Gray bought a TO4X turbo from the great guys at Excessive Engineering. The turbo was sized so he didn't have too much turbo lag, and there was still plenty of boost at the top end. Since there was still a little more lag than he wanted, Gray added a Nitrous Express wet kit adjustable from 55 to 100 hp. Even a 50-shot to spool-up the turbo was enough to break traction on the Nitto drag radials through second gear. This strategy worked well.
With the car on top of its game, Gray opted to treat the Toyota to J-spec body armor and new color. Mark at Kiyoshi's Motorsports filled an impressive order-a Do-Luck rear skirt and wing, T&E front bumper and side skirts and a B&N vented hood.
Gray learned a lot about patience with this car. Nothing is sitting on a shelf anywhere in the United States. Just about anything he ordered took four to six months to arrive from Japan. With the body kit in hand, Gray went back to his roots with his choice for the Soarer's new hue-2002 Mustang GT mineral grey. After Mike Rage Paint worked its magic in the paint booth, Gray swapped out rims again for some lightweight Racing Sparco five- spokes that came in a factory bronze color. The wheels are wrapped by Nitto NT450 255/40-17s on the front and 275/40-17s Nitto drag radials on the back.
Since you can't legally bring over Soarers anymore, Gray says he plans on keeping this car for a long time. "It's the best feeling to roll up to a car show or cruise night and see the looks on peoples faces. Old and young alike will pay compliments, which is nice when I'm at a car show surrounded by street rods and early musclecars."
Gray mostly drives what he calls a well-modded 1992 Subaru SVX AWD these days, but the Soarer sees the road on a weekly basis and the strip every so often. "Running mid-12s at the strip is a rush, but keeps you wanting more. Luckily, I have the patience for that and the car to do it in," he says. Wonder what happed to those other two Soarers that were imported in 1998?