Prologue to TAS Singapore 2013
If you have never heard of Tokyo Auto Salon, then I guess you’ve been living on another planet (and probably reading the wrong blog). Annually, literally thousands from around the world descend upon the halls of the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo in January, for what is best described as a religious visit for all car lovers. Well, I guess miracles do happen because the mega motoring event is coming to sunny Singapore, and we are upon the final home stretch, as it open its doors this weekend to much fanfare, excitement and anticipation. The venue of this event will be held at the prestigious Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Hall A to C on level 1, from the 12 to 14 April 2013 from 10am till 10pm. Tickets can be purchased online (http://www.tokyoautosalon.com.sg/ticket_info.html) for overseas visitors but fret not as there will be an official ticketing booth at the event site as well. Here is the answer to some FAQs, http://bit.ly/16AqavD
Here’s a sneak preview of what are we going to expect from this weekend of motoring madness.
These are actual images of the loading of demo vehicles heading over to the Tokyo Auto Salon Singapore show. Here you see the gorgeous red Abflug & PentRoof Aloof 01-R version 2 GT-R along with the iconic hardcore racing Spoon NSX-R GT being carefully loaded onto the flatbed tow trucks.
The legend is real. See this super wide GT-R up close and be awe struck.
Powerhouse Amuse will be sending their famous wide body GT1 s2000 to satisfy the Honda and naturally aspirated supporters.
The recently completed Varis wide body kit for the Nissan GT-R will make it’s debut appearance outside of Japan with it’s menacing presence.
No prizes for guessing which gold colored Japanese tuner will be on show with their Toyota86 and GT-Rs. It’s Top Secret. Oops.
The radical exterior face lift from RE-Amemiya with their Super NA7 will ‘brap brap brap’ their way into rotary supporters hearts.
Besides the Japanese tuner cars, there will also be a massive auto styling competition that will take place within the halls itself. Do cast your vote for your favorite car and you may walk away with some fabulous prizes from the organizer! And what is a car show without the lovely race queens?
The lovely Ms Saki Tachibana, winner of the Japan Race Queen Grand prize 2011, will be part of a carefully selected ensemble of authentic Japanese race queens called the J-Girls, that will serve to add that extra bit of excitement apart from the show cars.
J-Girls will be making rounds for shutterbugs to capture their beauty and charm when the event starts this Friday.
Another show stopper is the performance by Japan’s favorite otaku killing group, AKB48. Their sell out mini concerts and chart topping music, are proof of their amazing popularity with stellar live performances to show rapport with their fans. Make sure you get your tickets fast as we heard that they are flying out of the sales counters as we type this. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
We cannot hide our anticipation for what will probably be the best car show in Singapore for 2013, and fear not, as we will be covering the event in full should you not be able to attend.
Stay tuned.
Images courtesy of Tokyo Auto Salon Singapore
MegaLap 2012
With the goal to be Asia’s fastest NA street trim race car, the recently four time crowned champion of the Time To Attack series at Sepang, was ready to prove it’s credentials once again. They took part in the MegaLap time attack competition held at the unforgiving J Circuit or affectionately known as Pasir Gudang circuit in Johor Bahru and broke records with a blistering quick lap time of 1 minute 44.861 seconds last weekend. On that note, The Street Culture extends our heartiest congratulations to our race car partner – Team Kazama Autoworks, powered by M7 – DRIVE, as they have officially set the fastest ever recorded NA street car category lap time for the circuit. The benchmark timing that was set, was nearly a full 4 seconds ahead of the next competing car for both categories that they competed in. To racers, that ‘mere’ 4 seconds, extends into an eternity of a lead to chase after, and that’s just how good the entire Team Kazama Autoworks team was on race day.
As we drove up to the ageing Johor Circuit, notorious for their high-speed corners and ever changing terrain, it’s now known more of a venue for affordable night sprints to see who can have bragging rights for the moment, to quick fixes for track junkies if the FIA certified professional track of Sepang proves to be too much of a journey and hassle. But this time, it was a properly organized time attack event by Hyrax Oil and by now, I’m sure our readers know about our sick little obsession and mad love for race prepped time attacking track monsters in whatever make or state of tune they are at.
As we pulled up to the car park with gravel and mud camouflaging our TSC (The Street Culture) GT-R35, we were liking what we were seeing as we searched for a ‘prime’ lot (read: away from all cars or even things!) to rest our very own monster. As the skies had poured earlier during the morning open track day session, the short walk towards to the track entrance was a bit of a mixed emotion. The muddy surface with loose gravel made us unwillingly do moonwalks and shuffling as we tried to get to solid ground. The grey skies with bone chilling wind didn’t help matters too. But the silver lining was that we were being surrounded by deliciously built cars by the enthusiasts that had come to witness a lap history being set, as well as to soak in the atmosphere of the participating race cars and event.
Our unanimous vote and award goes to this pristine condition striking red Nissan BNR33 that just screamed at us like how I always ‘accidentally’ walk into the ladies locker room at the gym that I frequent with wet skinned sweet young things screaming unprintable human body part references at me. While we were unable to confirm whether it was a genuine GT-R or a GTS-T, it still was our favorite appetizer for the main event. Our steps turned to brisk walking as we decided to get to the pits before the heavens decide to spit at us for fantasizing about other people’s ‘wives’, in this case, we strictly meant the cars okay!
Our extended TSC crew of Benjamin, Lumz & the lovely Ann wasted no time in splitting up to find what we could feature in our coverage as the exhilarating sounds of straight through exhaust notes, screeching tyres, wailing external wastegates and the unmistakable VTEC red line kicking in welcomed us into Pasir Gudang. I was eager to start snapping away but where do I start? I surveyed the ground to see my crew hard at work as Benjamin was trying his best to find out if there were any MegaLap race queens on duty willing to do an exclusive one on one, super private, behind closed (and locked) doors, on the sofa interview, while Lumz was busy queueing up for the behind the scenes true story of race day hot Ramly burgers with extra sauce and the limit to a human body’s maximum capacity to fill it with them and lastly our pretty Ann, who was mostly running away nonstop from never ending strangers asking for her mobile number, facebook account and even home address (one guy even wanted her used tissue!), had me close to tears for their utmost dedication to their work.
I love my crew.
As the time attack event was going full steam ahead, a part of the participating race cars were on the track so I had to be quick and catch whatever I could that were either prepping for their turn or were in different stages of tune or repairs. The loud bassy rumble of a large V8 turned my focus and there was this sexy red stock looking BMW E92 M3 that was pulling back into the pits from it’s try at the track. It was one of the few European exotics that was trying it’s hand at taking down the reputation of being the fastest of the day to be made solely theirs.
Up next was this modified wide bodied TOMS kitted Toyota MR2 that looked right at home at the race track or it could even win a couple of honors at a car show too. The dark skies couldn’t over shadow the gleaming yellow paintwork that looked stunningly fast even when the car was at rest.
Just as I was ogling at the original TOMS air intake that audaciously steals gobs of air from the roof of the car and the carefully modified Varis carbon fibre rear under carriage and bumper diffuser, I was drawn to the shiny white NISMO kitted Nissan Silvia S15 that had it’s sexy rear end peeking out from the pits. To me, that’s an open invitation for me to poke my nose and lens to find out more about it.
As I went closer for a better look at the Silvia, I noticed that it was in the company of a Porsche Cayman that was participating in the race as well. I suppose friendship does exist amongst JDM & European car enthusiasts after all.
The front end was dressed in a C-West front bumper with a Seibon carbon fibre bonnet held down by flushed aerocatch hood pins. Unfortunately the owner or driver wasn’t around for me to get more information about the car and to take some engine bay photographs.
While taking photographs of the Silvia, my attention was suddenly drawn by a loud exhaust that was down shifting as it returned to the pits. It was a Honda S2000 that had the full works and the sounds of a dedicated off road race car.
No fancy bodykits needed for this S2000 by Stamford Tyres. It was all about serious performance. Just look at that sexy rear fueling tank with boot hood pins to ensure it stays shut tightly.
The cheekily mounted cooler peeking out from the area where you usually place your license plate is a nice touch.
Battle damaged scars were evident from the front bumper to show that this car is all about go and not for show. The interior with it’s full roll cage and stripped out interior, is a standard look for an all out lightweight race car.
Another beautiful European exotic competitor out to prove it’s worth and race potential.
I spotted a pair of race ready Mitsubishi Evolution being prepared for their turn on the track with a full team of mechanics on hand for any further modifications. A whole stack of parts was also nicely placed by their side for easy swapping if needed.
A lot of emphasis was placed on having functional aero body parts. It didn’t matter if they were of different brands as long as they had a proven ability to either streamline the car or to minimize any parasitic drag. The full carbon fibre front fenders with the varis side vent is attached to the Varis side skirt. A Varis rear diffuser is installed underneath the carriage to facilitate air flow. If you noticed, fully custom functional air vents were carefully cut into the rear bumper to reduce the notorious drag effect for the Evo bumper. A Voltex type 5 gt wing is mounted onto a Varis carbon fibre boot for the much needed downforce for the rear of the car during impossible corners. Lightweight Japanese Work Emotion CR-Kai rims were chosen for the track for their renowned prowess at the track.
The owner of the red Evolution was gracious enough to allow me to grab some quick shots of his track monster’s engine bay and he explained that the car is capable of daily driving duties as well. What a all round performance car to have!
A beautiful pearl orange Mitsubishi Evolution that came together to compete in the MegaLap was equally as stunning but without the owner’s permission, here’s just a consolation shot of the 6 pot APP brakes that stops this track monster in time when needed.
Other race cars were busy doing their hot laps & cars were zooming in and out from the pits when we happen to catch this Nissan Silvia S13 with an unbelievable front lower lip made from… a rear spoiler with third brake light still intact! Lol. Got to give it to them for improvisation.
How can we not feature our partner’s Team Kazama Autoworks M7 Drive Civic Type R when it was there to accomplish what no other N.A race car has done so far by trying to win the top spot for both major race circuits in Malaysia.
Our team had the most complete crew on standby with professional computerized data on hand coupled with a video play back system at the pits to correct or improve the racing lines. 3 experienced mechanics, 2 tyre experts & 1 technical team manager were all diligently waiting to carry out their duties. Add in an amazing race car driver, generous and supportive sponsors & great support from friends and fans alike, this car was going all out to create history to repay their faith in them.
All prepped up & wiped down, it was eagerly waiting for it’s turn to hit the tracks over and over again like a kid wanting to open his presents on Christmas morning. You could almost sense the aura of confidence and invincibility of the car and team by gauging the response and attention it gets from all the other competitors when it goes out for it’s timed lap runs.
The race car decked out in all the different sponsors & partners. The Street Culture proudly displayed on all sides of this winner.
There has been a few changes to the interior with M7 racing gauges mounted onto a custom carbon fibre panel where the head unit use to be at. I guess nothing beats hearing the engine’s VTEC on song & exhaust note to create a great drive. Equipped with a brand new M7 Touch R.A.C.E, the 3.5 inch TFT Liquid crystal/Touch panel function comes with data logging capability and all the important information can be monitored by connecting it to the vehicle OBD unit. The Touch R.A.C.E has an advanced 3D graphic design display similar to a racing car instrument that can show up to 50 different types of displays. A special holder comes standard with the display and can be adjusted in a multi anglular display for almost any direction the tuner fancies. A SD card slot and USB port also comes standard with the product for easy access to the data within made easy.
The currently invincible record breaking driver Lai Wee Sing relating his lap to his crew and team mates after a hard fought day at the Pasir Gudang J Circuit.
Once again, emerging as the winner of the day and setting the all time fastest official timing ever in the circuit’s history for an N.A street spec race car. Amazing!
The Kazama Autoworks team was overwhelmed with emotions as their race car took home not only 1 but 2 first place trophies as well as breaking an age old record timing at the track. It has proven to be the ultimate driving machine time and again The car took first place for the Club sprint N.A & VTEC category with a timing of 1:45.780 min and also took home the overall crown of the Open & Pro Spec (FF) category with a record shattering time of 1:44.861 min. The Street Culture is proud to be a part of this winning team and we look forward to many champagne popping celebrations in the future as The Street Culture continues to bring you more of the team’s quest to be crowned as the best N.A street spec race car in Asia. Stay Tuned.
Words & Photography: Kevin Special thanks to: Andy Kazama, Team Kazama, Lai Wee Sing, R Engineering, M7 DRIVE, Benjamin, Lumz & Ann
‘Four’ the Win
For a race car, what truly determines your worth is the ability to win titles. A constant top three podium finish is usually a very respectable accomplishment, as anyone who frequents time attack events will attest to that sentiment. So what do you call a car that has won not only once, but four consecutive time attack race competition first place titles, at the famous Sepang International Circuit, while fighting off the best challengers from the neighboring countries trying their best to dethrone you? If you have been following our articles, you should be very familiar with this recently crowned 4 time champion Civic Type R. A few things have been added to make this already blistering fast CTR run even faster. But the most notable mention for us this time round would be the inclusion of The Street Culture as the official online partner of this amazing machine. This post comes at a perfect time when it will travel to the notorious & unforgiving Pasir Gudang J track located at Johor Bahru, Malaysia, for the MegaLap time attack series to claim more trophies & to also prove that it’s quadruple win was no fluke.
After Round 1 of the Time To Attack series, the pressure to retain it’s crown for the fastest Street NA-FF class for the fourth consecutive time proved to be unrelenting & stressful. A lot of focus this time went to the handling aspects of the car. Proper corner balancing as well as endless days of suspension tuning were both implemented to further fine tune the chassis for quicker timings & better cornering performances.
For Round 2, the car was participating in both the Super Street NA – FF & the Street NA – FF category with hopes of going home with at least one major title. Will that happen?
As you can see, The Street Culture’s logo now sits proudly on different prominent areas of the car. Rumor has it that for each ‘The Street Culture’ sticker, an additional 5 bhp of horsepower will be added to the engine. Anybody interested in buying some cheap power?
For a race car, the interior remains largely unchanged from the road going stock Civic Type R. No crazy obsession with the lightening of interior panels, removal of sound deadening insulation, roll cages etc. The only changes were the missing head unit, the replacement of the front seats to Recaro FIA approved bucket seats with a Sabelt 5 point racing harness installed, 2 monitoring gauges & a Go Pro HD in-car camera for recording the laps for future references. That’s it. Which goes to show how well this Kazama Autoworks sponsored by M7 Drive race car has been so well built by R Engineering & the amazing ability of Lai Wee Sing, the designated race car driver, that has shown time & again, that his mad skills behind the wheel in major competitions is something he was born to do.
Interesting position to mount the in-car camera. The good habit of collecting vital video footage to better understand the mistakes & ways to improve their timing, seemed to work as they conquered Sepang once more.
Slight tweaks to the engine as well as the repositioning of some engine bay equipment were made prior to Round 2′s event & it reaped dividends by producing a solid consistent result lap after lap, even improving on their timing.
That’s another 5 bhp there from the TSC sticker as Lai Wee Sing prepares for his first warm up round followed by his official timed lap for the first of 2 categories that they are participating for.
The intense look as he mentally plays out the lap in his head on a track that he has dominated so many times, that he probably could drive around blind folded & still clock a decent timing over novices. Yet despite all the rave reviews & accolades that have been said about this man, he remains to be the most humble & soft spoken race car driver that we have ever met.
All systems go! The car takes to the track & the rest is history.
At the end of the day, as the results started being revealed from the judges room by category. Team Kazama was silently confident that they did well that day & true enough, not only did they win first place for a record 4th time for the Street NA-FF class (02:31.839 min), they also won the Super Street NA-FF class (02:28.091) as well for a surprising double victory. As all of us headed into town for a well deserved celebration after leaving the track, I could see team manager & owner Andy already planning for more races with his talented driver Lai Wee Sing. These guys are fanatics & maybe that’s why they are the champions… for the unprecedented record fourth consecutive time. Stay Tuned as we follow this NA beast, as it continues to smash records & claim titles reported exclusively from behind the scenes, here at The Street Culture.
Words: Isaac Photography: Kevin
The Hunt for Red October
As we reach October of 2012 today, does anybody remember the exciting thriller movie ‘The Hunt For Red October’? In short, in 1984, the USSR’s best submarine captain in their newest sub violates strict & direct orders and heads for the USA on a course of pure defiance to the authorities from his country. Is he trying to defect, or is he trying to start a war? No spoilers here, but our featured car is a rebel with a cause as well. Registered for our roads coincidentally in October as well, it seemed destined for it to appear on The Street Culture’s site with every word that I type. Shall we begin the hunt?
If you lived in a country that is actually the size of the Titanic, with the authorities frowning upon anything that doesn’t look like it came stock from the factory & the never ending finger pointing as to who would have the truck load of money & balls of steel to build our very first (& much needed) track circuit, chances are you would be a very frustrated & deprived motorsports enthusiast like us at The Street Culture. Inevitably, those with the need for speed will tend to flout the law & make the streets their own private ‘circuit’, which is wrong, as it endangers the lives of the people using these very same roads. So where does that leave us? With a ‘can see but cannot touch’ stance adopted by the authorities, it just makes the whole car ownership process sound like a dodgy stranger, that tries to add you as a friend on Facebook, which you know will just be a psycho that wants you to follow him home to show you his sagging ‘goldfish’. So very wrong! But then there are some that are more than willing to go through the extra mile & take an effort to enjoy the modification process while still respecting the rules & regulations. Take this Volkswagen Golf GTI for example. Out of the box, it is already a very capable & fast car with a body size that is both nifty & agile. It’s just right for zipping through the horrendous traffic that we have been so accustomed to on a daily basis. But something was still amiss to his dream car. The owner wanted his car to be different from the other GTIs, one that would attract the right kind of stares of admiration & respect, while cruising into town or simply parking it by the road, while having some street side supper. But the last straw was when he started receiving tons of messages from family, friends & colleagues claiming to have spotted his car almost everywhere at anytime on our tiny water floatation device island. That was when he knew that he had enough. So he proceeded to change his number & disowned all of them. Problem solved. Just kidding!
The original body shape was deemed good enough as the base for his project, but he knew that the look of originality had to be obvious enough. A full carbon fibre bonnet replaced the stock item with the sides spray painted to match the sexy red body. It not only looks good but it also reduces the weight for the front by an substantial weight of 6kg. As the factory option came with a sunroof, no carbon replacement was deemed necessary, but in order for the visual flow of the black & red color scheme to be obvious & a signature look, the roof was coated with 3 coats of the best piano black paint available from the spray shop. An ardent admirer of carbon fibre, he went for whatever was available that could be directly bolted onto the car for it’s exterior as well as the interior. A light weight Votex front CF lip was carefully mated under the front bumper that had functional subtle wind directional vents fused into it’s design. A CF front grille & mask along with fog light covers, headlamp lids & side mirrors complete the handsome & masculine face that people see in their rear view mirrors. A CF aerodynamic roof spoiler smoothens out the on coming volatile air & makes the car feel extra stable at higher speeds for the rear of the car.
The choice of wheels for this car went to the highly respected rim maker BBS, & the CK model was chosen with a special custom titanium grey paint carefully applied before mounting them onto the car. Color coded red AP Racing 4 pot brakes with slotted rotors form the stopping power needed to perform those much needed life saving duties when the car’s turbo is at full spool. The handling aspects of the car are courtesy of H&R, with the new front & rear sway (anti-roll) bars replacing the scrawny stock ones. The suspension was also replaced with H&R high performance fully adjustable coilovers, that allowed the car to sit much lower & to also have a better control of the car’s center of gravity while doing hard cornering maneuvers when he is late to fetch the Mrs. Stronger lower control arms were sourced from an S3 to reap further benefits with ‘magic bars’ (under carriage stabilizer bars) from HAT installed together for a more composed & rigid driving experience. Road grip was provided by Continental CSC3 tyres for their exceptional low noise & brilliant performance in both dry & wet weather conditions.
It looks great & also drives like a bat out of hell. Full points for the stance & build & it truly deserves the attention of a passer by when it cruises pass them. (If they can see it fly past that is.)
Now that the aesthetics have been put in place, the already more than capable sprinting abilities of the Golf GTI needed a little tweaking to make it better than before. Neuspeed P-Flow air intake increases the ingesting of larger amounts of cold air while on the move, with an uprated turbo actuator from Forge Motorsport, which allows for a higher & stable boost level to extract more power from the quick spooling GTI turbo. A Eurojet manifold & downpipe set up was carefully selected as it allows for a greater exhaust gas flow that increases turbo spin, generating more spool, & decreases turbo lag. The wider downpipe also decreases engine compartment & intake charge temperatures, producing denser air & therefore, greater power in the engine. The boost levels are electronically controlled by a Blitz ID3 boost controller which allows multiple preset boost settings from mild to out right wild with the ease of a simple turn of a knob. The brain of the car was left to a Unitronic ecu with a stage 2 tune, to properly utilize all the parts assembled into this red sprinter. The finished product truly represented what the owner had set out to do & that is to build a responsively quick ride with the accessibility to everyday functions while staying within the law.
The rear bumper was retrofitted with an aftermarket lower rear diffuser which allows for the expensively stunning Arqray titanium quad exhaust with the sexy burnt titanium tips to smoothly expel the hot gases in unison via a very aggressive bassy grunt that you can hear from 2 blocks away with Dr Dre ‘Beats’ headphones firmly over your ears with the volume on at full blast. You get the idea.
While the car was enhanced to look good & to perform even better, in no way did the owner expect the comfort levels or looks to be lacklustre. A full set of carbon fibre interior dash panels, instrument gauge facade, gear shift panel & paddle shifters satisfies his carbon fetish. The carbon shift paddles deserve a special mention as they actually provide a better & wider area of reach that is needed for a more precise gear change when engaging turns & corners. A custom alcantara wrapped & finished with red stitching steering wheel adds that extra racy feel visually but in reality, it aids the driver with a better thicker grip when on the track or when he is in the mood for some spirited street driving. The gear knob was replaced with a Edition30 ‘golf ball’ version that not only looks fantastic & classy, it actually provides a better hand grip over the stock piece. A Newsouth boost gauge that was chosen because it closely resembled the Golf GTI meters, which sits strategically in front of the speedometer for a quick visual check on the boost level & the other vital information without any distraction by having the need to look elsewhere to loose those precious seconds that could matter.
I took to the wheel for a feel of how all these realistic parts when put together made this Golf GTI a real compact & solid car to drive on the street. The boost came on as fast as you wanted it & the sweet gear changing courtesy of the slick DSG gearbox made it a surprisingly enjoyable fast car that I wouldn’t mind driving on a daily basis. The owner has built a car that he can safely & comfortably drive the family around in the day & it can transform into the little red devil that it is when he cruises out alone at night. We totally love how this car has evolved into a unique fiery pocket rocket that we have featured here. The authorities can restrict or even condemn us car enthusiasts by flexing their muscle if they want to but as this owner has shown, you can’t keep a good man down. We will play by your god damn rules, but you can’t take away our rights to be creative by personalizing our rides to our specifications. Haters will say we are a menace to society, but statistically it’s the ‘drive on the line in-between lanes’ motorcycles, heavy vehicles that ferry so much foreign workers that it seems like an accident just waiting to happen, normal sedan cars with skinny tyres & high ride heights driven by ignorant uncles flooring it & weaving dangerously in & out of traffic thinking they are old enough to show you what is ‘real skills’ & taxis that think they own the roads & drive around arrogantly like we owe them a living that are the MAIN bulk (approximately reaching almost 92%) of the accident figures. It’s a fight that we will never win, but it’s a war that we definitely have to fight. We hope more car enthusiasts will adopt the same ‘never say die’ spirit & to continue to keep the motorsports community alive & kicking for many more Octobers to come. Stay Tuned here for more stories at The Street Culture.
Words & Photography: Kevin
The Journey to Formula D (Part 1)
For all the drift fans out there, you might be very familiar with famous drifting competitions like D1GP, Drift Muscle and Formula D. Well, let me formally introduce myself, my name is Adam Toh, a semi professional drifter for the past decade, and when I was invited to join The Street Culture as their Motorsports Editor when they were forming their crew, I was already extremely busy with my own business and I wasn’t sure whether I could commit myself to the role given. But I have to admit that I was indeed very tempted. Here were like minded car enthusiasts that were willing to share their platform to showcase and promote the sport and being good friends with the Features Editor (Kevin) for the longest time, I eventually accepted, given my love and passion for drifting and everything connected to it.
I started out being a privateer drifter where I basically used my very own hard earned money to modify my daily driver, which was a fully stripped out, half roll caged Nissan Silvia S13. My love for going sideways actually derived from when I was studying for my degree in Melbourne, Australia. I had used my savings to purchase a Nissan S15 while I was there and without any spare change to build a track monster, I concentrated on fully utilizing what I could do with a rear wheel drive car and that was drifting. What mattered more to me was the bare essentials like understanding my car’s limits and potentials, the maximum angles and perfect rev range for me to execute my sideways action. Soon I was invited to perform for car events while completing my studies which only left me hungrier for more opportunities in the future to live out my dream.
I graduated and came back to my country where having a proper job with a stable income was the norm and sadly I conformed to that sad statistic soon. At the back of my head, I still couldn’t forget how alive I felt when I was behind the wheel and I purchased an S13 and did whatever I could to it to make up for lost time. It turned ou to be one of the best decisions of my life as I felt alive! I realised that in order for me to properly invest into the sport, I needed a job that would be flexible and that the money had to be decent. That was when I set up my current company Flamezgraphics and worked myself silly to have a better future not only for myself but also to fulfill my goal of building the ultimate drift machine to take part in a big competition and do both my country and my family proud. My skills and name soon caught the eye of Stamford Tyres, a company that retails an assortment of performance tyres, rims & accessories. They offered to take me in and to become my main sponsor together with Falken Tyres and team mates that I totally enjoy performing with.
And it all brings me to this. The dream has finally come true and I am in the midst of building my ultimate drift car that will be participating in the Formula D Asia leg in 2013. I will be constantly documenting my build here in The Street Culture and a ‘behind the scenes’ point of view that I will share with you readers on my thoughts and preparation for next year’s big competition.
The choice of weapon is the Nissan Silvia S15 and with the meticulous mechanical support from well respected Garage R – a company that has been renowned for their top notch handwork and immense knowledge on modifications and motorsports and also the only recognized HKS Technical Factory out of Japan itself – I can only say that I am working with the best people that I can and I am truly blessed.
As you can see, it was originally a gunmetal colored car that was immediately stripped barren and acid dipped to remove all the sound deadening and comfort items that came with it. A custom welded full interior roll cage was then installed to further strengthen the chassis and to keep me safe in the event of a mishap.
Everything that could be removed was cleared away leaving a empty chassis to start with. The plan was to have the car as light as possible with gobs amount of sick power.
Further chassis reinforcements was done by performing a ‘stitch’ welding formation throughout the entire vehicle. No effort was spared from making it as rigid as possible for the best possible result.
The front fenders would be replaced with new 60mm vented replacements while a set of 50mm rear over GT fenders were carefully rolled outwards to accommodate the massive rear meaty tyres that Falken would be supplying me with.
Completely empty dashboard as the custom light weight dash is in the process of being fabricated. Will it be a full dry carbon fibre one piece shell?
Mechanic at Garage R carefully setting up my new front end toe links, camber kit and Project Mu big brake kit set up.
No, my toe links isn’t spoiled. Here’s an idea of how much angle my new drift car with be running. The special angle kit is from a company called WiseFab, a manufacturer from Eastern Europe. Most of the top drifters are all using this aggressive kit with the largest turn in angle at 65 degrees!
Another view from the other side. I can imagine the car to be very easy to parallel park. Lol.
My car just came back from the body and paint shop. It is now sporting a full GP Sports GT wide body kit with custom extended arches to be added when it is fully completed. A Cwest FRP bonnet with Top Secret aerocatch bonnet fasteners keep the lid firmly shut when performing high speed maneuvers. The headlamps will also be replaced with hollowed out shells with custom air ducts to direct fresh cool air to the intake.
My gracious sponsor Stamford Tyres, gave me the green light to choose any set of rims that I fancied under their wide selection of Japanese rims available, but I chose this set of white Grams Light rims due to their forged technology, lightness in weight and also because they come with the desired wild offset that I required for my project build.
Here’s the new rear view without my GT Wing installed yet. I usually prefer to run without wings for my previous rides but this time, I will need all the down force and aerodynamics that I can get to hold down my rear from the loads of torque from the new engine build.
Like what you see so far? I do. I’m so excited to get the new engine in and for the initial engine start up.
Can you guess what engine block that I have chosen for this project?
Any idea yet? Internals for the 1JZ have been replaced but at the moment, we have no intention to yet to replace them with high end forged items as the existing engine components is deemed durable and strong enough for the time being. We will react accordingly if we were to max out the power during the final stage of the tuning session, to see if we need to make any further changes to the current set up.
At least now you know it’s a straight six cylinder engine. The chambers have been bored out and ported and polished for a smoother unrestricted flow and cleaner combustion. The entire engine has also been fully balanced and blue printed for a more accurate engineering build purpose. No expense has been spared.
Yamaha power! The engine of choice is the 1JZ-GTE. The custom candy red engine cam cover are signature Garage R engine builds.
A good performing timing belt is crucial for everything that has been put together to be performing well. Now let’s get the engine into the car shall we?
Finally inching closer to be ready for the initial engine start up.
A tight fit for the huge engine to fit into the tiny engine bay of the S15 but definitely well worth the effort for the performance that I hope to achieve.
This is only the beginning of what is to come. Follow my journey through my eyes as I prepare my car for it’s final destination which is next year’s Formula D Asia leg series. Read all of it here at The Street Culture. Stay Tuned.
Words & Photography: Adam Toh
