Our "Supra Star's" section gets off on the right foot with Craig Paisley's extreme Supra. The car, which debuted at the 1998 SEMA show, was a bit overshadowed by Abel Ibarra's RX-7 and Stephan Papadakis's tube-frame Honda. The fact that it was tucked away in a dark corner while the others were in prime spots was also a factor. Since then the Toyota has come out swinging and established itself as a big time contender in the Outlaw Class ranks.
When eyeing the Supra's tech sheet we were surprised to see the 2JZ-GTE inline six runs factory stock internals. Furthermore the valves and combustion chambers are also stock as the only additions in the valvetrain are HKS bumpsticks (264 degree) and adjustable cam gears for fine-tuning. Craig Paisley, Paisley Automotive and Paisley Racing plan to take the stock engine to the outer limits of performance. Paisley Automotive is the shop where all the design and wrenching is executed while Paisley Racing is in charge of the day-to-day responsibilities of campaigning the car on a nationwide basis. The project's mission statement is to use aftermarket components to prove that world-record performance can be extracted from a stock-based powerplant. "When you go to the race track and you see these fully-built engines grenade after 10 passes," says Craig, "it sends the wrong kind of message to those in the wings who may want to jump in and join our sport. We built on a factory platform to prove to the world that as long as you use the right parts and they are all working correctly together even a stock engine will live long and prosper. The big problem is tuning. With proper tuning we are proving this by running the entire season with a stock motor (that had more than 50,000 miles on when we hit the strip) without ever taking it apart." To keep costs reasonable the factory intake was retained but ExtrudeHoned for added flow.
In the spirit of its mission the 2JZ-GTE runs its stock Toyota ECU. The ECU was Techtom programmed by Paisley Automotive and works in conjunction with a HKS Vein Pressure Converter (VPC) and Graphic Control Computer (GCC). The VPC converts the OE mass air system to speed/ density creating two distinct benefits. First the speed density system offers better flow characteristics than the metering assembly used on a mass air set-up because the sensor is deleted from the equation. Second, the unit offers tuneability. The GCC and VPC offer a more precise tuning of fueling events which is much needed when you're looking to run deep into the eights. The hard parts of the fuel system consist of a Weldon pump and regulator, modified HKS fuel rail and 720cc injectors.
We Have LiftoffThe Supra's...
We Have LiftoffThe Supra's best effort to date is an 8.72 at 158 mph. The car impressed us at the October '99 Battle of the Imports where, in less that ideal weather and track conditions, the Toyota ran 9.12- and 9.10-second e.t.s.