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to... How into JDM-INSPIRED GET ing
SKYLINE R34 GT-R PACKS 750BHP
drift
ECORACER J’S RACING’S TRACKTUNED CRZ PROVES THAT HYBRID IS THE FUTURE FOR HOT HONDAS
TRACK SLAYING HYBRID
+ +
700BHP SUPRA ULTIMATE WHEEL TECH HOT HONDAS HIT ACE CAFE
NOV ’11 £4.35 No.130 www.chpltd.com
japanese icons!
ealed! THE TOP 50(+1) revJAPANESE TUNING LEGENDS
THE SEVENTH DEADLY SIN JP HITS THE STRIP WITH THE PRIDE OF DCY EUROPE’S GARAGE, ITS IMMACULATE 800BHP EVO VII
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Words & Pics: Dino Dalle Carbonare
It’s not easy being
green... UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO DRIVE A TRACK-TUNED HONDA CR-Z THAT IS! JP GETS UNDER THE SKIN OF J’S RACING’S LATEST CIRCUIT SCREAMER TO FIND OUT WHY HOT HYBRIDS POINT TO A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR HONDA FANS
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The
Words: Simon Johnst on Photos: Matt How ell
Ultimate icon
IF EVER THERE WAS A CAR TO GRACE THE PAGES OF THIS SPECIAL ISSUE, IT SURELY HAS TO BE A VEILSIDE-KITTED, BIG-POWER SUPRA – ONLY THIS STUNNING 700BHP EXAMPLE HAS A FEW FRESH TWISTS…
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T
he very word ‘iconic’ is massively overused these days. Bastardised by oh-so-clever marketing bods in their quest for repurposing proper English for jargon-ese buzzwords, everything from coffee makers to trainers and laptops is described by its manufacturer as ‘iconic’. It really grinds my gears as a rule, but certainly in the Japanese tuning world, if one car could ever be rightly described as iconic, it would have to be the MkIV Toyota Supra. Ever since its launch in 1993 (although development stretches back into the late 1980s as Toyota was very serious about the launch of its ass-kicking flagship performance car), this was always destined to be a model that lived on throughout the decades. With a design team led by Isao Tsuzuki – the man who cut his teeth on the previous two generations of MR2 – advanced CAD techniques were used to shape the MkIV, as well as some fairly extreme diet techniques when faced with the latest safety concerns. Although based loosely on the SC (Soarer) chassis, this was to be a technological and developmental tour de force for the manufacturer. And the twin-turbo version was little short of a revelation. Tsuzuki told Car & Driver magazine in the US at the launch: 'We conceived the 1993 Supra as a race car that could be enjoyed and driven with confidence on streets and highways.'
Contemporary reports suggest he was hamstrung over the design by such things as the insistence of the board of directors to include things such as dual airbags and a catalytic convertor, but he found his own ways around these to provide a car that as he insists comprised, ‘spirit and sex appeal in equal amounts’. Receiving positive reviews from every road tester who climbed behind the wheel – the New York Times, for example, said: ‘To say the car is fast, is like saying Pavarotti sings songs. The Supra Turbo is blindingly, wildly fast.’ – it wasn’t long before the aftermarket world got its collective hands on the new car and really went to town. Every top tuning house had their own take at the 1994 Tokyo Auto Salon – the world’s mecca for the hottest aftermarket mods. Predictably, the land of the Rising Sun’s finest at the time, Veilside, took the Grand Prize in the ‘Complete Car’ category with its wild, swooping ‘C-1’ (or Combat) model. That very kit is what graces the stunning example you see here. As Jurgen Vallons, head-honcho at JMImports, told Japanese Performance: ‘Supras are the cars we get the most requests for, by a mile. People want reliable, tuneable imports and you don’t get better than Supras. I love them as well. They have so much potential. Examples with genuine Veilside parts are always worth
the supra’s 2jz-gte motor is a true work of over-engineered art. capable of truly astronomical power figures from relatively minor bolt-on upgrades, it’s a true japanese icon all by itself. we’re even hearing rumours of supras making over 900bhp on stock internals! blimey!!
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Tuning
Japanese BY STICKING TO A STRICT PLAN OF ONLY USING THE HIGHEST QUALITY JAPANESE PARTS, ASLAM PARVEZ HAS CREATED ONE OF THE UK’S BEST AND MOST UNIQUE R34 GT-RS
Words & Pics: Dan Sherwood
T
he Gran Turismo computer game franchise has a lot to answer for. Or should I say, be thanked for? You see, before Kazunori Yamauchi launched his globally worshipped driving game to the masses, there were only a handful of die-hard Japanese car nuts that had heard of the Skyline GT-R. However, after the goggle-eyed gamers unlocked the techno-masterpiece in the game’s virtual garage and got a taste of the car’s stratospheric capabilities – albeit only in polygons and pixels – the Skyline became, not just a cult car, but a household name. Import specialist Aslam Parvez of High Performance in Birmingham got his first taste of Skyline performance back in 1997, and it transformed his perception of what a performance car should be. ‘I used to be into German cars,’ says Aslam, or Arthur as he is know to his mates, ‘I’d had loads of them, ranging from cars like the BMW E34 M5 to a Porsche 993 twin turbo. They were what I classed as performance cars. Japanese cars had never really floated my boat – until I had a ride in a Skyline that is…’
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Words: Matt shaw Pics: Dan Sherwoo d
, n a e l C , n a e M flying machine BARRIE RYCROFT'S 800BHP EVO VII IS A WORK OF AUTOMOTIVE ART. FAST ENOUGH TO DISTORT YOUR FACIAL FEATURES, YET CLEAN ENOUGH TO EAT YOUR DINNER OFF. SO JUST HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT BUILDING SOMETHING SO DAMN PERFECT?
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In the pursuit of the perfect handling car, Barrie's Evo pays homage to the ultimate forged wheels. Coming in at a forum-pleasing 11.5in in width and 18in in diameter, the ultra light Volk CE28s are the lightest fully forged wheels in the Rays range. Barrie's also teamed the range-topping rims with a set of Toyo's super sticky R888 semi-slick race tyres and has gone for a Skyline offset to improve the traction. Rocking wheels this wide lead onto needing wider rear arches too, but from looking at that stance, it's safe to say it was definitely worth the extra effort
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ENDLESS HORIZON
MEET AT
ACE CAFE
THE HONDA BOYS FROM READING PUT ON A SHOW AT NORTH LONDON’S ACE CAFE AS PART OF THEIR ANNUAL COMPANY MEET. JP WAS THERE TO CHECK OUT THE ACTION
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H
ondas have always been a big part of the Japanese scene, especially Civics, which seem to have found a place as Jap fans’ number one hot hatch. However, unlike many other hot hatches which have fallen foul of over-styling and under-powering, Honda fans seem to be super switched on to the current trends and are churning out quality rides that pack both presence and punch. One of the exponents leading the charge of the Civic brigade is Reading-based Honda specialists Endless Horizon. The small three-man team has years of experience in tuning Hondas and is bang on the money when it comes to styling too. Specialising in turbo conversions, full rebuilds and awesome engine conversions, with bright painted engine bays and wire and brake line tucks, you can spot an Endless Horizon customer from a mile away –
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stance and style was the order of the day at the endless horizon meet at the ace. legions of decked civics and integras, both old and not so old lined up to receive the admiration of the chilled out crowd. The best bit though, was that almost every car was packing some serious power too!
especially when they open up the bonnet and the true work of art is revealed! So to give all their more than satisfied customers a chance to show off their rides to other like-minded modders, Endless Horizon hold an annual meet at the North London automotive hot spot, the Ace Cafe. With the draw of cheesy chips and more drool-worthy Hondabadged metal than you can shake a particularly big stick 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 just feels right. Meeting up with mates and performance-hungry onlookers as the sun dips below the horizon is just a true rite of passage for anyone with a modified ride. The Ace CafÊ plays host to a number of modified events throughout the
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Get ... into
WORDS: matt shaw, pics: dan sherwood
Drifting
SLIDING SIDEWAYS IS SOMETHING THAT MOST OF US ASSOCIATE WITH THE MOMENT JUST BEFORE WE HEAR THE HORRIBLE SOUND OF OUR CAR PLOUGHING THROUGH A HEDGE, BUT FOR DRIFTERS, IT’S JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED IN THE ACTION TOO
D
rifting done properly is an art form. A seamless transition of sliding the car through a corner, while creating as much smoke 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's not something that a mere mortal can just pick up, as we're sure many a dented rim or battered kerb can vouch. We can, however, give you an insight into what's involved in drifting, where you can practice and how much your wallet's going to be affected, hopefully giving you the knowledge to ride (or drift) off into the sunset like a kid who's just taken off his stabilisers.
Getting started
As with drag racing, getting into drifting at entry level is a piece of cake, and even if you don't own a car capable of drifting, you can still get in on the action and learn the techniques. If you do own a driftable rear-wheel drive car, then once again, places like Santa Pod, Arena Essex and North Weald are your friend, as they run Drift What Ya Brung days and practice sessions on most weekends throughout the year. Tuition is also available at the Pod if you're really not that comfortable and need a helping hand with learning 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 will teach you and even lend out their cars. Check out driftracing.co.uk or log on to the forum at Driftworks.co.uk where there'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 main thing you're going to need is tyres, and plenty of them. A lot of beginners tend to go for part-worn tyres, as they're pretty cheap and it's not going to matter too much when you scrub the hell out of them. It may also be worth asking your local tyre fitters if they have anything suitable that would otherwise be put on the bonfire. Other than tyres,you obviously need a jack, wheel brace and anything else needed to change your wheels (don't forget that locking wheel nut), but Santa Pod always has someone on hand to change over tyres for just £5 per wheel, they will also get rid of your destroyed tyres too for a small fee of £2 per tyre. When you up your game, safety will become a priority, and you must first adhere to the full list of rules and regulations that are in place for each organisation. Usually they will involve details of safety equipment, acceptable rollcage designs and how to compete without putting others at danger. The EDC, BDC and Drift Allstars will all require specific licenses to complete as well and, with them, will come an added license fee.
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History
Although some will claim that drifting was invented in England back in the 1980s by some guy with a 3.0-litre Capri, drifting as we know it today probably has closer links to the form of racing originating from Japan. Back in the 1970s, a racing driver cum motorcycling legend, by the name of Kunimitsu Takashi, started using groundbreaking techniques to get the rear of his car travelling in the opposite direction to the front wheels making it drift and keeping a fast exit speed while still negotiating a corner. He used this technique successfully for years in the All Japan Touring Car Series and it helped him to scoop many championships in the 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 until finally in 1987 he hit fame appearing in several magazine articles and videos. Alongside Option Tuning magazine founder Daijiro Inada, he organised the first ever D1 Grand Prix event that later became, and still is, the basis for drift championships held throughout the world.
UK drift practice venues Santa Pod
Northants Website: www.santapod.co.uk
Arena Essex Essex Website: www.arena-essexraceway.co.uk
North Weald Essex Website: www.northwealdairfield.org
Norfolk Arena Norfolk Website: www.norfolkarena.co.uk
Mallory Park Leicestershire Website: www.mallorypark.co.uk
Oulton Park Cheshire Website: www.driftone.co.uk
Buxton Raceway Buxton Website: www.driftone.co.uk
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