2004 Toyota MR2 Spyder - Spyder Man

With most of his money spent on the engine conversion, Mike, as a struggling student, had little else to splurge, but took what he had and made it work. To the chassis, he added a simple BRS front lip along with TRD side skirts and a rear lip. A front emblem from a first-generation MR2 was tagged to the front bumper and a JDM hard top gives the Spyder a much tougher look. Mike also installed a set of FLT-A2 coilovers from JIC, but added TRD strut bars, TTE sway bars and Energy Suspension bushings before West End Alignment corner-balanced the body for track racing. A set of black 15x7 and 16x8, uh, Black Racing Pro N1 wheels were used with Hankook R82 tires and have obviously served Mike's Spyder well, considering Kazama gave him a final score of 100 at the touge championship.

In a side by side comparison, Mike says the difference "is amazing. There's so much more power coming out of a K20 stock than the 2ZZ, even when the 2ZZ was turbocharged. My roommate drives a RSX Type S, but because this is rear-wheel drive, it just blows his car away. It's deceptively fast. I can hang with STis and Evos without having to build a car that's been done a thousand times over." And while Mike's Spyder did place extremely well at American Touge, he says that a naturally-aspirated RWD class just isn't as hyped as the other classes. He hopes that with more power, he'll be able to change everyone's minds. Until then, Mike's completing an internship for school, which will keep him far from home for nearly six months. When we asked who would be driving it while he was away, he said, "Just my mom. It's going to sit in the garage, but she's going to turn it on once a week for me." You better check the mileage when you return, Mike, as this Spyder may even be too tempting for mom to resist.

OWNER Mike Ngo

POWER 238hp at 168lb-ft

UNDER THE HOOD '04 Honda Integra Type R K20, installed by R Crew; Hondata intake manifold gasket; Walbro fuel pump; R Crew intake, header and exhaust; Borla muffler

DRIVETRAIN '04 Honda Integra Type R transmission with factory LSD; custom R Crew axles and shifter adapter; B&M shifter; ACT XTSS clutch; Hasport transmission mount

BRAINS Hondata K-Pro tuned by Church Automotive

STIFF STUFF JIC Magic FLT-A2 coilovers; TTE sway bars; TRD strut bars; Energy Suspension bushings; Corky skid plate; corner balancing by West End Alignment

ROLLERS 15x7 and 16x8 Black Racing Pro N1 wheels; Hankook R82 205/50R15 and 225/45R16 tires

OUTSIDE BRS front lip; TRD side skirts and rear lip; first-gen MR2 emblem; JDM hard top

ICE Sony M-630 head unit