Outstepping Boundaries

For the most part, there aren’t a lot of “sure things” in the world. You know, failproof, 100 percent reliable—call them what you want, but they are still rare finds. I’ve learned to accept this—well not exactly accept, but more like grin and bear it. At the tender age of 23, I’ve sought to find something I can put my money on, and what I have learned in my quest for sanity is that there are only three things I can be sure of. First and foremost, girls have no idea what they want in a relationship. This was probably the most painful lesson of all. No big deal, life goes on. Second, I’ve learned that if there is only one person who will get stopped at a security checkpoint for “random searches,” it will be Nads. Actually, anything that has to do with security, anywhere, will involve Nads in some way.

Last, I know that Japan will always come out with the baddest cars point-blank. Maybe it’s because the Japanese have more money, or maybe it’s because they have the parts readily available so they don’t have to order them and then wait for them to get shipped halfway around the globe. We’re shooting for the second option. Oh, did we forget to mention that Japan gets better cars than we do, and way before we do? The products they have over there are mind-blowing compared to what we have on our shores. Yes, it might be hard to believe if you don’t see it with your own eyes. That’s why the Jo(h)ns spent a week overseas getting snaps of the hot new products at the Tokyo Auto Salon. That’s also why I missed the Family Values Tour concert, got “extra” searched by airport security, jumped on a plane with “White” Mike from Blitz North America, and spent the coldest three days of my life at the Ebisu Circuit in Fukushima, Japan.

It was time for Blitz Japan to test the company’s products on its cars. But these aren’t typical, boring product-testing affairs. Blitz rents the track at the Ebisu Circuit and invites all the Blitz dealers in Japan to come down and test-drive these cars. That type of behavior seemed a bit odd to us, but the theory is simple. Mr. Satoshi, general manager of Blitz Japan, explained that the company’s image comes from its products—products such as the new solenoid boost controllers, supercharger kits, turbo kits, Nurspec V exhaust systems, Access ECUs, and Sachs suspension kits. Product testing allows every dealer to sell Blitz products with confidence that they will perform and hold up to massive amounts of abuse. And after what went down on the track, massive amounts of abuse would be an understatement.

The car lineup was pretty sick and what I would like to call a “Sea of Silver.” The cavalry included a Toyota Supra, two Nissan Skylines, a Toyota Vitz, a Toyota Chaser, a Subaru WRX, and way more cars than I could ever imagine owning in my lifetime. Even a couple of Step Wagons were thrown in, which seems to be the hot thing in Japan right now. If the car wasn’t turbo or supercharged, Blitz didn’t bring it to the track.

Whoa, hold on really quick. Before this story develops any further, let’s get into where Fukushima, Japan, is located, since the town many not be familiar to everyone, or anyone. The reason? It’s about a five-hour drive from Tokyo and about a 30-minute drive from any form of civilization, which made travel and sleeping accommodations a bit awkward. The closest hotel was five minutes from our destination, the Ebisu Circuit. Hotel arrangements consisted of 30 adults sleeping on the floor of four rooms and sharing three toilets, two sinks, and one shower. But living the luxurious life was not the point of the trip. Driving the Blitz powerhouses on the track was.

With about four hours of sleep, everyone headed to the Ebisu Circuit before the crack of dawn. All the cars were lined up along the side of the track for last-minute changes. Any re-mapping of the ECU or damper adjustments to the Sachs coilovers had to be done before the car touched the track. The air was crisp with the thermometer reading 30 degrees F. Everyone was anxiously sitting around the propane-powered heater waiting for the cars to be finished with setup. Once the clock struck 7 a.m., the dealers were given brief instructions, strapped down in a car, and set up for four hours of powerhouse musical chairs.

Watching from the lookout posts, only silver blurs could be seen. It was almost rhythmic how the spool of KKK turbos, the whine of superchargers, and the “psssh” of blow-off valves broke up the silence. Car after car blasted by as my anticipation continued to grow. Oh man, what I would give to drive one of these cars, I thought to myself. At that exact moment, Takanori Yoshida pulled in front of me with the Blitz supercharged Altezza (IS300 in the States). Although the cold had inflicted my brain with the Cherry Squishee treatment, I remember the conversation going a little something like this:

“OK, you’re up next,” I heard Takanori-san say faintly.

“Me?” I replied.

“Yes, hurry. Can you handle a righthand- drive car?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. It’s supercharged so be careful when the boost kicks in.”

“Sure thing, I’ll be extra careful.”

“Oh, one more thing. The track has ice on it, so try not to lose control.”

Every time the supercharger started spooling, it sounded like a swarm of crickets during mating season. Once the Illumi Drive boost gauge leveled off at 0.90-bar, the tach needle shot up like a rocket. For six grueling laps around the track, the Altezza was punished to every extent possible. Handling was a dream with the Sachs coilovers, and traction was taken care of via an Active clutch and a TRD limited-slip differential.

Every car there went through the same amount of abuse. A mountain-climbing track tucked away in the corner was dominated by the JZA80 Supra piloted by Options driver Suzuki Manabu. The most important thing was that each car was driven from a different Blitz regional office, tested, and driven back. If that doesn’t show durability of the products, nothing ever will.

After three days of testing, we headed back to Blitz headquarters, where another arsenal of silver cars awaited us. Like a zombie, I stared in awe as I walked through the work bay of the Blitz facility. It was kept so clean you could eat off the floor—not that I tried to or anything. The R348 top-speed Skyline rested to the side next to a supercharged Celica, another Altezza was strapped to the dyno, one more JZA80 Supra rested on the lift, and a four-door R34 drift Skyline was in the parking lot. Does this list ever end? No wonder there are stackable parking-lot lifts to fit all the cars. Sadly, my track time was over and so was our trip. Did I want to leave? Absolutely, positively not. Not just because I knew that I was going to be searched again at the airport, but because this is what Super Street yearns for—cars like these using these parts and performing like no other. If you want more proof, check out the Tokyo Auto Salon section in this issue. The pictures will speak for themselves.