James Junior Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 You are right guys - its an MR2 Turbo. I used to have these when I was younger in my early twenties. Since then there has been an MR2 shaped void in my life that I have never been able to fill, despite owning a string of nice cars since then, They are bonkers fast and take skill and balls to hustle along quickly as they are an MR layout, with few driver aids and a tendancy to punish clumsy inputs. So all good fun! With a few mods they accelerate so fast that they rearrange your internal organs! This one is pretty brisk and runs a 13 second quarter mile. It is also absolutely pristine. The current owner Dan is a former Toyota technician and tells me it was initially owned by an older Japanese gent who had it 12 years or so since it was first imported. He came into the dealership one day and traded it in for a Prius of all things! Unsurprisingly the dealership gave him buttons for it as a trade-in, so Dan bought it off the garage for peanuts and set about a full restoration, owning it ever since. It has been stripped back to a bare shell and repainted so is box-fresh. What little rust there was has been cut out, filled and painted and then waxoil liberally applied to protect it. Since then it has lived in the previous owner's garage whilst he replaced or restored pretty much all the major components. At 22 years old it is pristine and literally looks like a new car, with every service invoice and receipt from when it was imported in 1999 and only 95k on the clock. You could spend years looking for another like it... The only downsides are that it isn't a T-Bar (I really wanted one) and the aircon has been removed, which I plan to reinstate as otherwise it could get a bit toasty in the summertime as you can't take the roof off! I have some more pics but don't want to tempt fate until I have actually taken delivery. When I do I will be sure to post a separate thread about it in the relevant part of the forum. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 Oh go on then, just one more, what's the harm?! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 (edited) looking good! nice mods too! how did you paint the callipers btw and what colour grade is that? looks great! i always fancied yellow against my blue car. considering if i should DIY it or give it to a bodyshop. Gstraw - I had the calipers professionally painted. If I remember rightly I asked the bodyshop to look up the paintcode for the Porsche yellow calipers and use that. The bodyshop also used some sort of gizmo to measure the dimensions of the standard 'Nissan' decals on the brake calipers and then made up some replacements in black. These were applied once the paint had cured, then finally a few coats of laquer, to seal everythig in and make them look OEM. Don't remember what the exact cost was as it was done at the same time as a lot of other jobs. I would budget a few hundred quid if having it done professionally so not cheap. I know its probably a job you could attempt yourself, but I don't have the capapbility and like to have verything done properly. I love the finish of themn and they really pop against the darker colours of the car. One of the wheel spokes obscures the caliper a bit in this shot, but its the best one I have. Edited April 13, 2016 by James Junior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislich Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Oh go on then, just one more, what's the harm?! Oh my god!!! What a car 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattross1313 Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Goodness me thats nice!!! I am very jelous. I have owned 4 MR2's over the years, I miss my MK1 and MK2 Turbo the most. As you say, they accelerate like nothing else with basic tuning, and are wonderful to drive. I hope to have another one in the future 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 (edited) Back to the Z, I also just put an order in this morning for a set of Motordyne ART Pipes from Adrian at Torqen. These are supposed to give a deeper sound than HFCs that is a bit more subdued, so I am hoping they will quieten my system down as it is a bit too loud for my taste at the moment. As a financial adviser I sometimes use my car to go and visit my clients at home, especially the elderly ones. The last thing I need is to be making their vases explode and paralyzing their dog as I pull off their drive, exhaust howling like a banshee! If anyone does like their car to sound loud and proud, my BERK HFCs will be offered to forum members directly before they go on eBay. A new set will cost you almost £500, but any takers are welcome to mine for £300 delivered. PM me if you want to call shotgun! In the meantime I will report back once the Motordyne ART pipes are on with a review and hopefully a sound clip or two. Edited April 13, 2016 by James Junior 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 £00 ... That's a bargain 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 (edited) £00 ... That's a bargain What can I say? I am nothing if not generous... (thanks - now fixed!) Edited April 13, 2016 by James Junior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnymonno Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 Back to the Z, I also just put an order in this morning for a set of Motordyne ART Pipes from Adrian at Torqen. These are supposed to give a deeper sound than HFCs that is a bit more subdued, so I am hoping they will quieten my system down as it is a bit too loud for my taste at the moment. As a financial adviser I sometimes use my car to go and visit my clients at home, especially the elderly ones. The last thing I need is to be making their vases explode and paralyzing their dog as I pull off their drive, exhaust howling like a banshee! If anyone does like their car to sound loud and proud, my BERK HFCs will be offered to forum members directly before they go on eBay. A new set will cost you almost £500, but any takers are welcome to mine for £300 delivered. PM me if you want to call shotgun! In the meantime I will report back once the Motordyne ART pipes are on with a review and hopefully a sound clip or two. These are what I have James Quieter in the car but louder out the rear!!! Awesome sound though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT350 Posted April 13, 2016 Share Posted April 13, 2016 I think the hardtop looks miles better than the T bar. Yours was a lovely example. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 Goodness me thats nice!!! I am very jelous. I have owned 4 MR2's over the years, I miss my MK1 and MK2 Turbo the most. As you say, they accelerate like nothing else with basic tuning, and are wonderful to drive. I hope to have another one in the future I doff my cap to you sir, clearly we both have excellent taste in cars...MR2s and Zs... I also had four MR2s. - REV3 NA T-Bar in goodwood green - REV3 Turbo T-Bar (300bhp) in steel mist grey - REV5 NA T-Bar in red - REV4 Turbo T-Bar (260bhp) in yellow Oh go on then... Don't have any pics of the red REV5 unfortunately as they're on my old PC in the loft I think! Since selling my last one I have yearned for another. There is nothing else quite like them. They make every journey feel like an adventure. After 8 years of lurking on IMOC and gazing longingly at eBay I am totally stoked to be getting another! Okay sorry, sorry, back on topic... Just had to indulge myself a little more as I am in the presence of another MR2 fanatic... I'm done now. Back to the Z... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 13, 2016 Author Share Posted April 13, 2016 (edited) Back to the Z, I also just put an order in this morning for a set of Motordyne ART Pipes from Adrian at Torqen. These are supposed to give a deeper sound than HFCs that is a bit more subdued, so I am hoping they will quieten my system down as it is a bit too loud for my taste at the moment. As a financial adviser I sometimes use my car to go and visit my clients at home, especially the elderly ones. The last thing I need is to be making their vases explode and paralyzing their dog as I pull off their drive, exhaust howling like a banshee! If anyone does like their car to sound loud and proud, my BERK HFCs will be offered to forum members directly before they go on eBay. A new set will cost you almost £500, but any takers are welcome to mine for £300 delivered. PM me if you want to call shotgun! In the meantime I will report back once the Motordyne ART pipes are on with a review and hopefully a sound clip or two. These are what I have James Quieter in the car but louder out the rear!!! Awesome sound though *Places hands over ears LA LA LA I AM NOT LISTENING!!! (uh-oh...) I'm on the hook for £1,500 worth of different HFCs/ test pipes now trying to fine tune my accoustics, this is getting ridiculous! I keep justifying it by telling myself the project is nearly finished. Its just unfortunate that I have now taken on another project just as this one is coming to an end! Ah well, YOLO etc etc.. I am sure it will be fine. Worst case scenario I can either keep the Motordynes, or be a shy wallflower and put the stock cats back on, having come full circle and pi**ed a load of money up the wall. To be fair, if it doesn't work out at least I can rest easy knowing I have ruptured many eardrums in the process. Before I added the HFCs it did sound lovely with just the Cobra CBE nd the standard car, so that with just the G3 intake would still sound pretty sweet I am sure. I suppose how it all sounds depends on what exhaust the Motordynes are mated to anyway, so roll the dice baby and Motordyne me up! I'll report back when they are on the car and have had chance to coke up and settle in. Edited April 13, 2016 by James Junior Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 22, 2016 Author Share Posted April 22, 2016 Spent an amazing day in North Wales yesterday in the 370Z driving Horseshoe Pass, the Evo Triangle and parts of the Snowdonia National Park as part of a days performance driving instruction with the incredibly talented Mike Cooper of DriverTuition.com . I had been considering this for a while given that a like to drive for recreation and wanted to become smoother, quicker and above all safer on the road. Before the first hour was up I was already feeling like Neo in the Matrix: 'forget all you know, or think you know...'! After a fifteen year love affair with fast cars, to find that so much of what you have self-taught is wrong and inneffective is both humbling and hugely exciting, as it means you have so much more room to develop your ability. By the end of the day my driving was so much smoother and more controlled and I found myself infinitely more aware of my surroundings and potential hazards, whilst carrying more momentum through bends. As the highly skilled Pete Osborne - tour leader at Petrolhead Tours - sagely told me last year on tour, 'the best modification you can make to your car is to improve the driver' and it is so true. I highly recommend a session with Mike Cooper to anyone into performance driving who wants to improve their knowledge, skill and pace, whilst also becoming a safer driver. After the session was over, I let the traffic die down and went for an evening run over Snake Pass to practice what I had learnt. Mike's guidance has completely revolutionised my driving style! I am already in the process of booking my next session, what a rewarding day! Mike's website is beow if anyone is interested along with a few pics: http://www.drivertuition.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 22, 2016 Author Share Posted April 22, 2016 Whilst in other news, my car crept into the pages of Banzai this month along with that of Niki Barry and a couple of other Z forum members, as we were snapped at the last BHP Breakfast meet at RSV Graphics. Meanwhile this week Cobra Exhausts have gotten in touch after I tagged them in some Instagram photos of my car (which naturally has a Cobra exhaust!) and have asked if they can use it as one of their show cars on their exhibitor stand at Japfest this weekend, so naturally I have agreed as it sounds like another fun experience! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Spent an amazing day in North Wales yesterday in the 370Z driving Horseshoe Pass, the Evo Triangle and parts of the Snowdonia National Park as part of a days performance driving instruction with the incredibly talented Mike Cooper of DriverTuition.com . I had been considering this for a while given that a like to drive for recreation and wanted to become smoother, quicker and above all safer on the road. Before the first hour was up I was already feeling like Neo in the Matrix: 'forget all you know, or think you know...'! After a fifteen year love affair with fast cars, to find that so much of what you have self-taught is wrong and inneffective is both humbling and hugely exciting, as it means you have so much more room to develop your ability. By the end of the day my driving was so much smoother and more controlled and I found myself infinitely more aware of my surroundings and potential hazards, whilst carrying more momentum through bends. As the highly skilled Pete Osborne - tour leader at Petrolhead Tours - sagely told me last year on tour, 'the best modification you can make to your car is to improve the driver' and it is so true. I highly recommend a session with Mike Cooper to anyone into performance driving who wants to improve their knowledge, skill and pace, whilst also becoming a safer driver. After the session was over, I let the traffic die down and went for an evening run over Snake Pass to practice what I had learnt. Mike's guidance has completely revolutionised my driving style! I am already in the process of booking my next session, what a rewarding day! Mike's website is beow if anyone is interested along with a few pics: http://www.drivertuition.com/ Interesting - so what would say are the main changes you'll be making to the way you drive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceejay29 Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Nice shot confirms that you need to delete the rear wiper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Spent an amazing day in North Wales yesterday in the 370Z driving Horseshoe Pass, the Evo Triangle and parts of the Snowdonia National Park as part of a days performance driving instruction with the incredibly talented Mike Cooper of DriverTuition.com . I had been considering this for a while given that a like to drive for recreation and wanted to become smoother, quicker and above all safer on the road. Before the first hour was up I was already feeling like Neo in the Matrix: 'forget all you know, or think you know...'! After a fifteen year love affair with fast cars, to find that so much of what you have self-taught is wrong and inneffective is both humbling and hugely exciting, as it means you have so much more room to develop your ability. By the end of the day my driving was so much smoother and more controlled and I found myself infinitely more aware of my surroundings and potential hazards, whilst carrying more momentum through bends. As the highly skilled Pete Osborne - tour leader at Petrolhead Tours - sagely told me last year on tour, 'the best modification you can make to your car is to improve the driver' and it is so true. I highly recommend a session with Mike Cooper to anyone into performance driving who wants to improve their knowledge, skill and pace, whilst also becoming a safer driver. After the session was over, I let the traffic die down and went for an evening run over Snake Pass to practice what I had learnt. Mike's guidance has completely revolutionised my driving style! I am already in the process of booking my next session, what a rewarding day! Mike's website is beow if anyone is interested along with a few pics: http://www.drivertuition.com/ Interesting - so what would say are the main changes you'll be making to the way you drive? Hard to sum up in a few words really... I feel much more aware of my surroundings, feel more comfortable using all of the road and I am much more aware of the forces being exerted on the car and how it's weight is moving around. I also feel more comfortable carrying momentum through corners and also approaching unfamiliar roads with greater confidence. I've also adjusted my driving position and loosened up in terms of how I interact with the car, steering it more with the throttle and brakes and less with the wheel, whilst relaxing my hands and arms much more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Nice shot confirms that you need to delete the rear wiper You know, I hadn't really considered that until now. Good point well made. I think I've only used the thing about three times in the last year! Presumably it's just a matter of removing it, filling and painting the hole? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Back to the Z, I also just put an order in this morning for a set of Motordyne ART Pipes from Adrian at Torqen. These are supposed to give a deeper sound than HFCs that is a bit more subdued, so I am hoping they will quieten my system down as it is a bit too loud for my taste at the moment. As a financial adviser I sometimes use my car to go and visit my clients at home, especially the elderly ones. The last thing I need is to be making their vases explode and paralyzing their dog as I pull off their drive, exhaust howling like a banshee! If anyone does like their car to sound loud and proud, my BERK HFCs will be offered to forum members directly before they go on eBay. A new set will cost you almost £500, but any takers are welcome to mine for £300 delivered. PM me if you want to call shotgun! In the meantime I will report back once the Motordyne ART pipes are on with a review and hopefully a sound clip or two. These are what I have James Quieter in the car but louder out the rear!!! Awesome sound though *Places hands over ears LA LA LA I AM NOT LISTENING!!! (uh-oh...) I'm on the hook for £1,500 worth of different HFCs/ test pipes now trying to fine tune my accoustics, this is getting ridiculous! I keep justifying it by telling myself the project is nearly finished. Its just unfortunate that I have now taken on another project just as this one is coming to an end! Ah well, YOLO etc etc.. I am sure it will be fine. Worst case scenario I can either keep the Motordynes, or be a shy wallflower and put the stock cats back on, having come full circle and pi**ed a load of money up the wall. To be fair, if it doesn't work out at least I can rest easy knowing I have ruptured many eardrums in the process. Before I added the HFCs it did sound lovely with just the Cobra CBE nd the standard car, so that with just the G3 intake would still sound pretty sweet I am sure. I suppose how it all sounds depends on what exhaust the Motordynes are mated to anyway, so roll the dice baby and Motordyne me up! I'll report back when they are on the car and have had chance to coke up and settle in. If they don't work for you send them straight my way lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislich Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 I take it that was yours on the cobra stand? Very nice in the flesh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted April 28, 2016 Author Share Posted April 28, 2016 Thanks Chris, it was, kind of yo to say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrislich Posted April 28, 2016 Share Posted April 28, 2016 I would have been a bit worryed letting them stick things to my car though. It was the yellow calipers that gave it away more than anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Thought I would just check in with a little update now I have had chance to live with the Motordyne ART pipes. Overall I am pretty pleased with the result. My primary goal was to make the car a bit quieter at low revs and the ART pipes have achieved this. They are not quiet by any stretch, but 'all-hell-breaking-loose' seems to have been shunted about 1k up the rev range. If I am honest I think I preferred the tone of the Berks when pressing on, but being able to drive the car more quietly when just pootling about is a boon as I use my car as a daily and to see clients. I had also toyed with the idea of going back to standard cats, but everyone who has actually followed the car says that it sounds awesome. I finally got around to following it myself last night as I drove my partner's 1 Series whilst she drove the Z. Sure enough, the car sounds fantastically evil! So I think the Motordyne ART pipes are here to stay. Only thing now might be another remap to make sure I am extracting maximum gain, as this has effectively moved the set up from an HFC to a straight through pipe; albeit one with sound chambers to capture some of the noise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnymonno Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 I knew you would like them And much quieter in the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Junior Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 (edited) Finally found some time for another proper update whilst on the train home from London. A few weeks ago I spent an amazing weekend driving the best roads Wales has to offer with a great bunch of guys courtesy of Pete Osborne and Dan Hale of Petrolhead Tours. http://petrolhead.tours/ Memorable drives included a thrilling blast chasing a 911 Carrera across the Evo Triangle in heavy rain, a great run with a Ferrari F430 and BMW M3 through empty countryside and an ascent into the Brecon Beacons National Park hot on the heels of a GT3. As usual the Z kept its head up in some pretty exhalted company. Apart from during my days driving tuition, this was the first real chance I had to put the KW V3s through their paces out in the wild. What a fantastic piece of kit they are... Had an unfortunate end to the weekend as I had a disagreement with a stray rock at the side of the road whilst heading up the Black Moutain. Clipped both wheels, bubbled the front tyre, burst the rear tyre and scuffed the side blade. After the event it turns out a few other people have done the same going up there. At least I know now for next time. Queue a 7 hour wait on the side of a mountain whilst awaiting the arrival of the AA, who took all day to finally send a vehicle appropriate to recover a low car. Despite an unfortunate end there was no serious damage and it didn't detract from what was an amazing weekend. Great people, great roads and superb planning and organisation. Turned out to be an expensve weekend really, as I was offered a last minute drop out place on the Alpine South tour in early July. Well I couldn't very well say no could I......?! So soon Z and I will be off on our travels again. I can't wait for deserted Alpine passes and dry weather... Here a few pics from the Wales session: Miles and miles of beautiful roads, largely deserted: Nice motors in attendance as usual: That is some serious high performance ass: Driver of this TVR T350 had brass balls given the conditions for much of the tour and the lack of ABS and driver aids: F430 looked lovely in understated grey with red leather interior: Driver of this lovely old 325i did an admirable job of keeping up with some serious modern machinery, with only a few suspension mods to assist: Awesome wrapped Mclaren 12C was so attention-grabbing that one member of the public rear ended another in Llandridnod Wells as he was too busy gawping at it: Beautiful scenery at one of our afternoon rest stops: As usual it wasn't just a range of cars, but a range of ages too. Alex, the driver of this F-Type was 70 years old and still loving his fast cars: Had a great run with the F430 over miles of deserted roads after the afternoon break: This white van man was a ledge! When he found himself in the middle of the convoy he wouldn't give ground, taking the racing line through the corners hanging onto the 911 in front of him! We gave the unknown hero a toast at dinner that evening: The old military road had lots of visibility and was deserted: Now that is one VERY flat tyre - upon inspection I realised the rock I clipped had torn a 2 inch hole in the tyre. All the tyre weld in the world wouldn't put that back together again: Some of the guys pulled in to see if they could help, but recovery was the only option: So began the loooooong wait for the AA. Could I have picked a more remote location?! Did I mention it was remote? Like REALLY remote: First AA guy who turned up couldn't get me back on the road unfortunately. They then sent a loader some hours later that still couldn't cope with a low car, despite me stressing this twice on the phone: I had hardly any phone signal but did have my laptop, so figured I would at least make constructive use of the time I had to kill by doing a bit of work. Never normally get a view like this from my office: Finally at 5pm the AA got a special low access vehicle to me. I had been sat in that layby for 7 hours! The driver took me to Cardiff airport, where I got a hire car to drive home to Manchester. I was knackered when I got home! The Z was trailered up the next day. So what have I learnt? Beware of stray rocks on the Black Mountain and don't break down in the depths of nowhere on a Sunday with a car with barely more than 3 inches of ground clearance! Edited June 8, 2016 by James Junior 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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