Every year, the organizers and competitors truly bring their A-games, continuously bettering themselves and intensifying the overall experience for the legions of fans that attend. Time attack isn’t just a motorsport, it’s the epitome of tuning. It’s modifying taken to the most extreme level and presented in wonderful grassroots sort of way.
It’s this that keeps people coming back and the interest alive as the rate of evolution is quite hard to believe. And last year’s event winners, MCA Suspension, with their wilder than wild Hammerhead S13 are the perfect example of what you can expect to see at this level of time attack competition. WTAC’s current record holder is built around a common chassis that we all know and love – it’s just been pushed to the extreme and made to generate unbelievable performance through good old engineering and aerodynamics.
But there was another car in the MCA stable that caught my attention as soon as it rolled onto the track at WTAC 2016. I was planning on running this story fairly soon after last year’s event, but no sooner had the team left Sydney Motorsport Park, there was talk of pushing the chassis even further, so I held onto the images till I had more news to share.
So let’s take a little look at what was one of the most memorable cars for me from WTAC 2016, and one of the freshest 86 I’ve come across to date. You see, it’s easy to impress and wow people when you go crazy on a car, but it takes a whole different level of skill to execute something that grabs people’s attention without going too wild.
So seeing an 86 fitted with a widebody kit that isn’t from the Rocket Bunny catalog was already enough to warrant a closer look. The Aimgain aero stirs the underlying lines of the ZN6 with a dose of elegant aggression; the Lexus-inspired spindle grille giving a more high-end feel to the front end. You’ll also notice the complex contours that open up a pair of intakes on each side of the main air dam.
The aftermarket projector headlights with a DRL strip also do their bit to freshen up the 86’s look.To help vent unwanted heat from the engine, the stock hood was cut and equipped with a pair of louvered carbon extractors from Topstage Composites.
Seeing the 86 out on the smooth surface of Sydney Motorsport Park’s 3.95km-long Grand Prix Circuit, you get a feel for how the rest of the Aimgain conversion looks. While some may categorize it as just another bolt-on overfender kit, I think its style is rather unique.
You won’t find smooth-radius arch lines; it’s like the 86 had a night of passion with Gundam and this 86 was the result. The angular theme just looks wrong when looked at single piece by single piece, but as a whole it all makes sense. The cut of the rear fenders reminds me of ’80s Citroëns.
As you would imagine, the car runs on a set of MCA’s own suspension – Red Series adjustable shocks to be precise, although at the time of my shoot it still retained the stock arms and bushings. Brembo brakes borrowed from a Subaru Impreza STI were swapped over for added stopping performance and fade resistance on track, and they hide behind Koya SF03 rims at each corner. Yokohama Advan A050 semi-slicks provide the grip.
There’s a subtle trunk spoiler to complete the full Aimgain look, and MCA also threw in a set of clear LED taillights for a more distinctive look. But the uniqueness of the the styling could never match the impact made by what’s hiding under the hood…
When Toyota gave us the new 86, it was an instant hit. Due to the lack of cheap and tuneable sports cars on the market, it became nothing short of a blessing for tuners, but at the same time it was obvious that the 4U-GSE powering it was almost as disposable as the stock wheels. OK, I’m exaggerating to make the point, but this has to be one of the most engine-swapped new cars in the history of the automobile.
And the idea to drop a Nissan VQ37HR from a Z34 370Z into the Toyota chassis is one of the most surprising transplants we’ve come across yet. But when you actually think about it, it makes so much sense. For starters, because of the V6’s compactness it can be positioned far back in the engine bay.
Engine: Nissan Z34 VQ37 V6, Dailey dry sump system, MoTeC M150 engine management system, CES custom extractors, Invidia twin 2.5-inch titanium exhaust system, PWR custom radiator
Driveline:
Nissan Z34 6-speed transmission, Mantic clutch & lightened flywheel, custom The Driveshaft Shop carbon tailshaft, The Driveshaft Shop driveshafts
Suspension/Brakes:
MCA Suspension Red Series shocks, 86 traction mod, Subaru Impreza STI Brembo brakes, Project µ pads & fluid
Wheels/Tires:
18×10-inch Koya SF03 wheels, Yokohama Advan A050 tires
Exterior:
Aimgain bodykit, Alfa Motorsports fibreglass doors, polycarbonate windows from Plastics4Performance, Topstage Composites bonnet vents
Interior:
Custom full car wiring loom, MoTeC C127 dash, Sparco Pro2000 seat, Takata 5-point harness
Original published at "speedhunters" website.
