japanese performance 130 preview

700BHP SUPRAULTIMATE WHEEL TECH

HOT HONDAS HIT ACE CAFE

THE TOP 50(+1)JAPANESE TUNING LEGENDS

THE SEVENTHDEADLY SINJP HITS THE STRIP WITH THE PRIDEOF DCY EUROPE’S GARAGE, ITSIMMACULATE 800BHP EVO VII

JDM-INSPIRED SKYLINE R34 GT-R PACKS 750BHP

japaneseicons!

+

ECORACER

+

GET into

drifting

How to..

.

J’S RACING’S TRACK-TUNED CRZ PROVESTHAT HYBRID IS THEFUTURE FOR HOT HONDAS

revealed!

TRACKSLAYINGHYBRID

NOV ’11 £4.35No.130 www.chpltd.com

001JAP130.qxp:jap 30/9/11 15:36

24 www.japaneseperformancemagazine.co.uk

UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO DRIVE ATRACK-TUNED HONDA CR-Z THATIS! JP GETS UNDER THE SKIN OFJ’S RACING’S LATEST CIRCUITSCREAMER TO FIND OUT WHYHOT HYBRIDS POINT TO A BRIGHTFUTURE FOR HONDA FANS

Words & Pics: Dino Dalle Carbonare

It’s noteasy being

green...

024JAP130.qxp:JP 29/9/11 15:17 4

25www.japaneseperformancemagazine.co.uk

024JAP130.qxp:JP 29/9/11 15:17 Page 25


IF EVER THERE WAS A CAR TO GRACE THE PAGES OF THISSPECIAL ISSUE, IT SURELY HAS TO BE A VEILSIDE-KITTED,

BIG-POWER SUPRA – ONLY THIS STUNNING 700BHPEXAMPLE HAS A FEW FRESH TWISTS…

Words: Simon JohnstonPhotos: Matt HowellThe

iconUltimate

036JAP130.qxp:JP 9/30/11 11:39 AM Page 36


The very word ‘iconic’ is massively overusedthese days. Bastardised by oh-so-clevermarketing bods in their quest for

repurposing proper English for jargon-esebuzzwords, everything from coffee makers totrainers and laptops is described by itsmanufacturer as ‘iconic’. It really grinds mygears as a rule, but certainly in the Japanesetuning world, if one car could ever be rightlydescribed as iconic, it would have to be theMkIV Toyota Supra.

Ever since its launch in 1993 (althoughdevelopment stretches back into the late 1980sas Toyota was very serious about the launch ofits ass-kicking flagship performance car), thiswas always destined to be a model that lived onthroughout the decades.

With a design team led by Isao Tsuzuki – theman who cut his teeth on the previous twogenerations of MR2 – advanced CAD techniqueswere used to shape the MkIV, as well as somefairly extreme diet techniques when faced withthe latest safety concerns. Although basedloosely on the SC (Soarer) chassis, this was tobe a technological and developmental tour deforce for the manufacturer. And the twin-turboversion was little short of a revelation.

Tsuzuki told Car & Driver magazine in the USat the launch: 'We conceived the 1993 Supra asa race car that could be enjoyed and driven withconfidence on streets and highways.'

Contemporary reports suggest he washamstrung over the design by such things asthe insistence of the board of directors toinclude things such as dual airbags and acatalytic convertor, but he found his own waysaround these to provide a car that as he insists comprised, ‘spirit and sex appeal inequal amounts’.

Receiving positive reviews from every roadtester who climbed behind the wheel – the NewYork Times, for example, said: ‘To say the car isfast, is like saying Pavarotti sings songs. TheSupra Turbo is blindingly, wildly fast.’ – it wasn’tlong before the aftermarket world got itscollective hands on the new car and really went to town.

Every top tuning house had their own take atthe 1994 Tokyo Auto Salon – the world’s meccafor the hottest aftermarket mods. Predictably, theland of the Rising Sun’s finest at the time,Veilside, took the Grand Prize in the ‘CompleteCar’ category with its wild, swooping ‘C-1’ (orCombat) model. That very kit is what graces thestunning example you see here.

As Jurgen Vallons, head-honcho at JM-Imports, told Japanese Performance: ‘Suprasare the cars we get the most requests for, by amile. People want reliable, tuneable imports andyou don’t get better than Supras. I love them aswell. They have so much potential. Exampleswith genuine Veilside parts are always worth

the supra’s 2jz-gte motor is a truework of over-engineered art.capable of truly astronomicalpower figures from relatively minorbolt-on upgrades, it’s a truejapanese icon all by itself. we’re even hearing rumours ofsupras making over 900bhp onstock internals! blimey!!

036JAP130.qxp:JP 9/30/11 11:40 AM Page 37


042JAP130.qxp:JP 9/26/11 11:45 AM Page 42

43

TuningJapanese

BY STICKING TO A STRICT PLAN OF ONLYUSING THE HIGHEST QUALITY JAPANESE

PARTS, ASLAM PARVEZ HAS CREATED ONE OFTHE UK’S BEST AND MOST UNIQUE R34 GT-RS

Words & Pics: Dan Sherwood

www.japaneseperformancemagazine.co.uk

The Gran Turismo computer gamefranchise has a lot to answer for. Orshould I say, be thanked for? You see,

before Kazunori Yamauchi launched hisglobally worshipped driving game to themasses, there were only a handful of die-hardJapanese car nuts that had heard of theSkyline GT-R. However, after the goggle-eyedgamers unlocked the techno-masterpiece inthe game’s virtual garage and got a taste ofthe car’s stratospheric capabilities – albeit onlyin polygons and pixels – the Skyline became,not just a cult car, but a household name.

Import specialist Aslam Parvez of HighPerformance in Birmingham got his first tasteof Skyline performance back in 1997, and ittransformed his perception of what aperformance car should be.

‘I used to be into German cars,’ saysAslam, or Arthur as he is know to his mates,‘I’d had loads of them, ranging from cars likethe BMW E34 M5 to a Porsche 993 twinturbo. They were what I classed asperformance cars. Japanese cars had neverreally floated my boat – until I had a ride in aSkyline that is…’

042JAP130.qxp:JP 9/26/11 11:45 AM Page 43


056JAP130.qxp:JP 30/9/11 12:36 Page 56


flying machine

Words: Matt shaw Pics: Dan Sherwood

In the pursuit of the perfect handling car, Barrie'sEvo pays homage to the ultimate forged wheels.Coming in at a forum-pleasing 11.5in in width and18in in diameter, the ultra light Volk CE28s are thelightest fully forged wheels in the Rays range.Barrie's also teamed the range-topping rims with aset of Toyo's super sticky R888 semi-slick race tyresand has gone for a Skyline offset to improve thetraction. Rocking wheels this wide lead ontoneeding wider rear arches too, but from looking atthat stance, it's safe to say it was definitelyworth the extra effort

Mean, Clean,

BARRIE RYCROFT'S 800BHP EVO VII IS A WORK OF AUTOMOTIVEART. FAST ENOUGH TO DISTORT YOUR FACIAL FEATURES, YET

CLEAN ENOUGH TO EAT YOUR DINNER OFF. SO JUST HOW DO YOUGO ABOUT BUILDING SOMETHING SO DAMN PERFECT?

056JAP130.qxp:JP 30/9/11 12:37 Page 57


Hondas have always been a big part ofthe Japanese scene, especiallyCivics, which seem to have found a

place as Jap fans’ number one hot hatch.However, unlike many other hot hatcheswhich have fallen foul of over-styling andunder-powering, Honda fans seem to besuper switched on to the current trendsand are churning out quality rides thatpack both presence and punch. One of theexponents leading the charge of the Civicbrigade is Reading-based Hondaspecialists Endless Horizon. The smallthree-man team has years of experience intuning Hondas and is bang on the moneywhen it comes to styling too. Specialisingin turbo conversions, full rebuilds andawesome engine conversions, with brightpainted engine bays and wire and brakeline tucks, you can spot an EndlessHorizon customer from a mile away –

THE HONDA BOYS FROM READING PUTON A SHOW AT NORTH LONDON’S ACECAFE AS PART OF THEIR ANNUALCOMPANY MEET. JP WAS THERE TOCHECK OUT THE ACTION

ENDLESSHORIZON MEET AT ACE CAFE

Words & Pics:

Dan Sherwood

080JAP130.qxp:JP 9/30/11 1:21 PM Page 80


especially when they open up the bonnet and thetrue work of art is revealed! So to give all their morethan satisfied customers a chance to show off theirrides to other like-minded modders, EndlessHorizon hold an annual meet at the North Londonautomotive hot spot, the Ace Cafe. With the draw ofcheesy chips and more drool-worthy Honda-badged metal than you can shake a particularly bigstick at, it was too much of a temptation to resist,so Japanese Performance jumped in at the deep end.

There’s something about evening meets that justfeels right. Meeting up with mates andperformance-hungry onlookers as the sun dipsbelow the horizon is just a true rite of passage foranyone with a modified ride. The Ace Café playshost to a number of modified events throughout the

stance and style was the orderof the day at the endlesshorizon meet at the ace. legionsof decked civics and integras,both old and not so old linedup to receive the admiration ofthe chilled out crowd. The bestbit though, was that almostevery car was packing someserious power too!

080JAP130.qxp:JP 9/30/11 1:21 PM Page 81

Drifting done properly is an art form. A seamless transition ofsliding the car through a corner, while creating as muchsmoke as possible, feathering the power perfectly and then

flipping the car back the other way as you enter the next turn.While the pros out there make it look like a walk in the park, it'snot something that a mere mortal can just pick up, as we're suremany a dented rim or battered kerb can vouch. We can, however,give you an insight into what's involved in drifting, where you canpractice and how much your wallet's going to be affected,hopefully giving you the knowledge to ride (or drift) off into thesunset like a kid who's just taken off his stabilisers.

Getting startedAs with drag racing, getting into drifting at entry level is a piece ofcake, and even if you don't own a car capable of drifting, you canstill get in on the action and learn the techniques. If you do own adriftable rear-wheel drive car, then once again, places like SantaPod, Arena Essex and North Weald are your friend, as they runDrift What Ya Brung days and practice sessions on mostweekends throughout the year. Tuition is also available at the Podif you're really not that comfortable and need a helping hand withlearning how to get the back out. If you don't have a car yourself,then the good news is that there are still plenty of places that willteach you and even lend out their cars. Check outdriftracing.co.uk or log on to the forum at Driftworks.co.uk wherethere's loads of friendly advice on how you can get started.

What do I need? If you're just looking at Drift What Ya Brung Days, then the mainthing you're going to need is tyres, and plenty of them. A lot ofbeginners tend to go for part-worn tyres, as they're pretty cheapand it's not going to matter too much when you scrub the hell outof them. It may also be worth asking your local tyre fitters if theyhave anything suitable that would otherwise be put on the bonfire.Other than tyres,you obviously need a jack, wheel brace andanything else needed to change your wheels (don't forget thatlocking wheel nut), but Santa Pod always has someone on handto change over tyres for just £5 per wheel, they will also get rid ofyour destroyed tyres too for a small fee of £2 per tyre. When youup your game, safety will become a priority, and you must firstadhere to the full list of rules and regulations that are in place foreach organisation. Usually they will involve details of safetyequipment, acceptable rollcage designs and how to competewithout putting others at danger. The EDC, BDC and Drift Allstarswill all require specific licenses to complete as well and, withthem, will come an added license fee.


WORDS: matt shaw, pics: dan sherwood

SLIDING SIDEWAYS IS SOMETHINGTHAT MOST OF US ASSOCIATEWITH THE MOMENT JUST BEFOREWE HEAR THE HORRIBLE SOUNDOF OUR CAR PLOUGHING THROUGHA HEDGE, BUT FOR DRIFTERS, IT’SJUST ANOTHER DAY AT THEOFFICE. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN GETINVOLVED IN THE ACTION TOO

Drifting

Getinto...

100JAP130.qxp:JP 9/30/11 11:36 AM Page 100


HistoryAlthough some will claim that drifting was invented in England back in the 1980sby some guy with a 3.0-litre Capri, drifting as we know it today probably hascloser links to the form of racing originating from Japan. Back in the 1970s, aracing driver cum motorcycling legend, by the name of Kunimitsu Takashi, startedusing groundbreaking techniques to get the rear of his car travelling in theopposite direction to the front wheels making it drift and keeping a fast exit speedwhile still negotiating a corner. He used this technique successfully for years in theAll Japan Touring Car Series and it helped him to scoop many championships inthe discipline. These techniques were later adopted by Keiichi Tsuchiya, aka the‘Drift King’ who practiced the style on the mountain roads of Japan for years untilfinally in 1987 he hit fame appearing in several magazine articles and videos.Alongside Option Tuning magazine founder Daijiro Inada, he organised the firstever D1 Grand Prix event that later became, and still is, the basis for driftchampionships held throughout the world.

UK driftpracticevenuesSanta PodNorthantsWebsite: www.santapod.co.uk

Arena EssexEssexWebsite: www.arena-essex-raceway.co.uk

North WealdEssexWebsite: www.northwealdairfield.org

Norfolk ArenaNorfolkWebsite: www.norfolkarena.co.uk

Mallory ParkLeicestershireWebsite: www.mallorypark.co.uk

Oulton ParkCheshireWebsite: www.driftone.co.uk

Buxton RacewayBuxtonWebsite: www.driftone.co.uk

100JAP130.qxp:JP 9/30/11 11:36 AM Page 101

japanese performance 130 preview

Documents

new car

flagship performance

car driver magazine

asa race car

word iconic

launch ofits ass

design team

tuning house