9.68 @ 148 mph
In the world of import performance, there are very few cars that can perform well at the track and still be civil on the street. Building a car to have the best of both worlds is not an easy task to accomplish. New Jersey native Ara Arslanian wanted it all. He wanted to take the car to the track, add some slicks and bust some nine-second passes, while being well mannered enough to take it to the local supermarket on the way home. The platform for Arslanian's nine-second grocery getter was a 1993 1/2 Toyota Supra twin-turbo.
Arslanian already knew the Supra's 2JZ-GTE engine was nearly bulletproof from the factory and capable of handling big time boost without breaking a sweat. Even with Toyota's over-engineering of the 2JZ engine, Arslanian still wanted to do some engine massaging of his own. The head was ported and polished by Bullish Motor Racing for increased airflow. Bullish Racing enlarged the intake and exhaust ports and blended the bowls for undisturbed flow. Stock size stainless steel valves tightly seal the combustion chamber with the help of dual high-tension valve springs.
A pair of HKS 272-degree billet bumpsticks along with adjustable cam sprockets orchestrate the timing of the intake and exhaust valves. The increased valve lift, combined with the longer duration allows the turbocharger to pack the charge air tightly in the combustion chamber in order to increase power production capabilities.
Arslanian also wanted to fortify the bottom-end of the engine with stronger internals. Bullish Racing was also responsible for performing the bottom-end work on the 2JZ. Bullish disassembled the bottom-end and found many of the factory parts more than capable of handling the increased power. The factory pistons were already forged and the crankshaft was made from high-grade steel. Arslanian decided the only thing that needed replacing were the factory rods, so they were swapped for forged units from Carrillo. The block was blueprinted and reassembled with new gaskets and bearings.
Another weak link the Bullish crew found in the 2JZ engine was the factory composite head gasket and a HKS' steel stopper-style head gasket was enlisted to seal the head in accordance with ARP heavy-duty fasteners.
Since Arslanian was looking for big power, the factory sequential twin-turbo set-up was scrapped to make way for a GReddy T88 turbo kit. The off-the-shelf GReddy single-turbo kit comes with a tubular stainless-steel manifold that channels the spent fumes from the combustion chamber to the huge T88 split turbine housing. Connected to the collection turbine blades via a concentric shaft is a massive compressor wheel, which draws ambient air into the compressor housing. The pressurized air from the compressor is channeled to a GReddy three-row air-to-air front-mount intercooler where it receives ample chilling before being force fed into the custom Bullish Racing sheetmetal intake.
Plumbed into the manifold are a six pack of 1,000cc injectors drawing fuel from a HKS high-flow fuel rail. Mounted at the end of the HKS rail is an Essex regulator that keeps tabs on the fuel pressure. The juice of choice for the 2JZ engine is Unocal Prostock 118 -octane fuel, which gets pumped from an ATL fuel cell mounted in the trunk.
A built engine is nothing without a precision engine management system. To take care of these duties, the Supra runs a Motec engine management system complete with a Motec display meter. The fully sequential Motec system allows Arslanian to manipulate fuel and ignition maps along with nitrous and boost control for maximum power.
The 2JZ powerplant is producing big power. Making sure all those ponies get transferred to the factory six-speed transmission is a Tilton triple-disc carbon/carbon clutch and flywheel. One of the big benefits of a carbon/carbon clutch is the ability to slip the clutch off the line to not only build boost but also save driveline parts from hard launches.
The Supra runs the factory IRS set-up with the exception of a TRD limited-slip differential mounted in the rear end. To ensure proper weight transfer at launch, the Supra runs a complete Koni coil-over system at all corners. At the track, the "Toy" runs Monocoque wheels all around with Toyo Proxes up front and Mickey Thompson drag slicks in the rear.
So far, the Supra has already blasted a best e.t. of 9.68-seconds at 148.00 mph without nitrous and has been a dominant force in the NIRA street class. Arslanian plans to retire the Supra from racing at the end of the 2001 season and use it primarily on the streets. Can you imagine a nine-second grocery getter? No wonder Arslanian doesn't mind going to the supermarket every time his wife asks.