanks to word of mouth. There’s no shortage – I have bookings right up until the end of October now!”

How many staff do you employ?

“There are two employees at SRD. Myself, who does all the mechanical and design aspects of the cars, and my girlfriend Nancy. She simply has to get a mention! Not only does she clean the cars (even getting under the bonnet to shine up the odd engine bay) but she makes a mean cup of tea and doesn’t get paid nearly enough for her efforts. I can’t thank her enough for all her support during the long nights and busy weekends. We also have a couple of very willing volunteers who come and lend a hand every now and then, but most of the work is done by these two hands. I don’t want to take on any more staff at this point. I couldn’t trust anyone else to produce the standard I expect, and training someone to do so would mean I’d have no time to build the cars I love, so it’s pointless. I’m very lucky to be in a position where I can pick the cars I work on and the projects I take on. If I was doing this full-time I wouldn’t have that luxury, and run the risk of losing some of the personal approach I take to my work.” [ july 2010 tpm ]

20/06/2010 09:48:09

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What products and services does SRD offer?

What type of projects do you have lined up?

“I prefer to take on the bigger projects such as single turbo conversions and engine builds, but have also started supplying HKS parts and making bits which will carry the SRD logo. Right now I have camshafts, radiators, intercooler kits, pulleys and speaker brackets all designed to my own spec around the experience I’ve gained building Supras over the past six years. When I’m working on cars I always prefer to use quality parts, so that’s also what I’ll be selling. We can supply car audio equipment too if required, through my day job working at Road Radio.”

“I have the Blitz car in, which needs a serious rebuild. It was stood for around 7 years and has seen a fair few owners since coming into the country, but I’m confident you’ll see it running just as well as the day it posted 7m49 at the Nurburgring. There’s an automatic Supra in for a build too. Jamesy, the owner, wants 700bhp and has chosen some seriously trick kit to get there.

Another interesting project is Rick’s, which has boxes of brand new parts waiting to go on the car and a big single turbo. We’re also going to try and break the UK horsepower record for a Supra using stock turbos for a second time. The car we’re using has already broken the record, but the owner (known as Magictorch, or Jamie) wants to go further. We’ll be using my cams and a Hypertune manifold, and I can’t wait for the results. I love working on all Supras, not just the silly power ones. The fact is, every Supra is different and each is its own package. One of my favourite cars to drive still uses the stock turbos.”

What does the future hold for SRD? “Although I still want to keep things small and personal, I’d like to expand my workshop. There’s some space next to my premises that isn’t being used, so the plan is to let the business grow slowly and use that space to store parts. I’d also like to learn how to map the cars I’m building, making SRD a one-stop shop for engine work.

Right now I use Ryan G from 2Bar Tuning, but he’s in demand all over the world now because of his talents. I want to learn from him, and possibly do a course to learn the HKS F-Con mapping software. I’ve already done some mapping on my own car, but wouldn’t trust myself doing anyone else’s car until I’ve done a lot more reading and practicing.”

How about motorsport?

Racing aspirations?

“My Supra is already the quickest standing mile Supra in Europe as far as I know - running 198mph - but Jamie’s car looks like it’ll take that record after the next wave of mods. He’s also aiming for a 9-second quarter mile (after running

Specialising solely in the maintenance and customisation of Supras, every car that comes to us is assured of the sole attention of our highly experienced technicians, who’s passion lies in the actualisation of your vision.

We work with you fully, from conception to delivery, providing expert support and guidance along the way. This means rather than just giving your car to the garage and letting them get on with it, you are fully involved in the customisation process.

[ july 2010 tpm ]

TPM Issue 1 section 2.indd 25

a personal best of 10.5 with his last setup).

Having Jamie as a customer is a god-send. He has the money and the driving talent to make great use of my skills. Building a car like his and watching it go is a dream for me, especially with the numbers he’s seeing now.”

We’ve found out about the cars you like to work on, but what’s your ideal Supra?

“Simple: One for every occasion. I’d love to build a car to compete in each discipline, be it road car, time attack, drift, top speed, quarter mile; I want them all. My work is fuelled by passion, and that means I always want to get better at what I’m doing. The Supra is a great car, and every single time I build one I’m doing it that tiny bit better. I won’t let a car out until I’m 100% happy with the work. In fact, a lot of the time I finish a job and spend a few hours going around the car, making things perfect and doing little bits that weren’t on the job sheet – all free of charge. I treat every car like my own, and it’s not about the money for me. I do it because I love it.”

Keep an eye out in future issues as we take a closer look at some of the work Lee has done, both on his own blue bullet and some of his customers’ rapid rides.

We cater for all types of modifications - from general servicing to full engine builds.

We can build your car for any purpose: from street cars to full on stripped out drag machines. No matter the size of budget there is always something we can do to help you improve your Supra.

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[ tpm feature aristo ]

Power &

Glory

“

Paul’s Aristo certainly isn’t a sleeper. The hard as nails Abflug front bumper coupled with the C-One grill and rear spoiler mean this car really does turn heads

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“

”

Nice car mate! What is it?

This is perhaps the most often asked question that Paul gets whenever he takes his car anywhere, usually followed by “Is it a Lexus?”. Well it isn’t a Lexus, it is in fact a 1998 Twin Turbo Toyota Aristo V300 Vertex, a JZS161, powered by the mighty 2JZ-GTE powerplant, an engine made famous by the MKIV Toyota Supra, pushing 400bhp through it’s rear wheels.

Aristo owners, when posed with these questions, often answer along the lines of “It’s a Lexus GS300 with a Supra turbo engine in it” as it’s often by far the easier option. This however is not the case with Paul. As one of the original members and now an administrator of Clubaristo.net, The Toyota Aristo Owners Club, he feels that it his duty to educate people about this rare, powerful, often underrated and overlooked Japanese monster.

“The 2JZ-GTE, made famous by the Supra, actually started life in the JZS147 Aristo in 1991 (with the VVT-i lump going into the JZS161 Aristo in 1997). This was a few years before it eventually found it’s way into the Supra, so it isn’t a Lexus with a Supra engine, in fact it’s quite the opposite! It’s the birthplace of the 2JZ!”, Paul tells us, “These are fantastic cars that are continually overlooked, especially in their stock luxo-barge form, they only tend to get any recognition or attention when they have been slammed on the deck or been treated to a body-kit. With a stock body and running a few basic performance upgrades the Aristo is, in my opinion, one of the best sleepers out there. My Mk2 isn’t much of a sleeper due to it’s aggressive styling but there a quite a few stock looking Aristo’s out there running basic performance upgrades (BPU), some badged up as Lexus GS300’s (sacrilege!), there are even some running big single turbo conversions, these will easily embarrass a lot of ‘respected’ cars.”

Photographer/Photography by: Sunny Lau www.forty-forty.com Written by John Gaskell and owner Paul Jeffrey Layout by Steve Bishop

Paul’s Aristo certainly isn’t a sleeper. The hard as nails Abflug front bumper coupled with the C-One grill and rear spoiler mean this car really does turn heads Paul first discovered the Toyota Aristo when his Aerotop MKIV Supra was no longer practical, a family car was required and the Aristo was the ultimate compromise! With 2JZ-GTE power on tap and tonnes of tuning options available, a car that can accommodate 4 adults in VIP luxury and a useable boot it was the natural progression from the Supra.

Along with the practicality of the Aristo the price tag was also played a big part in Paul’s decision to enter Aristo ownership.

Amazingly the Aristo can currently be picked up at a remarkably low price, though due to the increasing rarity of them and the lack of fresh imports coming into the country it is unlikely to remain that way for much longer, especially with the Pound so weak against the Yen. It is now becoming more expensive to import one then it is to pick one up in the UK, if you’re lucky enough to find one that is.

“One of the biggest joys of Aristo ownership”, Paul enthusiastically informs us, “is the fact that you can release quite a bit of power for next to no outlay. A stock Aristo pushes out ‘280bhp’, with the addition of decat pipes, colder grade spark plugs, an up-rated fuel pump, boost controller and a fuel cut defender you can up the boost to 1.2bar and run closer to 400bhp with ease. There aren’t many cars out there that you can tune up that easily and cheaply. Over the years I’ve owned a lot of cars, from mild to wild, and the Aristo has impressed me hugely, so much so that I have two of them. As well as my white MK2, I also own a satin black MK1 which is a work in progress, that’s running a 6 speed manual box and a monstrous HKS T51 turbo, you’ll be seeing more of that when it’s fully up and running, it should push out some impressive figures.”

to see unused feature photos visit our website

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“What are my future plans? Well there’s not much left to do to this Aristo performance wise, I’m really happy with it just how it is at the moment, and besides, my manual MK1 Single Turbo’d Aristo is definitely the ongoing project in the quest for power. The MK2’s got all the right bits in my opinion, it’s certainly not all show and no go, it goes very well indeed and boy does it stop, the brake set up with the 6 pot fronts and 4 pot rears is just something else, the braking power is just immense!”

As with all modified car owners though there is always something left to do, something to be tinkered with in the search for perfection, after a moment of thought, Paul continues, “However, there are a few things that I still think need doing to the MK2 to make it perfect in my eyes. I need to whip out all the turbo pipework and get them over to polishing wizard Russ at ProSpec Polishing (www.prospecpolishing.com) for a bit of much needed bling-blinging.”, Paul tells us, “He’s a top fella and does an awesome job of the polishing.”

“Apart from that, I’d like to get a DVD player hooked into the stock ICE system and get a couple of screens in the rear headrests and perhaps an HKS Camp II hooked up to the EMV, that would be quite a nice addition to the car. Then it might be complete.....”

These Japanese VIP cars do certainly stand out from the crowd, as the VIP scene starts to take hold in the UK the Aristo sightings should become more of a regular occurrence than the rarity it is today.

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“

it’s certainly not all show and no go, it goes very well indeed and boy does it stop! the brake set up with the 6 pot fronts and 4 pot rears is just something else, the braking power is just immense!

”

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“

These Japanese VIP cars do certainly stand out from the crowd, as the VIP scene starts to take hold in the UK the Aristo sightings should become more of a regular occurrence than the rarity it is today.

”

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[ the spec ] Make – Toyota Model – Aristo Variant – V300 Vertex Engine – 2JZ-GTE with VVTi Gearbox – 4 Speed Automatic with Tiptronic Chassis code – JZS161

Bodywork

Abflug front bumper Abflug carbon rear diffuser Abflug Rear LED lights C-ONE front grill C-ONE rear spoiler

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C-ONE rear window spoiler Toyota door wind deflectors Toyota clear side repeaters Completely debadged Rolled rear arches

Suspension

TEIN Flex coilovers with EDFC TOMS 6 link rear suspension links TOMS front under body chassis brace C-ONE front strut mount

Brakes

HI-SPEC Monster brake conversion, 6 pot front callipers and 4 pot rear callipers, with grooved 360mm/14” brake discs all round, stainless braided brake lines

Wheels

Axis Hiro – 19”, Front – 8.5” wide, 245/35 tyres, Rear – 10.5” 275/30 tyres

Engine

Custom exhaust from first cat back (car still has first cat in place), exhaust is very quiet while still a lot less restrictive than stock HKS EVC IV – set at 1.2 BAR Greddy FMIC (large) and hard pipe kit

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HKS induction kit Abflug carbon cold air box with carbon air scoop Carbon Spark plug cover Carbon Fuse box lid Carbon ECU cover

Interior

Custom air vent 3 Gauge holder holding Water temp, Boost and Volt gauges.

Full black leather, with heated front seats Touch screen Climate control/TV/Sat Nav with 6 disc cd player, JBL amp and speaker system including sub woofer

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[ club scene mr2.i.e and mr2oc.co.uk ]

A joint venture between MR2OC.co.uk and MR2.ie is reaping great rewards and better events for MR2 drivers in Ireland.

It all started last Christmas with an invitation from the Ireland Regional Representatives of www.

MR2OC.co.uk to the Administrators of MR2.ie, to join forces for a Christmas dinner meet. The Administrators of MR2.ie duly accepted and a ‘beautiful friendship’ was born. The Christmas dinner meet attracted a modest turnout of around 7 cars at Carlingford for a meal and a get to know you session.

History now tells us that this was the start of something good for events in Ireland.

Since last Christmas there has been at least one major meet arranged for every month, falling on the first Sunday of each month.

The organisation of these meets is shared between the two sites, usually alternating from one month

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to the next. The most recent meet was held on Sunday 6th June. This was a BBQ on the north coast of Northern Ireland (close to Portrush and Bushmills), followed by a drive along the picturesque and slightly narrow (in places) Antrim Coast Road.

We were blessed with average weather for the BBQ, which is probably about the best you could hope for in this country, but at least the rain stayed away until the sausages and burgers were gone.

We got 15 cars along to the meet with a total of around 25 people. The only unfortunate aspect of the meet was the lack of any MK1 or MK3 MR2’s but hopefully this will change in the future.

After enjoying the mostly un-burnt

food, cooked professionally by the chefs (myself and 3913mark), we all headed off along the coast road heading from north to south.

After running through Bushmills and towards Ballycastle, we hit the infamous Torr Head Road. This is a road which is slightly wider than single track, making meeting tourist driven rental cars in the middle of the road a very real possibility.

The weather stayed good with only light rain not spoiling the stunning scenery along the route. We had an intermediate regroup planned at Cushendall which was useful as some of the drivers got split from the group further up the road. After a brief break and the final chat of the day we completed the route towards Larne and Carrickfergus before heading home.

The events will continue the rest of the year with an MR2.ie stand at a vintage and classic car show in Dublin in July, a drive through the Mourne mountains in August and the 1st anniversary celebrations of

MR2.ie due to be held in Galway, also in August, and these are just the events already planned. We will of course be planning another Christmas dinner event marking the first year of our collaboration.

The hope is that the relationship between MR2OC and MR2.ie will continue to grow, opening up new possibilities for more varied and elaborate meets, events, track days etc, growing the MR2 scene in Ireland for the good of all involved.

All who are already involved in this collaboration have already made good friends throughout the island that otherwise would have been strangers. These are obviously friends with a strong common interest in their cars.

We are keen to expend this collaboration to any members of other MR2 clubs within Ireland that would like to join us for any event.

Either log on and say hello, or email me on mr2ireland@btinternet.com.

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[ tpm feature car ]

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to see unused feature photos visit our website

www.toyotaperformancemagazine.com

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[ july 2010 tpm ]

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TPM Readers Discount Offer The CG-Lock is the first improvement to the standard 3 point inertia reel belt since its introduction 50 years ago.

It is a small palm sized device that clips onto the existing tongue of your seatbelt (the bit that you reach for when buckling up) in less than 5 minutes and keeps the slack out of the lap belt portion of the seatbelt (the part that goes across your lap). In effect, the CG-Lock lets your existing seat belt work like an aircraft seat belt: when you take the slack out of the lapbelt, it stays out… if you want to loosen it off, simply press the lever and slacken it off.

The safest way to travel when wearing a seatbelt is to have the lapbelt with no slack and have it resting on the pelvic bone (across the hips). Without the CG-Lock one can only achieve this by repeatedly sitting upright and pulling the diagonal section of the seatbelt to remove the slack.

Most people don’t do this and so the lapbelt ‘rides up’ over the stomach. This is potentially dangerous! The CG-Lock is an elegant solution to the problem… buckling up as you should do will lead to the slack staying out of the lapbelt and the lapbelt remaining on your pelvic bone (over the hips)… exactly where it should be.

The diagonal part of the seatbelt is unaffected so you can still reach around the cabin as normal (to reach the dash controls etc.). Please watch videos at cg-lock.co.uk to better understand this great little gadget and also look at the many applications for the device too!

When seated in a vehicle, one’s hips become one’s

[ july 2010 tpm ]

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Used by many ARDS performance instructors and also top stunt drivers (007’s “Quantum of Solace”) the device is fast becoming a ‘no brainer’ for non-harnessed performance driving. centre of gravity. By fixing this point, one has vastly superior control of the vehicle and is helped to maintain correct posture. The CG-Lock (CG is for Centre of Gravity) achieves this by reversibly securing (cinching) the lap belt portion of a standard automobile 3-point seatbelt, to add significant new functionality.

The CG-Lock has been proven to not interfere with the existing, built-in safety functions of the factory fitted seatbelt. FMVSS 208 and 213 testing, and other related crash studies have been independently conducted using highly-reproducible protocols and state-of-the-art dual sled test equipment. Results of a rigorous test series demonstrated that the addition of the CG-Lock to a typical seatbelt restraint system does not compromise safety, indeed, it enhances it..

Less slack in the lap belt leads to less slack across the chest, which helps with upper body support too.

This little device weighs about 85g and comes with a money back guarantee if not delighted. Many customers buy more for the many other applications such as posture, off-road use and stabilising children in booster seats.

The CG-Lock is available to TPM readers for only £39.99, saving £10, simply visit cg-lock.co.uk quoting the code TPM

“

I’d heard much hype about the CG Lock from fellow MR2 Roadster owners, so I recently took the plunge and bought and fitted a pair.

The difference with the CG lock fitted was staggering, keeping you firmly supported in the seat whilst cornering, without the need to brace or keep re-adjusting yourself. It actually makes you feel at one with the car, quite a reassuring feeling.

My partner suffers with a back complaint, and even she has commented that the CG lock has improved trips out in the Roadster, bonus!

Buy one and you won’t be disappointed at all!

”

Steve B - TPM Editor MR2 Roadster

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[ showtime ]

The 2010 show season kicked off in style with over 2,000 of Japan’s finest descending on the sleepy village of Chippenham deep in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside, all with the same destination, Japfest, Castle Combe Circuit.

Breaking true Japfest tradition the weather rewarded us with glorious sunshine throughout the day, many of us leaving with a touch of sunburn.

We rolled up towards the gates early doors but even so

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there had already formed quite a queue, this show was going to be a busy one!

Our main aim this year, being the first major show of the season prior to our launch, was to head around the show and

introduce ourselves to as many Toyota/Lexus owners’ clubs as physically possible, an objective we completed to a degree of success, given the fact that Japfest is a one day event with an astounding turnout and we had a lot of ground to cover.

All of the clubs we introduced ourselves to greeted us with very welcoming enthusiasm, yet again affirming strong links with the owners’ clubs is very much our ethos behind TPM. Club officials pointed out particular owners’ cars of

[ july 2010 tpm ]

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interest of which many will inevitably end up featured right here on the pages of Toyota Performance Magazine in the near future.

During the day we’d arranged to do a group photoshoot for our very first owners’ club profile, with the UK Starlet Club, which turned out to be great fun, thanks to Enzo and Jo for rounding everyone up, and thanks to all the guys and gals that were all great sports.

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In true Japfest style many owners took to the circuit to try their cars out, quite amusing to see a few Starlets snapping at the heels of some of the bigger more powerful machinery.

A few memorable cars for me of the day have to be the white 70’s Celica TA22, an absolute stunning restoration that we will no doubt be meeting up with soon to feature. There was also a wrapped Gen 7 which features on our very own TPM media

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marketing literature, again absolutely stunning to see in the flesh.

Another car that has to win ‘Bay of the Day’ goes to a member of the MkIV group, with an engine bay you could perform medical surgery from, let alone eat off!

The all new 2010 Drift Battle saw some big names take to the track showing of some spectacular sideways control, unfortunately we didn’t get to see a great lot of it this year ourselves, but

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we certainly heard it, although we did catch sight of Australian, Luke Fink, in his Corolla AE86 demonstrating what this legendary Toyota is good at whilst pleasing the crowd with a few spins.

What really overwhelmed me was the impressive amount of Toyotas with many rare and very sought after models, many of which we will no doubt be featuring in future issues. We managed to chat to a few new clubs that were not aware of us,.

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We stayed until pretty much the end, the cars from the display areas were dispersing and we returned to our cars red necked from the sun, legs weary from the walking but absolutely buzzing from having such a great day.

We’d like to thank all of the guys/gals from the club areas who made us feel very welcome and took the time to chat with us, we’re looking forward to seeing more of you and your cars throughout

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the year. We’ll be at Japshow, 4th July at Santa Pod with our own stall, come over and say hi, or better still subscribe! We will also be at JAE, Jap Fest II, and Jap Show Finale.

“This years Japfest really did have a good vibe, with the sun and an amazing turnout, just goes to show that despite a supposed recession, we’re still finding the cash to pamper on our beloved cars from somewhere”.

CYRIL BISHOP

Final checked 19/6/10

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“

This years Japfest really did have a good vibe,

with the sun shining which attracted an impressive turnout. This just goes to show that despite a supposed recession, we’re still finding the cash to

”

pamper on our beloved cars from somewhere .

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[ showtime ]

TOYOTAFEST 20

The 15th Annual Toyotafest was held on May 8, 2010 at Queen’s Park next to the Queen Mary in Long Beach California. Bob Freitas and I drove Bob’s two MR2s down to Long Beach. I drove the older model, a 1987 MK I that had been converted to a full convertible by Toyota when it was built, one of only 15 such cars built. Bob drove the newer 2000 model Spyder.

We left Ontario around 6:00AM with the sun out and the temperature already pleasant. We navigated the various freeways until we arrived in Long Beach, just 40 minutes later. Traffic was very light and we made good time. We were surprised when we arrived to find the sun shining.

Usually along the coast in the early morning, there is always low cloud and fog, which doesn’t burn off until perhaps 10 or 11 AM. After a wait of about 20 minutes they started letting cars into the park, and we drove in and were directed to an area where the MR2s would be displayed. We got the cars positioned for display, then after securing our personal property, we headed over to the Queen Mary for breakfast. We have done this before in the past, and they serve a very good buffet breakfast at a reasonably price, plus you get the seat by the window, or should I say port hole, which provides a nice view of the Long Beach harbor.

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to see more photos from this event visit our website www.toyotaperformancemagazine.com

TPM would like to thank Bob Freitas for his excellent organisation of our Toyotafest 2010 coverage, as well as Dennis Collatos, Jesse Ramirez, Armand Pranadi, Hien Pham and

Jeff Butler for photography and write-ups.

ST 2010

pm ]

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TOYOTAFEST 20 After our leisurely breakfast, we went back to the show area and did a quick touch-up on the cars, and set up our tent shelter and chairs. During the day, Bob was kept busy answering questions about his cars. A group of Canadians were especially interested in his cars and stayed and chatted for quite some time. Later in the day we were both able to tour the entire show area and take pictures while we checked out the cars.

We looked at the new Scion IQ which was on display in its rumoured “California Look”. Then checked out the 2000 GT’s at the Toyota museum display. After that we

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ST 2010

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went to see the Lexus LFA super car and did a casual walk around to check out different models and different modifications of the various cars. Our breakfast was wearing thin by this time, so we stopped at one of the food vendors and got two hot dogs and fries..or should I say…”chips” to go, and went back to our area and sat down and had lunch and relaxed.

Around 1:00 PM the judging was in progress, and at 2:30PM the awards were given out for the various classes. This year Bob received a 3rd place award in the MR2 class for his bright red 87 Mk I. This is the 4th year in a row that he has won an award for either the 87 or the 2000 Spyder.

Each participant in Toyotafest gets a goodie bag which varies from year to year. This year we got a Toyotafest T-shirt (we get one every year) a bottle of Maguires Quick Detail (again we get one every year, Maguires is one of the sponsers) a dash plaque and a Portable speaker for your ipod or other electronic devices.

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TOYOTAFE

As 3:00PM arrived the show was officially over and we packed up the cars and left the park, but not before we were warned that the police would be waiting at the freeway ramps, in case anyone decided to do some “spirited” driving. The drive home was not quite as pleasant, as Saturday afternoon traffic in the Los Angeles area is almost as bad as weekday commuter hours. Our trip home took us 90 minutes, rather than the 40 minutes for the trip down. However, we arrived home safe, no problems with the cars and agreed it was a very nice event, the weather was great and we had a good time and will be looking forward to next year’s show.

Jeff Butler

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AFEST 2010

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TOYOTAFE

Toyotafest Aftermath Written by Hien Pham (Online name for MR2OC in the USA is Charlie Brown) The MR2 group (plus a few close friends and board members with other makes) left the Toyotafest grounds just before 4PM, once most of the traffic died down. The cruise route stayed along the Long Beach coast, going Southeast on Ocean Blvd, before merging onto Pacific Coast Highway in Seal Beach.

After a quick snack and fuel stop, our herd of nearly 20 cars continued south along the California coastline deep into Orange County. Traffic kept our cruise at a moderate pace, fortunately giving our drivers more time to take in the lovely scenery.

In Newport Beach the cruise unintentionally split off into 2 groups.

A group of about a dozen cars in front accidentally turned off of PCH at MacArthur Blvd and went inland. They took an impromptu loop of the Fashion Island Mall before continuing inland and reaching the 405.

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AFEST 2010

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The slower group (led by me) took the intended cruise route down to Laguna Beach, and then inland via Laguna Canyon Road. The grasslands between Laguna Beach and Irvine reminded me of one of Forrest Gump’s cross country runs through the grassy midwest.

Both groups reunited at the back of the Irvine Spectrum, where a nice sunset photoshoot took place. Our group was fortunate not to get hassled by Mall security, and even got a few drive-by compliments and thumbs ups. When nearly 20 mid-engined sports cars gather in one place, people take notice.

Our cruise wrapped up with a drive up through the heart of Irvine to Diamond Jamboree Plaza, where an impromptu dusk photoshoot took place, before the party settled down for dinner and then went their merry ways.

A fifty mile cruise, 2 photo shoots, dinner with friends and scenery Californians too often take for granted... all for just 2 gallons of gas? Worth it.

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[ motorsport ]

Event Report - Round 1 Rockingham 21st March 2010 Now in its third year, the Toyota Sprint Series contenders returned to Rockingham for round one of the 2010 championship.

Rockingham provides a perfect season opener, with a smooth and open track layout, it was sure to re-ignite last year’s close battles, as well as welcoming the new competitors with a challenging layout.

The event was expertly run by track day specialists Javelin with support from Blitz-UK, Millers Oils, Fensport, SuperPro, Merlin International, AEW Graphics, and the GT4 OC. The weather was smiling on the area, providing a good dry track from the off. The sighting runs gave drivers their first view of the track, which appeared to suit all types of cars – long straights and wide corners made use of the famous banked oval and would challenge the powerful cars, whilst tricky tight chicanes rewarded the nimble.

By lunchtime, many of the driver’s cards were on the table, some great runs had been laid down by new and established drivers, although there had been a fair share of mishaps too.

Former British Rally Champion, and last years season winner, Jonny Milner was setting the pace in his brand new Celica GT4, with a time of 81.21. Adrian Smith had replied with an 81.30 despite some gearbox problems with his Celica GT4-X. Duncan McMath, who had assisted Milner last year on the technical side, had decided to get behind the steering wheel this year and produced a good time of 88.16 in run 3.

Further down the classes, Darren Burwash, newcomer to class B this season, was proving a force to be reckoned with in his Starlet Turbo, producing a time of 92.72 on his first ever run.

With lunchtime over and the sun still shining, the competitors had swapped hints and tips and were ready to attack their times once more. As they got more competitive and braver, the cones on the circuit were suffering, and a

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few runs were ‘voided’ due to drivers playing skittles as they explored their vehicle’s limits.

Results in class order: Class F – Up to 1.0l Class F had doubled in size this year, with a record 4 competitors. Winner was Paul Thomas (above left), 2 times overall class winner, in his Aygo, with a time of 104.29 gained in the last run. Chasing hard all day and sometimes leading by a few tenths was Dann Quinn (above right) in his Yaris, Dan’s best time of 105.97 earned him 2nd in class.

Class D – Up to 1.6l Normally Aspirated Unbeatable once more in his Starlet was Dave Brooks (above left), producing a great time of 89.95 on his last run, to take 1st in class and 6th overall. Runner up was Neil Latham (above right), competing with his MR2 Mk1, Neil gained a time of 93.13 also on his last run.

Class C – Over 1.6l Normally Aspirated Alex Meade in his Supra won the class with a very good time of 92.79 and could not be caught by Jeff Lotts, whose time of 96.39 set in his Celica gained him runner up in class.

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Class B – Up to 1.6l Forced Induction

Class A2 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Modified

Newcomer to the series this year, Darren Burwash (above left) in his Starlet Turbo, could not be caught in class B with his time of 89.26 which was good enough to earn him 4th overall. This time also gained Darren the Hard Charger award, given to drivers who stand out and punch above their weight. Barrie Newsome (above right), last year class winner was runner up in his Starlet Turbo with a time of 92.03.

Steve Timms (above left) returned to the series this year and produced a time of 94.28 to win this class in his Celica GT4. Runner up was Nigel Levinson (above right), who put a time of 112.40 on the board despite his Celica having engine problems.

Class A3 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction

Class A1 – Over 1.6l Forced Induction – Highly Modified.

Another new driver this year, Duncan McMath (above left) is looking like a good championship contender in his Celica GT4, Duncan was soon on the pace setting an unbeatable time of 88.08. Chris Cooke (above right), last year’s class winner, was chasing hard in his MR2 Turbo and was runner up with a time of 89.65.

Results – Simplified:

Two competitors were back with a vengeance this year in class A1. Jonny Milner (above left), 2009 champion was out to defend his title in a brand new car, Jonny had not even driven the car before Rockingham but despite a steep learning curve he was soon on top, leading by 0.09 seconds at lunchtime from Adrian Smith (above right) who is now driving his Celica GT4X. Both cars were problematic on the day but the pace was still amazing. Jonny went on to set a time of 79.63 to Adrian’s best of 80.51. With both drivers in new cars and still separated by only 0.88s the championship battle is definitely on.

1st Overall: Jonny Milner – Celica GT4

Class C Winner: Alex Meade – Supra

2nd Overall: Adrian Smith – Celica GT4-X

Class C Runner up: Jeff Lotts – Celica ST202

3rd Overall: Duncan McMath – Celica GT4

Class D Winner: David Brooks – Starlet 4AGE

Class A2 Winner: Steve Timms – Celica GT4

Class D Runner up: Neil Latham – MR2 20v

Class A2 Runner up: Nigel Levinson – Celica

Class F Winner: Paul Thomas – Aygo

Class A3 Winner: Duncan McMath – Celica GT4

Class F Runner up: Dan Quinn – Yaris

Class A3 Runner up: Chris Cooke – MR2 Turbo

Hard Charger: Darren Burwash – Starlet Turbo

Class B Winner: Darren Burwash – Starlet Turbo

Fastest Lady : Diane Turner – Celica GT4

Class B runner up: Barrie Newsome – Starlet Turbo

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[ motorsport ]

Round 2, Barkston Heath, Sunday 4th April 2010 Round two of the 2010 Toyota Sprint Series returned to an old favourite, the smooth, twisty purpose built sprint track at Barkston Heath, Lincolnshire.

The event was expertly organised and run by track day organisers Javelin, with support from Blitz-UK, Fensport, Millers Oils, Super Pro Bushes, Merlin International and the GT4 Owners Club.

Forecasts of snow earlier in the week saw the 35 drivers look to the sky with trepidation; however the sunshine and blue sky put an end to their fears. The temperature was very cold though, and the track was quite slippery and interesting during the morning runs.

Up to lunchtime, most of the cars managed to stay on the black stuff and put some good times on the board.

Hitting a cone or apex marking pole would cost a run, and many drivers fell foul and recorded void runs due to the damp track and cold conditions.

The game was very much on in class A1, with 2009 champion, Jonny Milner and 2008 champion Adrian Smith hot on the pace. Milner had set a 51.53 on run 2, to which Smith replied with a 51.91 just before lunch.

Throughout the 7 classes, competitive battles were being fought; proving the TSS can be just as much fun in a 1 litre as it is in a 600bhp supercar!! Another 1st for the TSS was the first ever Toyota iQ run in competition, the little car was in class F for 1 litre cars and was running well throughout the day.

After lunch, with no sign of rain, just plenty of wind, the track was in great condition, all drivers were really pushing hard and there were records to beat!

Overall Results: Class F: Up to 1.0l Class F is growing in size, and saw the first iQ to be entered in the series. Paul Thomas (above left) still proved to be top in his Aygo with a time of 64.31. But Dan Quinn (above right) was chasing hard and ended as runner up in his Yaris, with a time of 65.29.

Class D: Up to 1.6l David Brooks (above left) stormed to an early lead in his Starlet, David was seconds ahead once more with his time of 56.74 – gaining him 8th overall. Neil Latham (above right) in his 20v MR2 was runner up with his time of 60.02.

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Class C: Over 1.6l Proving that big cars can be competitive on twisty tracks, Alex Meade (above left) drove his Supra round in 58.57 seconds, gaining him first place. Jeff Lotts (above right) in his 2.0L Celica was runner up with 58.70 seconds.

Class B: Up to 1.6l forced induction.

Darren Burwash (above left) set an amazing time of 56.71 on his 1st visit to Barkston, to take the class win in his Starlet. With barely a tenth between 2nd, 3rd and 4th in class, it was Pete Coleman who came out second with a time of 58.50 in his Starlet.

Class A3: Over 1.6l limited modifications Things can’t get much closer than this. Chris Cooke and his MR2 Turbo were locked in a battle with Duncan McMath (above right) in his Celica, the two were separated by 1 hundredth of a second. Chris took the win with 55.26 and Duncan so narrowly missed the class win with a 55.27.

Class A2: Over 1.6l – modified Otis Hayes (above left) made a welcome return and soon stamped his authority in this class with a time of 54.34, good enough for a class win and 3rd overall. Steve Timms (above right) chased all day with a best time of 58.28 earning him runner up spot.

Class A1: Over 1.6l – unlimited modifications A close battle as ever between Adrian Smith (above left) and Jonny Milner (above right). Jonny had the upper hand till just after lunch when Adrian pulled a couple of tenths clear. Unfortunately Jonny couldn’t reply when 2nd gear broke in his Celica. Adrian went on to take the win and set a new lap record with a 51.15s run. Jonny was runner up with his best time a very close 51.53. The 2 drivers are now joint equal in the championship and we look forward to seeing the battles unfold throughout the year.

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Hard Charger: The hard Charger award is given to the driver who has punched above their weight or stood out in some way at each round. Duncan McMath was the recipient of this award at Barkston Heath, with his excellent time of 55.27 gaining him 6th overall.

Fastest Lady: Diane Turner and her Celica GT4 were 3rd in class A3 and 9th overall, with her time of 57.53, makes her definitely the fastest lady of the day.

Results – Simplified: 1st Overall – Adrian Smith , Celica GT4X 2nd Overall – Jonny Milner, Celica GT4 3rd Overall – Otis Hayes, Celica GT4 Class A1 Winner – Adrian Smith, Celica GT4X Class A1 runner up – Jonny Milner, Celica GT4 Class A2 Winner – Otis Hayes, Celica GT4 Class A2 runner up – Steve Timms, Celica GT4 Class A3 Winner – Chris Cooke, MR2 Turbo Class A3 runner up – Duncan McMath, Celica GT4 Class B Winner – Darren Burwash, Starlet Turbo

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Class B runner up – Pete Coleman, Starlet Turbo Class C Winner – Alex Meade, Supra Class C runner up – Jeff Lotts, Celica GT4 Class D Winner – David Brooks, Starlet 4AGE Class D runner up – Neil Latham, MR2 20v Class F Winner – Paul Thomas, Aygo Class F runner up – Dan Quinn, Yaris Hard Charger – Duncan McMath, Celica GT4 Fastest Lady – Diane Turner, Celica GT4

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[ tpm staff rides ] My story of Toyota ownership so far...

Other than the obligatory Carlos Sainz GT4 poster that adorned my bedroom wall as a teenager, my first real Toyota experience came in 1990. I had the brief chance to drive an 89 mica blue Mk1 MR2 t-bar, as I sunk into the low slung leather seated driving position I felt at home. A stark comparison to my own rotting V reg 1.1L Ford Fiesta at the time! I knew mid ship motoring was well out of my price range being a YTS Apprentice! But little did I know I’d end up owning 8 of these little mid engined fellas in later years!

tpm editor steve bishop - Toyota MR2 turbos an anniversary model, no 173 of only 250 built in 1996. During this time our sister publication MR2 Only was evolving and my brother and I took on an 86 Mk1 MR2, realising it would need quite a lot of work to restore to former glory we settled with the decision of stripping the car out and being a track hack and have enjoyed many track days at our local circuit Donington, as well as Rockingham and even a Nürburgring trip (pictured). This particular MR2 is currently back in our workshop as I type for the next phase, fitting an approved roll cage and a replacement engine.

Foolishly in hindsight I succumbed to the allure

of forced induction replacing the anniversary Mk2 with a 95 black T-bar GT Turbo, I soon became a boost junkie! Sadly the car popped a piston only 3 months into ownership. After careful consideration a fully forged piston rebuild ensued, lightened and balanced crank, custom headwork, the full works, that would be the basis for a 400bhp plus 3S-GTE setup. Unfortunately several thousand pounds later and only 1500 miles of running in I was dealt with another cruel blow, something went wrong with the build, oil contamination which starved the crank and pistons of oil. Enough was enough; I didn’t have the heart, or the cash to rebuild again.

However, as the Mk2 had been a long term build we’d also picked up another track hack which I used as a daily drive for a short while, remember the Mk2 I’d driven part way to Scotland in? Track days seemed a fitting end to its final year or so before being condemned with structural terminal corrosion. I’d also had a change of heart for the Mk3 MR2 that I’d never quite gelled with. After attending a Roadster club dyno day I changed my mind. Discovering that these wee beasties could, and some were running turbo set ups.

Fast forward ten years and a trip to Scotland, my best friend let me drive his 1990 Mk2 MR2, and as we swept around the roads sweeping around the lochs, I was hooked. A few years later my first MR2 came in the guise of a red 91 Mk2 t-bar which I promptly wrecked the handling of by fitting big wheels with incorrect stagger, but I loved it all the same. In my mind this was as close I was going to get of fulfilling my dream of owning a Ferrari at the age of 30.

I later transgressed to several marques of Golf GTi’s and a couple of large engined Bavarian beasts before returning to MR2s again about five years ago. I bought my second MR2 after selling my share in a newspaper publishing business.

Needing desperately to take some time out, I planned to take a month’s trip around Europe, by MR2.

In fact a fortnight after the dyno day, the hosts, Silverstone Performance, invited myself and our technical writer at the time down to test drive their demo car sporting the TTE turbo kit, pushing out an impressive 240bhp, yet with very well engineered supporting mods which made the car feel almost OEM. When you bolt a turbo kit to Toyota’s 1.8 VVTi engine, of course with the supported mods in a chassis that is a pure delight, the car weighing in at a mere 970kg you have yourself a giant slayer, enough said!

Trawling Autotrader I soon picked up a pristine 96, Caribbean blue t-bar with black leather, which ticked all of the boxes. It also turned out to be

tpm writer gareth evans - Toyota Supra A tale of woe, hardship, Ferrari-baiting and oil smoke.

Happy days! Perhaps I should explain… I broke the Supra. Again.

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Before you begin sending donations and free parts to TPM, you should know two things. First, this isn’t the first time I’ve broken her (more on that later). Second, this was one of those rare events with a very obvious silver lining.

Following a run-in with a Ferrari California it became clear all wasn’t going according to plan. A cloud of blue smoke from the exhaust at idle and a distinctly oily smell were the clues, and it eventually became clear my Precision T61 turbo had fought its last battle.

Luckily the Fezza had already conceded the point, expensive tail firmly between legs. Turbo shopping time, then.

Hang on, I know nothing about you or your car!

OK, some history. The car started life as a twin turbo 6-speed Supra, imported in 2006 in JDM RZ spec. Since then I’ve gradually bolted on the extras, ending up with the oversteery lump-o’-fun you see before you today. This isn’t my first Supra. In fact, it’s my third performance Toyota in a row. My first was a lovely red MR2 turbo, in desirable ‘rev 3’ GTS trim. With close to 300bhp it was no slouch, but didn’t feel quite right for me. My next Toyota was bigger, had two more cylinders and another turbo. A fourth generation Supra with around 400bhp and some tasty modifications, to be

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Needless to say a few months later I was heading Northbound from London behind the wheel of a similarly engineered beast, a 220hp Haass stage II turbo conversion owned by one of the guys attending the aforementioned dyno day.

Over three years of ownership this car has been very much work in progress with more ongoing development planned to release the car’s full potential. I will go into more detail of this MR2 and my other MR2 projects issue by issue.

My Toyota, or more so MR2 story doesn’t end here, well not quite. As the Mk3 had been

precise. Unfortunately, this car met its crashbarrier shaped maker in 2005 after 6 months of ownership and one over-enthusiastic drifting issue.

I needed another car, but this time I wanted one with the fewest modifications possible. I wanted a blank canvas of sorts, so I could build a car to my own requirements. A phone call to JM Imports got the ball rolling. Three months later, my black beauty arrived on UK shores and went straight into the bodyshop. I’d decided I wanted a late-style Do Luck front bumper on the car, and a TRD spoiler was a must. I also took the chance to get the front seats trimmed in black leather, bringing the very 90s velour seats right up to date. Having JM Imports do this work for me before I flew up to Newcastle to collect the car meant significantly less hassle – but then, it seems less hassle for the customer is a company policy for Jurgen and the lads.

But why a Supra in the first place?

I want a car that can get me to the Nurburgring in comfort, scare the pants off my passengers on track and then drive home again. Simple stuff, but that’s been my remit for many years. The Supra seemed to fit the bill perfectly. I won’t mention in these hallowed pages what the alternative was (not Japanese, mad as a box of frogs and unlikely to get me to the ferry, let alone the ‘Ring).

Since then, I’ve upgraded the engine several times. I did the normal bits and bobs collectively known as BPU – basic performance upgrade - by the Supra world (removing both cats to raise the boost, installing a restrictor ring in the exhaust to keep the boost at a safe level and then fitting a fuel pump). This 400bhp [ july 2010 tpm ]

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somewhat temperamental in its original guise and was an on the road, off the road kind of ownership as modified cars often tend to be, I needed a reliable everyday car, a 93 revision 2 Mk2 turbo MR2, again in black, came along at a bargain price from a friend’s dealership, as a trade in. Engine-wise this is standard other than Blueflame exhaust, de-cat dowpipe and HKS induction, and will be staying that way. What it did come with is an aesthetically pleasing Greddy Gracer bodykit, which I’ve latterly added a set of rare Blitz Yype 03 wheels to continue the JDM theme. Again this car is a bit of a

modification is a great way to start improving a Supra, and is the most cost effective way to get some extra power. It still wasn’t enough, though.

The next level came courtesy of an ill-fated trip to Germany. I lost both turbos thanks to a dodgy HKS air filter, and also managed to blow a hole in the plastic Toyota radiator at speed, which resulted in a cracked block. New engine required. I found a good engine and got it into the car, but still hadn’t found the induction solution. Stock Supra turbos won’t flow enough air for much more than 400bhp, so off they came and on went a single, larger 61mm turbo. Still considered ‘small’ by Supra standards, believe me when I say; driving a car making 512bhp with full boost by 3800rpm is still a good way to wake you up in the morning! Yes, there’s some lag, but you’d be surprised by the responsiveness.

Full boost comes in at close to the point an OEM Supra would come fully on-song.

labour of love, more details of which I’ll share, issue by issue.

Although my love of Toyotas legendary midship continues, I’ve lived with them for quite some time now, and the need for a practical change is imminent, will it be in the form of Celica GT4, or modern day GT4, the Caldina, or even the Lexus IS200 or Altezza? I’ve not made my mind up yet, it changes daily as I see more of your cars we have in the pipeline for future features. What I am sure of though, is that it will be Toyota or Lexus badged!

So what’s next? Will the car stay N/A now?

Are you mad? I’m a certified boost junkie. After many hours of research I bought a Borg Warner SX300, known poetically as the ‘88/75 1.01AR’.

The reason I went for this specific unit isn’t simply a matter of size. Sure, it’s bigger than the T61 – it’s comparable to the HKS T04Z. However, it’s part of the new ‘Airwerks’ range that uses modern technology to give better performance than older designs. The compressor wheel has extended blade tips which effectively widen the compressor map, allowing for more airflow at higher pressures. Numbers-wise, Whifbitz recently found this turbo will produce 540bhp and 540lb/ft at 1.6 bar boost, on a totally stock, unopened Supra engine. Pretty impressive, eh?

Lee at Supra Racing Developments is currently taking care of some welding to get the turbo sitting pretty, and then she’ll be off to the dyno for mapper Ryan Griffiths to wave his wand over.

Between the two of them, there isn’t much these two don’t know about the Supra. You just have to look at either man’s personal car to see that – watch this space.

While the car is off the road I decided to go for a different look. Gone is the fibreglass front bumper, replaced with a plastic Toyota one and a lower spoiler. The reason? Going fast. Fibreglass simply doesn’t work on a car used fairly hard. I’ve also got plans to convert the lights in the dash to blue, swap out the speedo for a 220mph unit (optimism!) and fit a new stereo ready for some epic trips this summer.

She’s nearly ready… but aren’t they always?

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[ tpm staff rides ] Most of you here reading this will have an appreciation for modified cars, and will even own one yourself. They are, to coin a phrase, a labour of love which bring highs and lows of equal magnitude and frustration which seems to be never ending.

Yet, this can all be forgotten with this one, magical drive. A moment in which everything comes together, where all of the research, all of the effort, all of the money pales into the background and everything clicks.

The morning of 19th May 2010 was that moment for me. One year of bodyshop hell, followed by 2 years of research and expense culminated in my prized possesion - my MR2.

Possibly one of the most unique in the world?

It has caused me arguements, sleepless nights and of late gave many smiles. That perfect moment was the ill-fated drive to Chesterfield.

A lovely spring/summer morning where the car was working well, sounding great and attracting a lot of attention. Full tank, new fluids after a fresh service and a potter down the motorway and a meander through the South Yorkshire lanes gave me the best drives I can remember in that car for a very long time - and I was on my way to have it improved.

It was so nice driving that we never made good time, due to enjoying the scenary, surroundings and aural accompaniment from the engine. On arrival, we were parched, from the 2 hours driving. I was still smiing though, and loving the attention that my car was getting, even from the chaps at the Rolling Road.

But, we were late and went to get a drink - it was the cars last journey. On leaving, we looked for shops/mini markets to get some soft drinks in and nothing was found, we did a U-Turn and headed back, approaching a bend, I lifted off to apply the brakes, but the throttle stuck, hitting the brakes provided more load and the turbo came in and we were accelerating. By the time I’d hit the clutch it was too late and we couldn’t make the bend in the road. The result?

Front three quarter impact with the grassbank, bouncing off over to the other side and a pirouette, leaving us lying across the road, with the car destroyed. 3 years work undone in 10 seconds, and it was nobody’s fault. A real low point and undescribeably unfair, but to coin a phrase: These things are sent to test us.

At the time of writing, that was 3 weeks ago, and I’m concluding the dealings with the underwriters. I’ll keep you all posted on this my thread on the site and will follow up on here as and when I hear news.

I still feel a little surreal about the whole event, but it’s done. There’s nothing I can do to change it now, so it’s just a case of getting on with it. So, where do we stand? I am going to buy the car back from the insurance, which is both good and bad really. I didn’t really want to ever see the car again, but in saying that, I

tpm art/features editor mark thorpe - Toyota MR2

Back in March 2006 I finally got my driver licence, after deciding that despite my lengthy continuing university career, I was better off spending my hard earned cash on something useless rather than on pints of Stella and greasy 3am takeout food. The week after getting my licence, I’d found a nice black ‘97 Celica which ticked all the boxes and also a Zircon blue Mk2 MR2 T-bar that looked good. Now, with this being my first car, and me being perhaps a little bit ambitious, I opted for the rear wheel drive, two-seater sports car over the FWD coupe.

I never looked back! Granted, numerous garage repairs and an engine swap later, I had spent more than I ever could on Stella and kebabs (...a challenge??) but my little MR2 project had grown leaps and bounds allowing my step dad and I to have something to work on together which I guess was something we had never had the opportunity to do before. It had given me a fairly sturdy background knowledge of the workings of Toyota’s best and through 88

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the club scene had introduced me to not only many new friends, but had also “roped me” into my current Sub-Editor position at our sister publication, MR2 Only Magazine.

However, as with all good things, they need to come to an end. Despite my car running well, I felt it was time to move on to something a bit newer – something that retained the fun aspect of the Mk2 MR2, while rattling less and generally feeling more ‘fresh’.

There was of course only one choice. With my ties to the club scene and the magazine, it would have been a crime to have moved elsewhere, so it was time to hunt for another MR2, this time in Roadster form. I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan of the Roadster aesthetically, but as with my previous project, I knew that wouldn’t be an issue.

My journey to Roadster ownership took me 500 miles down south, somewhere outside London, where a silver Roadster sat parked on the road waiting for me. It had a claimed

For W

10k miles on a 2000 plate – I thought it was too good to be true, but having talked to the owner over the phone the day before, I was assured that I was travelling down south to buy a nearly-new piece of hardware.

I was wrong. In fact, not only was I wrong about the miles, but it was clear that this car had been abused.

Setting aside the worrying engine rattle, the odd missing chunk in the interior was also something to be concerned about – Jap-car eating dog perhaps? Either way, this was clearly not the day to re-enter into MR2 ownership. A wasted trip some may say, but at least it taught me that I might have to wait a bit for the right car.

The next day I headed off down to a town literally 20 miles from where I was the day before, to view another car (ok ok...so when I said I might have to wait, I may have been exaggerating!). This time however, I had done my research! The car had 37k miles on the clock – a very nice number for a 2001 UK model. The [ july 2010 tpm ]

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[ tpm staff rides ]

tpm sub editor john gaskell - Toyota Supra

do want to recoup some more of my sizeable outlay! This, I guess is the real low point of modified cars.

The real high in this is the spirit shown within the Toyota community. Everyone has been very kind with their wishes and offers of good rolling shells for the car to re-shelled into, but my time with MR2’s is done. That’s including people I’ve never heard of, let alone met getting int ouch with well wishes, parts, offers of assistsance. It really lifts your spirits and makes you realise that there are some very decent people out there. The community we have is truly the high point in the modified car scene.

The current situation is that the figures are agreed a figure and the payment is going through with the car being transported to Woodsport for breaking down in to it’s component parts. Hopefully, I should have a decent amount to sell on, so some people will get some nice bargains.

As for the car, it won’t be re-shelled, it’s time to move to something else. Toyota, obviously...

And I know hear you say “Well, what about the Supra”, well, that will always be getting some attention, but I’ll discuss that in issue two!

[ tpm staff rides ]

For me, it needed to be an MR2. Why, you ask?

Well let’s briefly run through where I began...

Roadster in question was yellow, so not something I had really thought about, but paint is only temporary so this wasn’t an issue.

There were a few little extras that made this car perfect for my project, along with the fact that [ july 2010 tpm ]

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the owner was very well known within the MR2 community and thus I knew the car had been looked after!

The setting for our eleventh-hour viewing was a large twin garage,

allowing us plenty of space for a proper walk-around. The owner and I took a lengthy tour around the car: the refurbished OEM wheels, while being standard, were flawless. The paint had seen better days in places though with a respray in mind I knew this wasn’t an issue. The engine was great too – not even the slightest rattle. As we went over the car, the owner talked me through how everything worked, from the convertible roof to the car stereo; I knew at this point I was going to be driving home in this little yellow car within the hour!

A few days later and I’d had time to get an insight into the car itself. This under-rated little Roadster offered various things that my old Mk2 couldn’t – it felt like a go-kart for one! The handling was simply fantastic, offering utmost confidence while still being exciting.

Despite not being the fastest car on the road (or on my street...), the combination of low weight and general driving

characteristics meant this little car could hold its weight against most other 4-wheeled Jap creations.

I won’t go into detail with everything I’ve done to the car, as frankly, I’m rapidly running out of page space! To summarise: so far I’ve focussed on the aesthetics. I want my car to look good, so armed with the newest version of Photoshop I mutilated several dozen images of other peoples cars and came up with the automotive version of Frankenstein’s monster – an image of a crisp white Roadster with a front that resembles something close to Porsche’s offerings, sides that abolish the nasty “under-curve” that I was never keen on, and a rear that looked aggressive yet subtle.

My better half tells me that one day I’ll need to grow up and drive something sensible, and she’s probably right...but until then, 2 seats will always be enough!

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[ tpm staff rides ] Who needs an Aston Martin?

Ferrari? Porsche? When you can have an MR2 Roadster…….

So why does a 61 year old BMW driver decide, on a whim, to oust the luxury of such a car to squeeze an arthritic body into a Toyota MR2 Roadster?

Boredom?

The need to chase long lost youth?

The answer is yes to both.

Driving had long since lost its pleasures and was undertaken purely out of necessity, on ever busy roads with speed cameras seemingly around every corner.

tpm customer support pam/cyril bishop - Toyota MR2 Four years later and the modification bug has been and gone having tastefully modified both bumpers, not my fault of course, OK yes it was!

The dents and scratches have been removed and the bumpers have been resprayed in a remarkably similar colour. No more mods are expected or hoped for in the near future.

Would we go back to a conventional saloon car?

Not a chance! This car and our involvement in the magazines has given us a new lease of life, enabling us to attend race days, car meetings and car shows all around the UK and the odd drive around Silverstone, Mallory and Rockingham and allowing us to meet the real “stars”, MR2 owners and

enthusiasts whose knowledge and helpfulness never ceases to amaze. Friends with dirty hands now seems to be our future.

Our plans in the next couple of years? Well you never know. A trip is in our minds to travel, slowly of course, through France down towards Spain, what would be more pleasurable than sea, sunshine and an open top Roadster? The idea of this would never have been in my mind just those few short years back The temptation to change the car could possibly increase only if Toyota were to produce a new 2 seater sports car in the next couple of years but then we love what we have.

Did we know what we were getting into when we bought the Roadster? No. A chance sighting of the car being offered for sale and along with our resident expert Editor Steve off we went to inspect the silver 2 seater magnet. After the short test drive I couldn’t wait to invigorate my life and driving again and she became mine, sorry Pam!!!

I can imagine the impact that this car would have made back in the mid 1960’s with its smooth lines and lively performance on relatively clear roads, with the top down of course. The pulling power of the Roadster would not have been confined to the conventional meaning!

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[ july 2010 tpm ]

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Do you have a Toyota project underway? whether it’s a restoration or a full on crazy big power build, we’re interested to hear about it.... [ july 2010 tpm ]

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Each issue we’ll be following our readers own ongoing projects, we’re particularly interested in those who like to get stuck in themselves, and have a dabble at home. Whether you’re restoring a rust ridden classic or building a crazy 1000 bhp drag strip monster, we’re interested to hear about it.

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The MR2 Roadster is 10 years old - we celebrated by joining the French MR-S Passion Club in Alsace

While checking out the events section on Roadster Owners’ Club I noticed that Club MR-S Passion had posted an invitation asking if members wished to join them along with fellow enthusiasts in a celebration of 10 Years of the Roadster.

The list of events planned looked too good to miss……

Staying in a chalet for the three day event, having meals provided and the opportunity to drive round the stunning Alsace Region of France, taking in visits to two of my favourite vices (not the vices you are thinking of), one being the Ritter chocolate factory, the next at a winery....HEAVEN! An international attendance also made it a very interesting prospect, more so as I have difficulty

Anne’s Diary Tuesday May 11 2010 11.15am and we are packed (every orifice in the Roadster) and ready for the off. The weather is iffy but we take the top down to start off with. Later we have to put it up as it is raining but it must be noted that this is the only time for the whole holiday. At 15.25pm we arrive at the home of our trip companions Nigel and Carol and settled in for the evening.

Wednesday May 12 2010 5.00am (oh the joys!) we start for Dover. It is a frosty morning but bright and clear so we take the tops down (they will stay down for the rest of the holiday!) and enjoy the fresh air - well it wakes us up at least!

6.30am we arrive at Dover and join the queue for the ferry finding ourselves next to a group of Lotus something or others boarding at 7.30am. 11.05am we disembark at Dunkerque and so starts our real adventure. 12.00 high noon and we are off heading for Metz in fine weather. 15.25pm we enter Luxembourg and at 16.30pm we are back in France! 17.45pm we arrive at our first stop - a hotel in Metz. We find a lovely place to eat within walking distance. It is called “Crocodile” though as the ambience is trains we could not work out why!

Thursday May 13 2010 10.10am we are ready for the off again, driving on country roads so we can enjoy ourselves. It is fine weather again. 12.30pm and we stop at a small taverna for refreshments - coffee and tarte which are

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speaking the English language let alone any other but once Anne’s and my names were added Google Translate became a good friend.

As the region we were to visit dabbled a little in wine production I thought it only fitting to ask fellow wine expert (expert as in we both know how to open a bottle of wine without spilling it) Nigel (“Loadswine” on the forum …..now there’s a clue) and his wife Carol, would like to make the trip with very nice. 13.00pm it tries to rain but we keep the tops down and motor along so it doesn’t bother us, the countryside is lovely. We are actually driving through the clouds - it is really weird but a fantastic drive - have you ever seen the roads steaming??? 13.45pm we arrive at the chalets in Alsace. They are in a place called Metzeral and are in a very picturesque setting.

14.00pm the first of our foreign colleagues arrives, Edouard (cow-boo) and we are relieved to find he speaks good English (in fact he is our translator for the whole of the stay and is very much appreciated by us all). 17.30pm Cyril and his wife arrive, they are the arrangers, along with Edouard, of the stay and having said our hellos we finally get to see our chalet. It is small and basic but adequate for our purposes and we unload the groaning Roadsters. Then we go to a large ‘club-house’ to have a ‘meet and greet’. We are presented to everyone (about 20 or so people so far) and are given champagne to toast the forthcoming holiday. Also we are all given special t-shirts with the 10th anniversary printed on them AND we four are given MR-S Passion caps as well!!!!!! It is so lovely to be made so welcome. Next comes a very nice four course meal. Naturally we had bottles of wine on the table and we just had to drink them.

Friday 14 May 2010 11.00am we are off on our first arranged trip - there are 17 cars, all Roadsters bar one which is an Lotus Elise - we make an impressive convoy!!!

We drive along pretty winding roads (the sort so loved by the Roadster whoohoo) heading upwards all the time. After motoring along nicely testing out the driving abilities of everyone, we arrive at White Lake (erm it is not white?) where we gather for a picnic lunch and photos. 13.00pm and we are off again. After this we drive along more delightful roads to a chocolate factory - Ritter. Here we stop for a tour of the factory which is very interesting and then we get a drink of coffee and a taste of the lovely chocolate, followed by a chance to buy as much as we want - yummy!! We then drive happily back to our chalets arriving at 17.20pm. There is an opportunity to chill out for a while followed by an aperitif in the ’club-house’ - more wines are produced by various people and we just have to sample them.

We English are given more bottles to take home - they are so generous!!

us - this took all of ten seconds for them to decide it would be a great trip and to confirm their attendance. So MR2 Roadster Owners’ Club and the British representation for this event had doubled in strength, I hope our fellow continental Roadster owners know what they are letting themselves in for.

As on previous trips to Corfu with our club, my wife Anne kept a diary of events from beginning to end and hopefully our joint contribution will make for interesting reading. Les

Saturday 15 May 2010 9.20am after some late people (erm too much wine the night before?) join us we are finally off. We lose a few people on the way and then lose the winery but eventually we all arrive - it is a bit of an adventure! We all go in for an arranged tour which is very interesting and afterwards we gather for a tasting of three of the wines followed by an opportunity to buy wines. Next we go for a short walk to a very nice restaurant where we have another four course meal (boy are we going to get fat!) with wine again!!!! Of course the drivers can’t drink so much but us passengers can enjoy it.

We set off again and make our various ways back to Metzeral, enjoying the drive as usual. Cyril and Karine have given up their afternoon to shopping for and preparing a lasagne meal for us all which is fabulous.

Then Cyril is out at the bbq cooking sausages as well.

The whole evening is very pleasant and we spend a lot of time discussing the runs and cars and comparing notes - yes even us English manage to join in the conversations!!!

Sunday 15 May 2010 Nigel takes several of our new friends for a quick blast in his car (Woodsport V6 conversion to those who don’t know) - just to show it off you know. Then packing of the cars….shove heave it all goes in! We go for a short run to take some final photos and then it is back to the ‘club-house’ for a short chat about how much we have enjoyed the stay and how we must meet again. 15.00pm we are finally ready for the off to our tour of the Black Forest. We bid our new friends a sad adieu and are away. 16.00pm we enter Germany and at 17.15pm after a stunning drive we arrive at Bergfriede Hotel at Schonach. [ july 2010 tpm ]

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[ club scene Roadster owners Club meets MR-S Passion ] Tuesday 17 May 2010 Ah well now we have got to leave our hotel, so at 10.20am we are all packed up and ready to go. We journey up the hill to see a ski jump and take a few more photos. 11.00am we set off towards our next destination, we find a nice bit of country road to follow…..erm it eventually ends up like a cycle track and even goes over a small wooden bridge which we negotiate carefully! 13.00pm we take a short break for lunch and we are off again on the picturesque roads. 13.30pm we are back in France and motoring along nicely. 16.00pm we arrive at our B&B in Nancy after spending a little time on motorways.

17.00pm we toast our journey so far with a glass or two of red wine in our room and then we go for a Chinese ‘all-you-can-eat’ buffet.

Monday 16 May 2010 10.00am our day of touring commences. Our first stop is at Triberg where there are the highest waterfalls in Germany (well so we are told). They are magnificent and we climb over half way up them, taking photos and videos on the way. 11.45am we depart after a bit of retail therapy (well us gals deserved one chance to shop!) and at 12 noon we are posing our cars under a ski jump which is very impressive. Here we ‘meet’ a grossen bitchen who tells us not to block the road for photos hmmmmmfffff. 12.45 onwards to Titisee then Feldberg and Todtnall and Munstertal - all along very pretty roads - a nice sedate little drive. By 15.00pm we arrive at Munstertal and at 15.35pm we are heading for Botzingen and Emmendingen and finally back to Schonach where we drive round to see the biggest cuckoo clock in the area. It is on the side of a house but we are not allowed to tour inside unfortunately.

Back to our hotel briefly and out at 20.00pm for evening meal at the same restaurant as last night well it is so nice! So to bed for second and last night at Schonach.

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Wednesday 18 May 2010 9.45am we are once more packed up and ready for the off towards Reims. We are driving through pretty villages with blue skies, little white fluffy clouds, on glorious open roads with very little traffic. The roads are weird - they are very long and very straight with very little other traffic, every time we come over the top of a hill we see more road stretching out ahead.

12.30pm we find a little bar on the roadside and chill with a glass of wine and a sandwich. At 13.00pm we are off again running smoothly in the sunshine - just chilling as we drive along. 2.00pm we are in the pits!!!!!!!!!!!! At on old formula one race track, the boys just have to do a VERY fast run past and we girls video it. Onwards and at 15.00pm we arrive at Reims and park up for a stroll to the cathedral - it is very spectacular. 18.30pm we finally find our Campanille hotel after a bit of a hic up with the sat navs.

Thursday 19 May 2010 9.30am and we are ready for the last leg of our journey - to Dunkerque, but once again we take the

country roads. At 9.55am we enter Belgium and take a short stop at a breathtaking view, then onwards and we take to the motorways in order to get to Auchan in time to do some essential shopping. 14.15pm we arrive at Auchan and get a few bottles of wine (did I say a few?) - well OK then as many as we can stuff in the Roadsters!!!!!!!!!!!! At 15.00pm we are heading for the ferry - sob - the end is nigh……. At 15.30pm we are in a line waiting to board and then all of a sudden we are on the ferry. Hey ho…..watches back to British time and at 17.20pm we disembark and are back on English soil……must remember to drive on the correct side!!! 19.00pm we arrive back at Nigel and Carol’s to spend a pleasant evening reminiscing about our marvellous trip.

Friday 20 May 2010 9.15am we are ready to depart for home, in brilliant sunshine. We say a sad farewell to our wonderful companions and promise to meet again soon.

We have travelled a total of 2185 miles in wonderful company, seen marvellous sights and got so many memories. It has been magnificent and we would do it again tomorrow!!!!!!!!!

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[ club scene toyota sports car owners group of norway ]

Toyota sports car owners group of Norway meet in the town of Drammen, Norway on 16th May. Most of us Toyota owners had been waiting for this day for quite some time. Although the weather was very poor, the overall spirit of the people attending was great.

We’d had wonderful weather for the past week, but this Sunday it was pouring down with lots of rain all day but we had been a little bit foreseeing, and held the gathering on a parking lot located under a highway bridge. So at least we were a bit sheltered from the worst of the rain.

Most of the people showed up in the first hour and we were about 25-30 cars, with about 40-50 people. Some of the local guys from a Nissan club also showed up.

The cars were a good mix from MR2s, Celicas and Supras to an old Starlet and an AE 82 Corolla GT Twin cam.

Owners travelled from all over Eastern Norway, and one

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guy had even driven all the way from Stavanger. (About 500 kilometers from Drammen) All the people were very friendly, and the spirit was great. A lot of us owners got to know each other and it seemed like most of the people there made some new friends. I’d say that this was a very successful meeting, as I reckon that the meetings are mostly about the social part of owning a Toyota.

The meeting lasted about 5 hours but was a bit shortened because of the weather, mainly due to the fact that it was planned for a three hour trip around the countryside. But the trip was cancelled due to heavy rain and instead we did a shorter trip up the mountain side that lasted almost an hour.

But all in all, most of us were very satisfied with the meeting and we did have a good time! We plan to arrange another meeting some time after the summer and we hope the attending of that meeting will be even better.

Magne Cavallin

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[ club scene GT4OC fun weekend ]

GT4OC were the first club to pledge their support for TPM, so when invited along to their annual fun weekend, we thought we’d go along to show our faces and meet some of their members.

Fun weekend is an annual 3 day event hosted in the conveniently Grantham, Lincs location and attracts the members from all over the UK. The weekend kicks off with camping and socialising on the Friday, a 3

stage track event under the watchful eye of track day organisers Javelin at Barkston Heath on the Saturday, topped off with beer, barbecue and bull, yes that’s right bull, a Rodeo Bull for Saturday evening entertainment, what more could you ask for!

We turned up midday at Barkston where many owners had taken their GT4’s back to its natural habitat, the track! putting their cars through their paces on two different sprint layouts,

and a quarter miles sprint on the airfield strip. ST205 owner Otis Hayes took top place on the strip seeing a non too shabby mid 12 second run.

We took the chance to have a nosey around the impressive turnout of GT4’s and chatted and introduced ourselves to members, our resident Stig, Johnny G even donned a helmet and took a passenger lap in Louis Brook’s 350bhp ST185 as featured in this issue. I recall his words after

returning from the short sprint circuit being “now you couldn’t do that in the MR2 or Supra”!

Unfortunately we had to head home late afternoon, but members went on to enjoy an evening of frivolity followed by a karting championship on the Sunday. All in all an excellently organised event, hopefully we’ll have more time next year to be able to stick around for the duration, who knows maybe even in my own GT4!

for Celicas, Supras and MR2s

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[ tpm club profile ]

UK Starlet Club and Extreem EP was established and co setup in October 2004 by Georgius Cole aka ENZO as part of an AU UK Starlet alliance, to cater for ALL types of Starlets held within the UK and Australia.

Over that space of time UKSC has grown into a highly active owners’ club forum/ traders point for the Toyota Starlet.

We set out a mission to create an owners’ club that could offer a lot more than the majority of message board only clubs out there. We did a lot of research into the bigger active forums to see what works and what does not, and the results are what you see is the current UKSC. Within those 5 years a prime point has been to prepare for the future, some of the Starlets on the board have been out of production for almost 20 years, with that in mind you can

find any item you need to keep your Starlet away from the scrappage scheme within its club pages.

We have nurtured a full trading section where you are able to find any part for your Starlet from complete engines to all of your service items housed in one spot.

The club is very active in regards to the local meets section legendary in the Midway/ bluewater meets which consistently attract 30+ cars on every outing.

A worthy winner...

This car won the trophy for best car on the UK Starlet Club stand at Japfest 2010 due to it standing out in the crowd and definitely catching peoples’ eyes!! It has subtle modifications that suit the car perfectly and a lot of work and effort has gone in to the car which was once a standard Starlet NA. It’s a definite head turner and drew a lot of attention throughout the day and has come a long way. A definite project to keep watching for the future!

Star of Japfest Owners name - Craig Garratt Model name - Sian Harvatt

spec of car

Toyota Starlet SR, Glanza rep

Engine

Apexi N1 3”Backbox SSteel Exhaust System Corolla Mani RAM Air Filter ToyTuning ResoviourCovers

Suspension

40mm Koni Sport Suspension Front Strut Brace Rear Strut Brace Interior Floor Strut Brace Pillar strut Brace

Brakes

255mm x 22mm Vented Grooved Discs Yellow Stuff Pads Glanza Calipers Do-Luck Braided Hoses 102

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Wheels & Tyres

15” Final Speed Eraser A-Tech Alloys Maxxies 195/45x15 Black D1 Spec Wheel Nuts

Exterior

Window Tints Wind Deflectors 98Spec Rear Cluster Lights Raised Bonnet Front Rear Tow Hooks SARD Carbon Fibre Mirrors TTE Standard Spoiler JAM Carbon Eye Brows ZEP Fenders Carbon Reverse Scoop Carbon Canards Glanza Surround

Glanza Back Bumper Glanza Sideskirts Glanza 98 Bumper Glanza Bonnet Glanza Headlights Glanza Crystal Fogs

Interior

Recaro Bucket Seats Recaro Back Bench Recaro Door Cards TRD Carbon Window Switchers Console TRD Seat Belt Pads TRD Short Shifter TRD Gear Knob Carbon Fibre Dial Surround Carbon Fibre Clock Surround

Carbon Fibre Centre Console Glanza Arm Rest JDM Stickers/Sucker Decals Glanza Cup Holder Option Tuning R.P.M Gauge Option Tuning Volts Gauge Option Tuning Vacum Gauge Custom Gauge Surround JVC Headunit

Future Plans-

4EFTE engine, possible engine modifications and to run the car at 1 Bar of boost

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The Toyota Starlet in this current climate is your doorway to cheap usable turbo performance on a shoe string budget, sure you could get a cheap 2.0 WRX Turbo but the running costs on a Starlet Turbo are a lot more manageable, with a blended mix of cheap tax and insurance as well as a reliable base to work from.

This year our traders are active and will be participating in future rounds of the Toyota Sprint Series as well as breaking records in the quarter mile sprints.

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The club will always be free to use and we will never employ any Google ads on the site.

We are currently branching out our arm to cover other Toyota models out of production e.g. Corolla and future models like the Toyota IQ. It was the club’s first year this year at Japfest and the club definitely made a good impression attracting over 50 Starlets/Glanzas/na’s on the stand. This made it a brilliant day out with a brilliant atmosphere!

The next event we have planned is a Dyno day at Monster Motorsport, we then plan to do Japfest 2 and of course the UKSC favourite which is done every year with a huge turnout JAE. Next year we plan to do tracks days, rolling roads, the regular area meets and also all the big national shows.

You can join us today at www.ukstarletclub.com

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[ test drive ]

Review and photographs

by Steve Bishop

2010 facelift model Auris 1.6 SR In our bid to encapsulate every ‘Toyota in performance guise’ we felt it only right to include an offering from the current Toyota range. Toyota themselves were kind enough to transport a 2010 Auris SR to our office for us to drive and live with for the week. I knew the 1.6 130bhp was hardly going to rock my world, but what I did discover was a very nicely rounded car, with much to offer.

Launched in 2007 as a successor to the long-established Corolla, the Auris built a solid reputation for spaciousness, comfort, practicality and reliability, combined with a secure and economical performance.

The 2010 SR model we test drove is a facelift model, subtle yet distinctively different from its predecessor. The front end has undergone a transformation with redesigned headlamp clusters, bumper, grille and bonnet to project a more youthful and engaging image. The Auris has quite a broad muscular stance.

At the rear there is a stronger look, with the bumper corners extended outwards to create a “catamaran” profile.

Further SR refinements include 17-inch alloys, tinted windows, a rear spoiler and integral front fog lamps.

Despite the SR model having an adequate level of trim, personally I think Toyota could have gone a little further to give the car the sex appeal of the Honda Civic Type R for example, to attract the younger market.

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Moving inside the Auris, taking customer feedback into account, Toyota has changed the handbrake design with a new release button, a tactile, ergonomic grip, and a lower-set release position. The redesigned console has a nice clear driver friendly layout, and the newly designed seats in Tatami sport trim offer comfort and support.

Amber lit night illumination makes the instruments easy to read. The new, leather-trimmed steering wheel has a flat bottom section for extra comfort and convenience. Despite all this additional specification, the SR model costs only £500 more than the TR. Additional audio control switches are located on the wheel, together with a trip computer display button which was previously located behind the steering wheel. The Auris also boasts provision of a USB port and Aux-in socket to connect portable music players to the car’s audio system.

The switches themselves have been redesigned and repositioned for better functionality. It’s fair to say that the Auris cabin is actually quite a nice place to be.

Out on the road the driving position feels slightly elevated, yet it’s soon apparent that the ride and handling have been fine tuned on the 2nd generation Auris, with superior ride and cornering stability. The car feels just as much at home cross country as it does crunching up the motorway miles, feeling very assuring at all times.

The 130bhp 6 speed 1.6-litre Valvematic engine feels capable and torquey at maximum torque of 160Nm at just 4,400rpm, yet not exactly enthralling, I should imagine the previous 180bhp Turbo diesel model was a little more inspiring to drive, and again a nice 200bhp petrol version could have topped off the range nicely. The 6 speed gear box shifts precisely and smoothly, and the car feels very refined and composed on the motorway, making a perfect companion for a trip from the Midlands to Essex and back I needed to make during my week with the Auris.

What I did find impressive with the Auris is the use of interior space, the car has a roomy feel with great comfort for passengers and ample space for luggage. Equally impressive is the fuel economy on offer with the SR boasting a claimed 42 plus mpg on the combined cycle, and emits 153g/km of CO2.

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A Gear Shift Indicator prompts the driver to shift up or down a gear for maximum fuel efficiency. Monitoring driving conditions, vehicle speed and throttle inputs, the system can help cut consumption by between 0.5 and three per cent, depending on individual driving style.

In July this year the range of three and five-door hatchbacks will develop further to offer full hybrid technology with the new Auris HSD. Introducing Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive will make Auris a unique proposition as the first model in its class to be offered with the choice of petrol, diesel and full hybrid powertrains.

Auris HSD’s powertrain combines a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine and a 60kW electric motor powered by a 27kW nickel-metal hydride battery, generating a total system power output of 134bhp and performance to match that of a conventional 2.0-litre diesel hatchback. The technology delivers impressive fuel economy and emissions performance, with sub-100g/km CO2 output and NOx emissions significantly lower than those from diesel powered cars of comparable performance.

Moreover, when switched to EV (electric vehicle) mode, the car will produce zero CO2 and NOx tailpipe emissions, for distances of up to 1.2 miles at speeds up to 30mph. Auris HSD comfortably meets Euro 5 emissions standards and is expected to comply with future Euro 6 requirements.

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THIS CAR Auris SR 1.6 5 Door Manual COLOUR Island Blue INSURANCE GROUP (50) 16E VED BAND G CO2 EMISSIONS 154g/km ON-THE-ROAD PRICE £16,500 OPTIONS Metallic Paint: £410 TOTAL OTR PRICE £16,910 PERFORMANCE & ENGINE ENGINE TYPE Transverse 4cyl. in line DOHC 16 valve dual VVT-i Auris also plays a key role in reducing Toyota’s whole-fleet CO2 average, which, according to research by cleangreencars.co.uk, has already fallen below the EU’s target level of 130g/km, ahead of all other manufacturers.

The new Auris 2010 carries Toyota’s threeyear/60,000-mile warranty, but many of its components are designed to last more than twice as long.

0-62 MPH 10 secs TOP SPEED 121 mph DISPLACEMENT 1598 cc TRANSMISSION 6 speed manual MAX. POWER 130bhp @ 6400 rpm MAX. TORQUE 160 Nm @ 4400 rpm FUEL CONSUMPTION COMBINED 42.8 mpg URBAN 32.8 mpg EXTRA URBAN 51.4 mpg

In summary the Auris is a well rounded likeable car, and like the Corrolla before it, it’s a good, solid car, comfortable, competent and reliable and compared to it’s rivals in its class, it’s a decent choice. I just can’t help but think that the SR could of been made to be a little more exciting.

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