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TURBOCHARGED Z3 M COUPÉ: A PACE ODYSSEY

Producing a huge 620whp from its built S52 straight-six, this full-on turbocharged Z3 M Coupé is a project that has never stopped evolving and almost a decade of development has created an awesome performance machine.

From Performance BMW. Words: Elizabeth de Latour. Photos: Cris Guamanzara

The Z3 M Coupé always has been something of an oddity but that’s exactly what makes it so appealing and some people, like Ken Meisch (@z3speed4me), really like them. And Ken really likes M Coupés and Z cars in general… “Before my current turbocharged Z3 M Coupé, I had a 2001 Estoril blue S54 M Coupé. Before that another Estoril blue 1999 turbo M Coupé, and before that a black 2006 Z4 M Roadster.” And what about his first car? “That was a silver 1998 Z3 1.9,” he grins so it’s clear that he’s got the Z bug in a big way. “Cars are meant to be driven, and BMW has always called itself the creator of the Ultimate Driving Machine… that statement has to have some weight to it right?” says Ken as he explains his long-standing passion for the Bavarian brand. “Its vehicles are part luxury, part sport, until recently not outrageously priced, and definitely built well and there has always been a focus on the driver. The simplistic and raw approach to something like the M Coupé doesn’t happen much – if at all – any more,” he says and it’s easy to understand the appeal and appreciate his passion.

The Z3 1.9 Roadster seemed like the perfect cool first car for a teenage Ken (“It was way cooler to me than many other options at the time that friends were picking up, plus teenage girls love convertibles, right?” he grins) but there was something else on his mind… “Each morning going into high school I would pass a local CVS pharmacy, and someone there owned a brand new blue Z3 M Coupé. I could not take my eyes off it… I had to have one someday. Eventually, that time came a few years later,” he says with a smile.

Ken’s first Z3 M Coupé started out as a stock NA car before undergoing the turbo treatment and Ken got it to over 600whp before an unfortunate accident put an end to things and he parted everything out and moved on. “I needed an M Coupé again, and very quickly I found and purchased a local S54 model and enjoyed it for a few years, but the lingering desire for boost kept creeping into my mind,” he says. “I had an agreement with my wife that I wouldn’t do it again for a long time as I grew older, and eventually we decided that it would be okay to go down that road again. In comes M Coupé number three and this one is a keeper to me, there is nothing else like her,” he grins.

“It was originally purchased new and owned by Ben at Rogue Engineering before later being bought by one of my best friends, Rukman, back in 2004 which was when the turbo journey of this vehicle began that I have since taken over,” explains Ken. “As I’d driven it a few times before, it was literally everything I focused on mimicking on my last build, so I knew what I was getting into already. We had a gentleman’s agreement that if he were ever to sell it, I had the first – and probably the only opportunity – at taking it off his hands. And so, with some eventual convincing, I purchased it from my buddy and here we are today on turbo coupé number two, another beautiful Estoril blue example. Basically, this car is exactly everything my last one was built to be, with just some minor hardware differences. Even the base tune from the prior car is based on this build as the setups are so strikingly similar,” he says.

“The mindset for the build was to create an ultimate BMW street car with amazing reliability and drivability,” Ken tells us. “Tonnes of guys were going down the turbo route in the early 2000s but almost all of them were using standalone systems, which were also not even close to the capabilities of the options available on the market today. I wanted to be able to drive around town, go to the store, idle in traffic with no worries, never overheat, drive it to a track and home again with no problems. It had to be civilized, but also have speed when summoned upon. Jekyll and Hyde in one car that didn’t feel like it had over 600hp until you really stepped on it,” he says and he’s absolutely achieved his goal.

The project began in 2005 when the car was driven down to Florida and left in the capable hands of Nick Glantzis and his company, Technique Tuning, with Ken initially planning on getting the Stage 2+ turbo setup but the temptation for more power proved impossible to resist… “With the car out of my hands I had too much time to think… The little devil on my shoulder could not be denied and I decided to step it up and go all-out. The Technique Tuning Stage 3 ‘kit’ was born: a built motor with lower compression, bigger 60lb injectors, full exhaust etc. Nothing like this was being done at the time on a stock DME, it was truly a monumental step forward in the BMW FI community. The car started with an output of 515rwhp/500lb ft wtq at 20 psi using the original cast manifold, almost unprecedented power at the time from the S52 powerplant. The car was simply incredible,” he grins. “The mod bug as always would strike, though, and eventually a few years later the next change was a tubular manifold and upgraded V-band turbo housing, in 2007. 536whp and 478lb ft wtq was the net, not as impressive as expected and the midrange was softened up a bit from the cast manifold change where the tubular woke the car up top.

“The next update came a few years later in 2009 when the turbo was swapped to an FP GT3586R HTA one and with Nick again performing some tune upgrades in person at ICS Performance in Connecticut we were at a respectable 537whp/496lb ft wtq. The torque hit had returned with a good shift of the curve to the left, but something was still holding back the car, it was still not gaining what was expected of these changes,” says Ken. “Then, in 2010, the ‘Ah-ha!’ moment happened when we realised that I had been chasing power without upgrading the obvious – the intercooler! The original Technique Tuning intercooler was holding us back as it was too small for this application. Gerhard at Bell Intercooler was contacted to get his thoughts and come up with something specific for the car. The intercooler was what was needed to take the car to the next level and with the custom item on board, the car definitely felt faster but I wouldn’t have numbers until 2011.

“Nick was coming back to Maximum PSI for a custom tuning session and it was time to see some results but not on a Dynojet yet, a SuperFlow unit would be telling us the story this time. Now, these read lower than Dynojets, but the car still made more power than before, we were up to 550whp on 93 pump gas at 20 psi,” he grins. “One minor change at this point lingered, and that was on the intake side. The 3” was updated to a 3.5” with an ITG Foam filter, and we relocated the reference for WG to after the intercooler rather than from the compressor housing so there was less boost taper. The next runs were 560whp! Now we needed comparable Dynojet numbers. The final result: 603whp and 539lb ft wtq at a peak boost reading of 20.5 psi. Most recently with a 2.93 differential change and a little of Boostane added for octane safety, on 93 pump gas the car made a best of 620.64whp and 554.37lb ft wtq at 21 psi,” he smiles triumphantly and those are some serious numbers, around 700hp at the engine, and that means this Z3 is an absolute monster. The gearbox, meanwhile, has been upgraded to help it cope with these massive numbers and the stock ZF five-speeder is mated to a Spec six-puck Stage 5 clutch and sends power to the wheels via a RacingDiffs 2.93 ratio four-clutch LSD.

With this much turbocharged power on tap, Ken has not forgotten about the chassis and while things started with aesthetics in mind, the upgrades evolved to comprehensively enhance the car’s handling capabilities. “It started with suspension for the car to sit perfectly how I wanted; modified PSS9s are fitted all-round,” says Ken. “The car also has a custom subframe reinforcement by Don Fields at Mr. M Car; it was the first vehicle he completed the modification on and was a bit more beefed up than any other he carried out afterwards as well. This was done in advance of the turbo setup, prepping for the inevitable knowing a significant power bump was coming in due time,” he says and pre-emptive upgrades are a very sensible move on a build of this scale. “Porsche 996 calipers powder coated Stryker Orange have been fitted using RallyRoad conversion brackets along with E46 M3 discs and ceramic pads. A front strut bar by Mason Engineering has also been added, also powder coated wrinkle black like all of the other piping and visible pieces in the engine bay,” says Ken and that rounds off a comprehensive selection of chassis upgrades that ensure this Z3 can handle all of its 620whp with ease.

A large part of the Z3’s appeal without a doubt lies in its unconventional looks and so when it came to styling, Ken’s approach was very much one of less is more. “I did not want to take anything away from the aesthetic of this car but only slightly enhance it,” he says. “There are not many options for the M Coupé out there as far as body design is concerned, but the few items were simply to improve the look at a very minimal level. A Never Done Design House rear diffuser is out back along with a deleted rear wiper, it also has some LeatherZ stone guards, an ACS rear wing with custom carbon fibre centre section and custom-built bi-xenon headlights by Skylar Graham. The simple and subtle additions essentially completed the exterior in my eyes,” he says and we have to agree as they only serve to enhance the M Coupé’s muscular and iconic styling and that’s just perfect.

The drop served up by the Bilstein PSS9s further assists on the aesthetic front as do the wheels, and Ken’s choice suits the car perfectly. “I was never one for flashy wheels, even the whole car isn’t meant to be flashy but rather subtle and generally stock-looking. An M Coupé gets enough attention as it is,” he grins. “When the stock Roadstars simply weren’t enough, basically in regards to width in the rear, I started looking around. Apex Race Parts makes an extremely lightweight and high-performing, track-tested and certified wheel for a great price point; they also have great big brake clearance in only a 17, which is a size I wanted to retain at the time,” he says and the ARC-8s he’s chosen look fantastic. They measure 8”-wide up front and 10.5” at the rear and Ken has added a set of 18mm spacers to make sure those fat rear arches are properly filled out.

In terms of interior, the turbocharged Z3 M Coupé was blessed with a vibrant two-tone cabin from the factory and, as with the exterior, Ken has kept things largely standard but there are a few additions that make all the difference. “One item I did focus on was the steering wheel; the stock wheel leaves much to be desired, it’s far too thin and just doesn’t feel right. I originally wanted a Raid wheel, but they are now NLA and impossible to find. I then went through the idea of swapping in a Z4 M wheel like others have done as I loved that wheel on my prior M Roadster. I was about to do the swap when I found a company called AZA Auto doing some quality work and saw results on a few cars on social media platforms. So I had a wheel created that wasn’t like another done by them on this style at the time, with carbon fibre and two different leather styles. This started what will be my orange secondary colour theme going forward,” he says and the custom wheel looks awesome with its sculpted grips, carbon elements and orange stitching plus orange centre stripe. There’s also an extremely sexy custom-engraved Doug Whalen gear knob and a dual gauge pod housing an AEM wideband and AutoMeter electronic boost gauge, plus some upgraded audio to finish off the interior mods.

Ken has been working on his turbocharged Z3 M Coupé for around eight years so it’s not surprising that it’s such an awesome and impressive machine and he has created a truly epic M car that impresses on every level. While it has been in modding hibernation for around six or seven years Ken is far from finished; “It’s always evolving, I don’t think you are ever truly finished with a build – a better ‘something’ always comes out that you can upgrade or change to. Over the winter a bump to 80lb injectors, some Schrick cams and hopefully a 100+ octane tune will let us see how close to 700whp – or even beyond – we can get! Furthermore, an E46 Getrag 420G six-speed gearbox and custom single-piece propshaft are going in the car to handle the power much better than the current drivetrain. Very recently I also stumbled upon and almost purchased my dream wheels that I have been looking for years, a properly fitting rare set of BBS LMs, which have now been completely refinished and will be on the car in the spring. A full restitched interior with a custom half-cage and some type of Recaro or similar seats are also planned to happen soon for safety purposes,” says Ken and it sounds like he’s going to have his hands full with this Z3 M for quite some time to come and there’s really no rush because this car is going nowhere. “I really don’t think anything will replace the M Coupé for me, it’s just too special,” he says with a smile and, standing back and taking in everything about this epic machine, we totally get that.

Tech Spec: Turbocharged Z3 M Coupé

Engine & Transmission:

3.2-litre straight-six S52B32, fully rebuilt with all-new bearings, gaskets, bolts etc., CP 8.5:1 pistons, Arrow rods, ARP bearing, main and head studs, CES cut ring head gasket, M50 intake manifold, 3.5” intake with ITG JC60 filter, Forced Performance HTA3586 ATP 0.82 T4 turbo, ceramic-coated 3” V-band housing, tubular exhaust manifold with 3” downpipe, centre Magnaflow silencer, dual 2.5” Vibrant exhaust system, Ferrea valve spring set, DrVanos full kit, mild head porting and polishing, custom Bell intercooler, Driven Innovations fuel rail, Aeromotive FPR and gauge, modified push/pull Spal fan, S54 oil housing and Setrab oil cooler, S54 radiator, E36 power steering Loop, Tial V44 wastegate, Forge BOV, Aquamist HFS-3 water/methanol injection. ZF Type C five-speed manual gearbox, Spec six-puck Stage 5 clutch, Racing Diffs 2.93 four-clutch diff, Garagistic diff studs

Power & Torque:

620whp and 554lb ft wtq

Chassis:

8×17” ET20 (front) and 10.5×17” ET27 (rear) Apex ARC-8 wheels with 245/45 (front) and 275/40 (rear) Toyo R888R tyres, 18mm Rogue Engineering spacers (rear), Apex stud kit, Bilstein PSS9 suspension, RallyRoad engine mounts, Mason Engineering Race strut brace, Racelogic traction control, Porsche 996 calipers custom-painted Stryker Orange with E46 M3 discs and ceramic pads (front and rear), RallyRoad conversion brackets and stainless brake lines, custom converted E46 handbrake setup

Exterior:

Custom-modified bi-xenon headlights by Skylar Graham, Estoril blue-painted kidney grilles and side vents, LeatherZ magnetic stone guards, AC Schnitzer rear spoiler painted Estoril blue with custom carbon fibre centre section, Never Done Design House rear diffuser, rear wiper delete, mini antenna

Interior:

AZA Auto custom flat-bottom steering wheel with perforated and smooth leather sections, carbon fibre top section, orange centre stripe and stitching, HMS harness bar, dual gauge pod with AEM wideband and AutoMeter electronic boost gauge, Aquamist meth gauge, AMS-500 boost controller, custom-engraved Doug Whalen gear knob, Joying head unit, custom Mister X subwoofer box with Kicker CVR 10”, Alpine PDX amps, Focal polykevlar front & rear components

Source

July 12, 2021
MINI COOPER S R53 RACER: LAP DANCER

Built to tear up the tracks of the UK’s competitive Hot Hatch and Mini Challenge championships, Charlie Collins’s stripped and caged MINI Cooper S R53 racer went from non-running wreck to raucous home-built racer.

First appeared in Performance MINI. Words & photos: Dan Sherwood

When it comes to racing, having a powerful engine is only part of the equation. To really see those lap times diminish, you need to take a leaf out of Colin Chapman’s book and ‘add lightness’. The legendary Lotus founder was obsessive about cars’ weight, and designed chassis that would make an anorexic jealous. This endowed his lithe machines with a power-to-weight ratio that gave them a distinct advantage. Not only were the cars faster in a straight line, their cornering and braking was also radically heightened and the silverware soon followed.

It was this very principle that led MINI-mad race fanatic Charlie Collins to take a slightly different route to track-taming nirvana when he swapped his previous R50 race car for a supercharged R53 equivalent.

“In the R50 I was struggling just to keep up with the lighter cars, let alone overtake them or challenge for the lead,” explains 22-year-old Charlie. “The MINI was a capable car but weighed considerably more than most of the other competitors (such as Honda Civic Type Rs and Renault Clios) that run in the 750 Motor Club’s Hot Hatch Championship. In the end, I’d squeezed about as much power as I could from the engine, but I just couldn’t make it 200kg lighter, so I decided it was time for a change.”

Being a true MINI nut, that change was never going to be to convert to the dark side and try a Type R on for size, but was instead to move up a class and contest the championship in an R53, where the regulations on power-to-weight ratios prove perfectly suited to a supercharged Cooper S.

Charlie says, “I knew it was the best way to remain behind the wheel of a MINI, yet finally be able to run at the front of the pack. It would also allow me to eventually move into the dedicated MINI CHALLENGE series.”

With many capable MINI specialists offering ready-built race cars, he could’ve easily bought a MINI Cooper S R53 that was fully race-ready off the shelf, but he liked the idea of building one himself.

“Not only would self-building provide less of a strain on my bank balance, it would also give me an excellent understanding of how it all worked together and a first-hand insight into race car-specific engineering,” reasons Charlie, who works as an engineer.

His quest to find a suitable S to transform into his new racing steed began in summer 2018. “As the car was always going to be completely stripped, with most of the parts replaced or renewed, I didn’t need a minter,” he chuckles. “This led me to looking at cars at the cheapest end of the market in a bid to save some cash. In the end I took a punt on a £275 eBay special.”

Having seen grainy mobile phone pictures of the car before picking it up, Charlie knew it was well past its best and the previous owner had already informed him it was a non-runner with a destroyed engine. But he was still shocked when he finally saw the condition of the car in the metal.

Charlie explains, “The timing belt had slipped, dropping a couple of valves and cracking the head. After that, the previous owner simply parked it up and left it.”

A flat battery and even flatter tyres were the most obvious issues, but they turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg, as further inspection revealed the neglect had allowed an extensive case of the red rot to take hold.

“Everything was either rusted beyond serviceable or pretty damn near to it,” remembers Charlie. “So in the end it’s been a pretty thorough rebuild with a lot of money spent on genuine MINI bolts and parts because you simply can’t get them anywhere else. So much for saving cash, eh?”

The bodywork was pretty beaten up too, but luckily there were plenty of cheap replacement items readily available through various breakers and parts websites.

“Even though I was keen for the car to look good, it wasn’t worth putting pristine new body panels on, so as long as they were straight and not cracked or corroded, they would be fine – this is a race car, after all. As the saying goes, rubbin’s racing,” he laughs.

The build began with the car being stripped to a rolling chassis, while the blown engine was removed and binned in favour of a low-mileage, working, donor engine.

“When it came to selecting the various tuning parts for the car, I was massively inspired by the Tom and Scott at 1320 Mini,” Charlie reveals. “I was also lucky to have them on the end of the phone to give me loads of advice on what works and what doesn’t and, crucially, where I can gain power without making the engine any more fragile than it already is, as I simply don’t have the time or budget to keep rebuilding blown engines after every race meeting.”

To ensure the motor was meaty enough to be competitive, yet strong enough to take the regular abuse lap after lap, Charlie equipped the 1.6-litre W11B16 with a modified airbox with a drop-in K&N 3190 filter, an Airtec top-mount intercooler and a Janspeed manifold mated to an R56 Scorpion cat-back stainless steel exhaust.

A facelift Teflon supercharger with 15 per cent Kavs pulley was selected to supply the increased level of boost, while Bosch 550cc injectors add the requisite amount of high-octane super unleaded.

Charlie grins, “I recently added a Cat Cams 1302469 cam to the standard head and had the ECU remapped with a Bytetronik tune by 1320 MINI. The power delivery is simply savage now and the car is so much more responsive. I can’t wait to try it on track.”

But extra power is useless unless your transmission can cope, so Charlie took the opportunity to beef up the MINI’s driveline with a Clutchmasters FX400 uprated clutch and lightweight flywheel, as well as install a Quaife limited-slip differential, which is an essential modification for any car being used hard on track, as it greatly increases the amount of traction when exiting corners.

While he was at it, Charlie also swapped the heavy lead acid battery for an Odyssey lightweight racing item and relocated it in the spare wheel well. This has altered the car’s weight distribution by shifting some mass away from the front and towards the stripped-out rear, improving the MINI’s already-majestic handling.

“With the car finally running, I shifted my attention towards improving the suspension and braking,” recalls Charlie. “I started off by changing the rear trailing arms for lighter R56 alternatives, refurbishing the front and rear subframes and replacing all the bushes with Powerflex polyurethane items.”

A full set of more powerful R56 John Cooper Works Brembo brakes were then purchased, refurbished and installed along with Hel braided brake lines, while the stock suspension made way for a quartet of KW Clubsport coilovers, a Whiteline rear anti-roll bar and Hardrace adjustable control arms.

He winces, “The KWs were easily the most expensive single item I’ve shelled out for on this car. In fact, when combined with the cost of the brakes, these two items alone have cost me over £1500 per corner. But the way the car handles now is incredible, so I’m not complaining – they’re worth every penny.”

Allowing Charlie to make the most of his marvellous MINI’s super suspension is a set of 7x17in Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 wheels wrapped in sticky 205/40×17 Toyo Proxes R888R semi-slick tyres.

Adding more lightness, Charlie removed the factory sound-deadening before diligently paring back the wiring loom to lose any redundant wiring, such as for the electric windows and headlights. The latter is not only a cunning way to lose a few extra kilos, but also makes tracing electrical faults far easier, especially when you are in the time- and resource-sparse confines of a pit lane.

“With the wiring complete, I had the whole interior resprayed to neaten it up before a JP Cages bolt-in roll cage was fitted,” says Charlie. Joining the race-spec cage is a single OMP RS bucket seat with a six-point harness, an Alcantara-trimmed steering wheel and a fire suppression system plumbed-in to the cockpit and engine bay.

The final piece of the puzzle was to focus on the exterior, in terms of additional weight savings and to give it a look that would stand out in the paddock and on track.

“I’d already replaced the heavy headlights with lightweight ETS blanks, so continued the theme with the fog lights, utilising the apertures to fit ETS racing brake ducts. This shed a surprising amount of weight from the front, but was nothing compared to the reduction that came from swapping the glass side and rear windows to Lexan.”

Being a race car, there was no point in going for a fancy paint job, so Charlie engaged WrapIT to apply the livery, the bright teal accent contrasting well against the dark gunmetal grey body and gloss black wheels, and is even complemented by the Luke tow straps in a matching hue.

“I’m really pleased with how the car has turned out,” beams Charlie. “But as yet, I’ve not had the chance to take it to the track for any testing, so I’m just hoping everything works come race day.” It’s going to be a real trial by fire when he hits the grid in anger.

“It will be a steep learning curve to get the setup dialled in to perfection, but that’s part of the fun of racing,’ shrugs Charlie. “Hopefully, we’ll finally give those Type Rs a run for their money!”

And judging by the quality of his car and his skills behind the wheel, we’re sure Charlie and his MINI will do just that.

Tech Spec: MINI Cooper S R53 racer

Engine:

1.6-litre four-cylinder 16v W11B16 engine, standard head with Cat Cams 1302469 cam, Bosch 550cc injectors, Bytetronik ECU remap, Airtec top-mount intercooler, 15 per cent Kavs pulley, Janspeed manifold mated to standard cat and R56 Scorpion cat back exhaust system, modified standard airbox with K&N 3190 filter, facelift Teflon supercharger, Pro hoses, Fletcher radiator, standard water pump, Odyssey race battery and ETA battery isolator

Power:

“The car is tuned to keep me within the class regulations for my current race series of 200bhp per ton at the flywheel. Car produces 197bhp at the wheels with 166lb.ft of wheel torque on the dyno”

Transmission:

Clutch Masters FX400 clutch and FX400 flywheel, Quaife limited-slip differential, facelift gearbox running standard ratios, polybushed gearbox mounts

Suspension:

Fully refurbished and powder-coated front and rear subframes, Powerflex bushes, KW Clubsport coilovers, Whiteline rear anti-roll bar, Hardrace adjustable control arms, R56 trailing arms, SuperPro adjustable drop-links, replacement wheel bearings, power steering delete

Brakes:

Front: Brembo 316mm drilled and vented discs with R56 JCW Brembo four-pot callipers and Carbotech pads, ETS Racing brake cooling ducts; rear: Nitrac drilled and vented discs with JCW R56 callipers and Carbotech pads; HEL braided lines

Wheels & Tyres:

7x17in Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 alloy wheels fitted with 205/40×17 Toyo Proxes R888R tyres

Interior:

Fully stripped interior with all sound-deadening removed, JP Cages bolt-in roll cage, OMP RS bucket seat, Lifeline plumbed-in mechanical fire extinguisher, OMP steering wheel, OMP six-point harness, Ultra gauge, lightweight door cards

Exterior:

Standard three-door MINI retained as per regulations, front lights removed and ETS Racing headlight blanks fitted, front fog lights removed and fitted with ETS Racing brake ducts, Lexan windows fitted to doors, rear quarters and boot, drilled and modified front bumper and crash bar, battery box delete to allow R56 cat-back exhaust to be fitted, WrapiT vinyl wrap

Source

July 9, 2021
MODIFIED TOYOTA COROLLA KE30

After owning a string of nineties and early noughties Jap icons, Will Sanctuary decided that, when it came to selecting his next project car, the best way forward was to go back… We take a nosey around his modified Toyota Corolla KE30.

Fast Car. Words & Photos: Dan Sherwood

“I’d always been into old Japanese cars,” says 28-year-old Will Sanctuary, the owner of the eye-catching Tiffany blue Toyota Corolla that finds itself in front of our camera lens today. “They’re dripping with the kind of character you just don’t seem to get in more modern machinery.”

And he’s right, of course. With the abundance of platform sharing and parts bin raiding that goes on in today’s motor manufacturing, it tends to give everything a similar look, with few new cars breaking the mould and truly standing out. So seeing a late ‘70s classic on the street, with its chrome bumpers and bullet-shaped mirrors protruding from the front of the wings, it really is a welcome sight!

“The Corolla was just an itch I wanted to scratch,” laughs Will. “I’ve owned two Honda S2000s, two Nissan Skyline R33 GT-Rs, a Nissan 350Z, a Rocket Bunny S14 and an EK Honda Civic in the past, but as good as they all were in their respective ways, the Corolla is the one that puts the biggest smile on my face. With only 83bhp on tap from the 1.5-litre engine it’s far from the fastest, but if you buy a classic car for the way it performs, you’re kind of missing the point.”

But even with a long-held affinity for owning a Japanese classic, Will admits that he never set out with the intention of actually buying one when he did…

“I’d just sold my S2000 and was scrolling through the cars for sale on Facebook marketplace to see if anything took my fancy.” he explains. “To be honest, nothing was really floating my boat, but then I saw a flash of Tiffany Blue that caught my eye.”

The 1978 Toyota Corolla KE30 sedan was offered for sale through Japanese import specialists Fast East Classics.

“Tiffany blue is one of my favourite colours,” reveals Will, whose day job as a painting and decorating professional gives him some clout when it comes to selecting the perfect pigment. “The fact it was a rare model Corolla was cool, but more importantly, priced at £6.5k it was within budget, so that really sparked my interest.”

Will had dabbled in trying to secure a Japanese classic before when he decided to bid on a Datsun 240Z at a local auction. However, the guide price of £10-12k soon rose to well over £20k before the auctioneers gavel dropped, putting it firmly out of his price range.

“When I collected the car from Far East Classics’ Stonehenge HQ I was surprised at how good the exterior was,” recalls Will. “The paint was a bit faded but there were no bad rust areas, so that was a relief. However, the interior and engine were both a mess! So the first thing I did after handing over the cash and sealing the deal was to take the Toyota down to my mate Lezi who works at my local garage near Kings Lynn for an assessment, service and MoT.”

Surprisingly, the 40-year-old Corolla sailed through the test with the only snag being a new set of brake lines needed. So, with a clean bill of health, Will got cracking on sorting the car to his high standards.

“The first port of call was to bring the dull paintwork back to life with a full respray by Rich Heil from DV8 Automotive in Kings Lynn,” says Will. “Rich did a cracking job of matching the old paint colour and now the blue really pops with a flawless finish that offsets the chrome perfectly.”

Next up was to remove the old worn out interior, carpets and soundproofing and file them safely in the bin! “Unfortunately, you can’t just go and pick up a new carpet for a 78 Corolla off the shelf, so I ended up having to source one from Australia!”laughs Will.

Other parts were equally hard to come by, which led to Will using scouring the globe to get his new ride up to scratch. A new dash and wiring loom were found in Ireland through Will’s friend Leo, a deep front splitter and duck tail rear spoiler came from Thailand, while a brand new, old-stock grille made its way over from Portugal.

“Having to pay shipping for many of the parts I’ve needed has really upped the cost of the build,” Will sighs. “But that’s often the price you pay for owning a classic, as it’s part and parcel of the ownership experience, so I can’t complain.”

The interior now complete with a new retrimmed dash, seats, door cards and headlining, plus a cool Grip Royal mahogany-rimmed steering wheel, Will moved on to alter the Corolla’s ride height by modifying the stock suspension with a set of coilovers up front and a tweak to the stock rear leaf springs. Combined with a set of adjustable lower arms and tie rods, plus a quartet of hubcentric spacers, the stance is spot on.

“The car originally had a set of Rota wheels on it when I bought it,” Will says. “Now, I’m no wheel snob or anything, but they were just too modern looking for the age of the car, so I replaced them with a set of 14in SSR Mk1 alloy wheels with Falken Azenis tyres that I bought from Jason Grant at Rusty Rimz. I think they really suit it.”

You’re not wrong there, Will. We love an old school rim job too! And with the stance sorted, Will could move on to more pressing matters…

“The wiring of the car was a state and a real fire hazard,” remembers Will. “The new loom obviously helped a lot, but there were still some electrical gremlins to sort out before everything would work properly, so I handed the duties over to Nuffy at King’s Lynn Auto Electrical.”

Sometimes it’s best to let the pros take the strain, especially with stuff like electricals, and Nuffy had the Toyota working sweetly in no time, which left Will trouble-free to start tidying up the aging engine bay.

“When I bought the car it already had an engine and transmission upgrade,” Will highlights. “The standard 1.2-litre 3K engine and four-speed gearbox had been swapped for a more powerful, larger displacement 1.5-litre 5K unit complete with five-speed ‘box.”

Still no powerhouse, but at least now some rice puddings would fear for their skins. With no real desire to try and extract more ponies from the puny lump, Will focussed his attention on making the bay look as good as possible and enhancing reliability by replacing the decaying rubber hoses with blue silicone items and fitting a set of matching blue NGK HT leads. He also swapped the brittle and discoloured fluid bottles for fresh new ones and mirror polished the rocker cover.

“While I was under the bonnet I decided to do a partial wire tuck and shave of the engine bay,” Will points out, propping the bonnet up with a matching Tiffany blue baseball bat. “I plan on doing a full tuck and smooth job in here in the future along with another engine swap to a more potent 1.8-litre MX-5 engine on motorbike throttle bodies.” That should endow Will’s machine with a bit more muscle, plus add in a wild soundtrack to boot, but in the meantime, he’ll just have to make do with the sweet sounds from the Corolla’s custom exhaust system.

“The exhaust was made my Wisbech Engineering and Edwards Motorsport and features 2.5in pipework with a mid-silencer and a twin-exit backbox with upswept, slash-cut tailpipes,” he says. “It doesn’t make a lot of power gains with the current engine, but it should liberate a few more bhp from the future setup, and it sounds great too!”

So with phase one of his Corolla project complete, how is Will liking his new life as the owner of a Japanese cult classic?

“It’s great, if a bit expensive at times,” he chuckles. “You also have to get used to living with their various quirks and antiquated technology. Things like using a choke to keep the revs up while the engine warms up. Once it’s warm though it runs like a champ!”

Will admits that, as a bit of a perfectionist, his Corolla will never truly be finished, but will continually evolve and grow as the years go by. And with plans for a tucked screamer of an engine, plus a possible rollcage and bucket seats still to come, we can see that this is one slice of old school cool that looks to be growing old disgracefully, and that’s something we can all approve of!

Tech Spec: Modified Toyota Corolla KE30

Engine:

1.5-litre, 4-cyl, 8v Toyota 5k-c engine, custom 2.5in stainless steel exhaust system with mid silencer and twin exit back box, single carb, polished rocker cover, polished air filter housing and K&N filter, all new silicone hoses on radiator and fuel/air lines, all new fluid bottles, NGK blue HT leads, NGK sparkplugs, air con delete, part smoothed and tucked engine bay

Transmission:

Rear wheel drive, K50 5-speed manual gearbox

Suspension:

Lowered 75mm on custom weld-in coilovers (front), lowered 80mm on flipped leaf springs and lowering blocks (rear), adjustable lower arms and tie rods, new OEM bushes, custom strut brace

Brakes:

Full freshen up of existing set up, standard front caliper rebuild with upgraded Ferodo pads and vented discs, new master cylinder and custom brake lines, rebuilt rear drum set

Wheels & tyres:

6.5x14in ET0 (front) and 7x14in ET0 (rear) fully polished SSR Mk1 alloy wheels with Falken Azenis tyres all round with permanent raised rubber tyre writing, Superforma custom hubcentric wheel spacers, custom chrome wheel nuts

Exterior:

Fully resprayed in Tiffany blue, widened metal arches smoothed into body, custom metal chin spoiler, custom metal rear duck tail spoiler, new old stock front grille, chrome wind deflectors, chrome trim on bonnet, chrome bumpers front and back, chrome bullet wing mirrors, colour coded side vents, chrome headlight bezels, chrome door handles

Interior:

OEM dash retrimmed in period correct vinyl with diamond stitch, new silent coat sound proofing, underlay and new carpe, seats, door cards and headlining all retrimmed in vinyl, custom OEM-style parcel shelf, Grip Royal mahogany steering wheel and HKB boss, fire extinguisher, aftermarket gear knob, centre console removed.

Source

July 7, 2021