Last updated January 6th, 2012

Baseline

The wait is finally over. The FR-S is officially dropping in a few months. After three years of picturesque renderings and prototype vehicles popping up at auto shows, the newest and arguably hottest Scion will be sold at dealerships around the United States in the spring of this year. (It’s about damn time! Ed.) There are numerous reasons why so much hype has been following this car . . . and with just cause. But if you’re still not convinced, here’s IT’s Top 7 reasons why your next car should be an FR-S.

As dawn broke over the Tsukuba Circuit, the light dusting of snow that greeted teams as they began to set up for the 2011 Rev Speed magazine’s Tsukuba Super Battle didn’t fill them with a lot of confidence in seeing too many records fall. Despite the miserable start to the morning, entries were still quite strong with all 71 listed entrants showing up and setting up their pits. The largest group of cars (43 entries) was entered in the Street Class, which requires submission to an emissions check, current inspection papers, and the installation of street-legal radial tires. As the first sessions began, it was clear that the track was going to remain wet for the first half of the day, so drivers were encouraged to head out in an attempt to dry up the racing line as soon as possible. All but three entrants in the Open Class passed on the first session, but former D1 Street Legal champion drifter Naoki Nakamura was out sliding around and enjoying the open track in his competition S15 Silvia, albeit with some minor changes to the suspension alignment and tire pressure settings.

Lateral and longitudinal forces from turns, acceleration, and braking, especially in drifting and road race vehicles, could push oil around the floor and up the side of the pan, starving the pickup under high-rpm/high-lateral g conditions. This is a common problem for high-performance engines. The Subaru EJ engine is notorious for oiling problems. From spun rod/crank bearings to occasional faulty oil pickup units, this engine has been begging for an aftermarket fix to prevent such mishaps from occurring. Killer B Motorsport out of Waynesboro, VA, specializes in aftermarket Subaru components. KBM offers a number of upgraded oiling parts, including a more robust oil pickup, oil pan baffle, and larger-capacity oil pan.

You are not allowed to know whom these cars belong to. You are not allowed to know the owner’s name, age, exact location, occupation, hobbies, or what motivated these ridiculously amazing builds. Seriously. Why? Well, because that’s how they want it. Quite out of the ordinary, I know. You better believe that it would take quite an extraordinary set of circumstances for us at Import Tuner to even give this type of situation a second thought much less actually go through with it. But sometimes you just can’t say no. Sometimes the situation is so captivating and the car (in this case, cars) is so sick that you are willing to make an exception, throw convention aside, and just do it anyway. And this, my friends, is one of those situations.

Got a burning question or simply need some advice with problems you’ve encountered while wrenching on your current/future projects? Ask our automotive guru Eric Hsu anything—literally, he’s going to answer every single question, as long as it’s automotive related.

Over the past 10 years, Subarus have turned into a staple of the automotive tuning industry. Starting as a more niche, specialty tuner car in the 1980s, Subarus have exploded into the mainstream with the introduction of the American market Impreza WRX in 2002, and then going on to become the focus of various motorsport events throughout the United States and worldwide. With the spotlight on Subarus in events such as rally racing and time-attack, it seemed only natural to see the aesthetic styles of these purpose-built race cars carrying over onto the streets and, ultimately, into car shows. Jeff Hill’s ’05 Subaru STI is one of those cars that takes the time-attack race car style and applies it to the medium of car shows, resulting in an almost undefeatable juggernaut in the local car show community of the Pacific Northwest.

The MKIII Toyota Supra is hardly an icon in the automotive world. It has neither a cult following, nor is it really ever in the media. Some may go as far as to say that it’s simply flawed in design. The main offending factor is simply its weight; at close to two tons, the suspension is completely overworked just by attempting to keep up with the rest of the car. The engine has its fair share of nonbelievers as well, the 7M-GTE is notorious for blowing head gaskets and is generally not sought after by any means, especially not to propel such a heavy car. Only a true enthusiast would even consider an MA70 Supra as anything but a beater to get through a few winter seasons. But Russel Rumbawa is, in every meaning of the word, a true enthusiast. As one of a handful of people around the world who have successfully modified this platform, exclusive may be an understatement. It took the 36-year-old from Hawaii eight years to get this car to the state that it is now, and the end result is nothing short of impressive.

After years of doing the Import Tuner AWD Shootout it’s time we changed it up. No longer will we be putting EVOs against Imprezas. This year, we’re going to make it available for any chassis FR-based (front engine, rear-wheel drive) vehicle. Everything from the new Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, to older models like the Nissan Z, Honda S2000, and Mazda RX-7 are welcome to compete. This is an all-out competition with very little limiting factors. The race will occur at Willow Springs International Raceway in California. The deadline to enter is June 1, so email us now. Submissions require car specs and a recent photograph.

Features

Hair by Tony Jones
Makeup by Gaby Ramos

Every automobile serves a purpose to its owner. To the vast majority of drivers this purpose is as basic as it gets, an appliance that moves you comfortably and safely from point A to point B. To a smaller percentage of automobile owners, their mode of transportation has a bit more significance; some sort of sentimental value is involved where there is a desire to make their vehicle more than just a commuter. Those who fall into the second category may devote more time into keeping the car looking its best, a little more of their paycheck changing or adding parts to the car in an effort to get it to perform better than it was designed to from the factory. A third category of owners—the smallest percentage yet—includes those who devote their entire careers to building cars to fulfill their absolute potential. This category creates the parts the rest of us utilize. Hideki Takaku of Reverse is one of these people, an individual who took his passion to the next level and allowed it to become his career.

Rays Gramlights 57GTC Wheel

This month, I’m reaching out to all of our readers and potential readers. What do you want to see in Import Tuner?

HKS celebrates the 24th anniversary of the original Electronic Valve Controller (EVC) with an all-new EVC Boost Controller model. The HKS EVC 6 Boost Controller is the latest version of the popular EVC lineup and is considered by many as one of the best boost controllers currently on the market. The original EVC released in ’87 was the first commercially available electronic boost controller that helped revolutionize turbocharged vehicles.

The fall season is a time of beauty and transition for the Northeast portion of the United States. The leaves change color, temperatures drop, animals begin gathering food for their winter hibernation, and an incredibly diverse group of quality lowered automobiles gather at Princeton Airport in Princeton, NJ. Marking their second year of flooding the web with seamless automotive culture coverage, Canibeat.com put on their, now annual, show First Class Fitment.

By now, we’ve all seen photos of the Scion FR-S and the new 4U-GSE 2.0L boxer engine (from Subaru) complete with D-4S direct-injection technology. Simply stated, this engine is nothing like the EJ205/EJ257 powerplants we’ve been offered in the Subaru WRX and STI. The 4U-GSE four-cylinder engine has been engineered from the ground up. What about engine tunability, you ask? That’s an ultimate question the aftermarket world is dying to learn. Only time will tell; the FR-S and its newly introduced platform leave us with a plethora of questions that shroud us in a fog of mystery. Until the very first tuner shops begin tearing apart this engine, we’re salivating at the mouth of its true capability. With a mind-boggling 12.5:1 compression ratio and twin injectors, the 4U-GSE’s full power comes on at 7,000 rpm with 151 lb-ft of torque at 6,600 rpm.

There are many ways to go about creating your dream project car. Different people work different ways, and likewise, have different methodologies when it comes to completing a build. The end result should be the same: a well-rounded build with attention paid to important details and a distinct sense of style that should be all your own. That’s what everyone strives for, whether you are planning on building a simple street cruiser, a full-blown show car, or a performance-minded race vehicle. The journey to the final product is where things get interesting. Not everyone operates the same way, and it’s reflected in the way we build our cars. Some save up and collect parts before putting their cars together, some don’t. Some enthusiasts plan meticulously and sort out every detail, while some just choose to wing it and build as they go. Variety is the spice of life, and hearing how your fellow enthusiast came about completing their project is often what helps to build relationships within the import automotive community. They are “war stories” so to speak. It gives validation that you shared the same trials and tribulations, even though the voyage may have been a different one. You can always just glance at a car and enjoy the way it looks, but you develop a deeper appreciation if you take the time to understand the thought process that went behind its creation.

After more than a year of development and testing, Stillen announces its CARB approval of their Nissan 370Z (Z34) G37 Supercharger system. The 50-state legal kit goes without notice as the company that has brought many “firsts” in our industry including the first CARB-legal forced-induction solution for the Z33 350Z is among one of many groundbreaking accomplishments Stillen has achieved within its 25 years of business. The Nissan/Infiniti VQ37 supercharger system helps add some serious gusto to your ride by increasing horsepower from 282 to over 416 whp (depending on vehicle and modifications) on 91-octane pump gas. Unlike Stillen’s supercharger kit for the old VQ35 engine that required a custom cowl-type hood for clearance, the new supercharger kit is compact enough that all the hardware squeezes within the confines of the engine bay and is designed to fit with a stock 370Z or G37 hood to give the car a factory appearance. Each kit comes with a quiet, self-lubricated Vortech V-3 centrifugal supercharger, custom cast-aluminum intake manifold, complete air-to-water intercooler system, as well as an ECU reflash, datalogger, and diagnostic scanner. The supercharger system is designed to work with both automatic and six-speed vehicles, including convertible and all-wheel-drive models. This kit is designed for specific owners who want big horsepower gains and are not worried about legality or warranties.

Baseline

Mazda Motorsports has just released their B-Spec kits for the Mazda 2. This means that you can buy an affordable car from the factory and compete in a more affordable race class within SCCA. Limited modification of the cars will allow for drivers to really test their skills against others. Honda Performance Development has also released their Fit B-Spec to compete in the race as well. The Mazda 2 B-Spec kit will come with Bilstein shocks, stiffer springs, rear sway bar, exhaust, Hawk DTC-60 brake pads, high-performance air filter, oil cooler, and A/C delete. The kit from Mazda is $2,600. Safety equipment like race bucket seats, rollcage, and harness will be an additional cost. Other B-Spec segment cars would be the Toyota Yaris and the Nissan Versa. We might not have the N1 race like in Japan, but the B-Spec class might be the ticket for small compact car racers.
www.mazdamotorsports.com

Eric would like to wish everyone belated happy holidays with his friendly smile and cheerful demeanor. Technically, this issue hits newsstands in February, but in the magazine world . . . we’re still stuck in December—the month to be joyous and festive. Eric forewarns those in the gift-giving mood to resist buying knock-off parts for friends and family. “If you’re going to buy cheap Chinese knock-off crap, buy an egg timer or chopsticks. Not engine components. Happy holidays!”