Question: What do you do when you've already built a 200mph/10-second quarter-mile Toyota Corolla AWD and want to better it with a new project car?
Answer: Convert a new Celica VVTi to AWD, add a 650 bhp engine and then take on the EVOs and Skylines and give them a run for their money.
That's exactly what Adrian Smith, the boss at Fensport, was doing during the 2006 season, both on Time Attack events and on the dragstrip. "I wanted to build a car for events such as TOTB when you do drag racing, top-speed runs and handling events all on the same day," Adrian revealed.
Impressed with his Corolla creation, Toyota UK helped Adrian get the ball rolling by donating a shell to the project, and not just any shell, a TRD-M-Sport shell, which comes complete with extra welding of the body seams. The fact that the car was originally AWD and only produced around 200 bhp didn't seem to put Adrian off at all; he likes a challenge. The plan was to construct a road-legal car, that would still look like a Celica (OK, he added a few carbon-fiber goodies, but can you blame him?) and one that was equally at home on the dragstrip as the racetrack - and of course more than capable of being competitive. Six months of hard work later and 50,000 (nearly $100,000 U.S.) in parts alone and the new company car rolled out.
The first step was to strip the car and then work out what modifications were needed to house the engine and AWD running gear. Adrian remembers that getting the engine into the bay wasn't too much of a challenge, but that the transmission conversion required a lot more effort. Those changes included alterations to the floorpan to accept the driveshaft center mount, fabricating an exhaust tunnel and cutting out the spare wheelwell to provide space for the custom fuel system.
When it came to the all-important power Adrian decided to stick with what he knew best and got the experts at John Edwards Motorsport to build him another version of the faithful engine, which powered his Corolla to glory during the previous season but with some important amendments. A lot of the engine spec is custom built and remains shrouded in secrecy, but some parts Adrian revealed. For instance, the turbo is a Garrett GT35/42 ball-bearing unit, which is combined with a HKS Supra intercooler. This huge intake pipe took two days alone to fabricate and undergo polishing. The oil breather and cooling system are also unique.
Despite all the work involved on this car, the engine bay still looks like it was produced in a factory. Some of the nice touches like the wiring loom hidden under the carbon-fiber panels are examples of the attention to detail that's involved in this project. Adrian points out that the engine block is at the limit of its capacity and only has walls of 3.5mm. Although he'd love to be able to run a 2.4 or even 2.5L engine like some of his rivals since the extra displacement would allow him to push more boost and reach 800 bhp figures, he doesn't have the space. This year, he plans to investigate and experiment with alternative turbo options, which combined with some additional cylinder head flowing should produce a bit more power to play with.
Keeping the engine under control is a Motec M4 Pro ECU that Adrian mapped on his local roads. He programmed it to handle everything possible including the water injection, launch control and full throttle gear changes. During the year, he's run the car at 2.2 bar of boost on the dragstrips, turning that down to 1.5 for his circuit activities.
Often with high-power drag cars the transmission is the weakest link, certainly in the early stages, and this car proved to be no exception. "We don't know anybody who has ever managed to break a GT4 driveshaft - and I've broken two this year," he said with a grin. However, that weak link seems to have been cured thanks to Fensport's own triple-plate clutch and extra-tough close-ratio straight-cut dog selector gearsets, the latter of which don't come cheap at 5,000 a set - and Adrian's got a couple of spares, just in case no less.
Braking is more than taken care of by 10-pot calipers on the front to slow the 326mm rotors and a further 6-pot acting on the rear. Naturally, the brake balance is fully adjustable from inside the rollcage-protected cockpit while the driver is secured in his Recaro with a Schroth five-point harness.
A combination of Whiteline and Tein components take care of any handling issues. Despite on-going developments throughout the season, Adrian sees this area ripe for improvements. "Handling is OK up to about 80 mph," he said. "We are not sure if the problem is aerodynamics or the shocks, but we have struggled on several circuits." Since these photos were taken the car was fitted with AST 3-way adjustable suspension and Adrian is getting a new wing fabricated that he hopes will generate some extra downforce.
So did the six months of hard work pay off? How was the car on its debut event at Santa Pod dragstrip? "I was extremely pleased with how competitive it was straight out of the box," he replies. "We did an 11.1 run but we'd mounted the coil pack too close to the distributor and it caused interference, which made the ECU go mental above 7,000 rpm." They moved the coil the following day and added a carbon-fiber shield and on the following weekend the car ran a 10.6-second quarter-mile.
The car's first outing in Time Attack series was also a success as the Celica came home 5th overall - despite having up to 200 bhp less than some of his rivals such as the Norris Designs EVO IX. Best results of the season? He's notched up a couple of 4th places in the Time Attack, which just goes to prove that he's punching well above his weight. This year he's certain to be a front-runner.
Toyota Celica AWD
Power Output: 650 bhp at the crank @ 2.2 bar boost and
8,000 rpm
Max torque: 460 lb-ft @ 5,800 rpm
Best quarter-mile: 10.53 seconds @ 139.4 mph
Top Speed: 184.6 mph (standing start in a mile)
Engine
Toyota 3SGTE
2.1L twin-cam 16-valve turbo
ST205 block
HKS metal head gasket
Alloy crank pulley
Fensport Racing ported and flowed cylinder head with racing
valves and double-valve spring
HKS vernier pulleys
Custom fuel system installed in place of the rear
seat/alloy- and foam-filled tank
Holley lift pump with swirl pot
Aeromotive main pump
-10 braided fuel lines
HKS 1,000cc injectors
Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator
ERL water injection
Custom alloy radiator
Alloy header tank with swirl pot
GT4 alternator modified with Corolla regulator
Fensport alloy oversized pulley
TTE WRC alloy mount with carbon adjustment bracket
TTE Steel crank
Crower steel connecting rods
JE forged pistons
ARP bolts
HKS 272 cams
HKS Intercooler from the Supra JZA80
0.9mm stainless steel 3-inch piping
Samco silicon hosing
Custom intake manifold using short runner design with
internal ram pipes
75mm throttle body
Turbo Dynamics 2006 specification Garrett GT35/42 Ball
bearing unit
HKS stainless steel tubular manifold
TiAL 44mm remote wastegate
Motec M4 Pro ECU
Custom stainless steel system
90mm pipes from turbo to single back box
100mm titanium silencer
100mm tailpipe
Drivetrain
Fensport Racing five-speed straight-cut dog gearbox 3.9 straight-cut final
TRD rear differential front mounts
Fensport Racing uprated rear differential mount
Propshaft retaining rings
Fensport Racing TriplE-plate clutch with lightweight flywheel
Standard Celica GT-Four diff (F) Cusco MZ plate type LSD (R)
Suspension
Specially valved Tein Type Flex coilover with custom rate
springs and camber adjustable top mount
Superflex front wishbone bushes and anti-rollbar bushing
Whiteline anti-lift and increased castor wishbone bushing
Whiteline adjustable droplinks
C-One lower rear arm bushes
Brakes
Tarox 10-pot caliper with 326mm rotors (front)
Tarox 6-pot caliper with 280mm rotors (rear)
Braided-steel lines throughout
In-car adjustable brake proportioning valve
Exterior
TRD M-Sport shell
Seibon carbon-fiber bonnet
GT front bumper modified for more airflow
C-one front spoiler
Seibon carbon-fiber tailgate with tinted plexiglass
Celica GT side skirts
GT adjustable rear wing
TRD M sport rear bumper corners
Interior
Recaro Profi race seats (6 kg)
Momo quick-release steering wheel
Schroth five-point harnesses
Spa firefighter 4kg plumbed in electric fire system, 3
engine bay and 3 interior extinguisher jets
Battery relocated behind passenger seat
Alloy Water Injection and washer tanks in boot
Doors lightened and internal door bars removed
WRC type multipoint rollcage is fully TIG-welded
Motec digital Sport Dash
Wheels/Tires
Volks Racing TE37 7.5x17 ET35
Toyo R888 tires 215/45 for circuit and 225 for drag
Toyo T1-R 215/45 wets