| Toyota Soarer MZ11 |
|
Pre-Lexus SC. At the height of the gray-market importation fever, when U.S. auto enthusiasts were lamenting the non-importation of various European and Japanese exotic models, Toysport was caught in the same fever and imported 2 Toyota Soarers. Of course, the twins were soon modified. One used an HKS Twin-Turbo set-up and the other a 3100cc Kuwahara Kit. Both came stock with the same 5MGE available in the Supra of the same generation. The Soarer did not arrive officially into the U.S. until 1992 as the Lexus SC300 (the 2nd generation models).
The Kuwahara equipped 3100cc., ended back with Toysport after 12 years when the original buyer went back to Japan. The 3100 kit was a popular “marine” engine, used for cigarette boats in Japan and the Caribbean islands. We imported 5 sets and Dan Gurney bought one of them. On the street the forged crank and pistons delivered a lot of torque and proved very durable (why they were used as speedboat engines). This engine easily out-runs the naturally aspirated 7MG 24 valve (the torque is 35% higher) and keeps up with stock 7MGTEs.
The
HKS Twin-Turbo twin went back to Japan- when we could not pass the EPA emission
test in the time allotted to certify the car.
Needless to say it was faster than any modified car we had done and detuning
was going the opposite way. Toyota
Technical Center borrowed the cars several times to test “suspension calibration”
for their database on the planned up-scale Toyota line- the Lexus.
Performance exceeded that of the JZA80 Twin Turbo Supras introduced in
1993. A full 10 years earlier!
Advantage Toysport.
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