Driving around Tokyo, I got the feeling that I really didn't know as much about shortcuts as I thought I did. You see, in Los Angeles, I pride myself on being able to get to just about anywhere in less time than any of my friends and can generally give better directions than the trusty MapQuest. But not in Japan-there are so many little streets, nooks, and crannies that would take me years, maybe even decades, to figure out. How my friend (and tour guide) Tetsuya navigates through these streets with little worry continues to boggle my mind. What confuses me even more is that even though he's never been to the Techno Pro Spirit tuning shop, he manages to find it anyway. "No problem," he says, and that's when we step out into the parking lot.
Nestled on a small stretch of road within an area that seems to be nothing but farms, it's difficult to imagine that anyone would want to build cars out here. But it's the best place-after all, you need a little noise to wake up the neighbors every now and then. Techno Pro Spirit builds the kind of cars that we wish we could, and judging from the variety of vehicles that shop owner Toshio Kumakura currently has in his possession, it's clear that he's capable of tweaking anything that has four wheels and an engine. But let's start with this one!
Spirit Taro's (that's Kumakura-san's nickname) AE86 Levin is one of the race cars that stands out the most-just one of them. It sits quietly, but when one of the mechanics hops in to start it up, it roars to life. This thing doesn't just sound fast, it is fast. This car was built mainly to develop new products for the company line: Spirit. Pop open the Goodline carbon hood, and you'll understand why. The engine shows little sign of ever being stock and with a set of Toda Racing individual throttle bodies slapped onto the cylinder head, something tells me that it has more bite than Tyson after a few rounds. The block has taken on a new life with forged Toda pistons along with connecting rods and a crankshaft from an AE101 ('91-'95 Levin). The cylinder head has been fondled with a pair of Toda Racing camshafts (intake: 304 degrees, exhaust: 300 degrees), and sandwiched between the head and block is a TRD 0.8mm metal head gasket. The fuel system is pretty trick, as the 534cc injectors were custom-made to fit from a Lancer Evo III and again, AE101 parts were used: a fuel and oil pump. And get this: max power is achieved at 204 hp @ 8,730 rpm, while max torque is realized at 137.37 m @ 6,400 rpm.
Since the car is road raced regularly, the Techno Spirit crew also felt it was necessary to build the transmission up with a two-way limited-slip differential from TRD and change the final gear to one with a 4.5 final ratio. Other essentials include a rear equality link bracket and a Revolver rear traction bracket. Cooling is another important component of this Levin, so a Spirit radiator and cooling fan were pulled off the shelves and installed along with an oil cooler from Trust.
We weren't surprised when we found that Kumakura-san changed out the suspension with a combination of winners-and by that we don't mean a handful of bloody boogers. The front springs are now from Swift and the rears from TRD, with a set of adjustable shocks from Spirit. Since the chassis sits that low and the SSR mesh wheels almost tuck under, it must be painful trying to load it onto a trailer without scraping the bottom (I scrape my bottom regularly.-JN). The rear end is now fully adjustable with the help of Cusco's lower arm/tension rod kit and rear control arms. The Spirit lateral rod was installed to help keep the car from twisting while it's under acceleration or hard cornering-the kind of forces this car was meant to take on.
The body modifications are so hardcore that it would make any Vivid girl seem like an virgin compared to what's been fluffed up here. The front air dam is extremely aggressive, yet it fits well with the overall package and complements the Spirit over fenders well. The entire rear hatch was completely removed for a Crystal Body Yokohama fiberglass replacement, including the rear wing. Further weight savings are realized with acrylic glass from Cusco. From an interior decorator's viewpoint, the Levin's interior is a ghastly sight, devoid of all necessities. But in a racer's eyes, it's heaven. You can strap yourself into one of the two Bride buckets (preferably the driver's) for a go on Japan's toughest road courses.
You are completely protected by Takata seatbelt harnesses as well as a Spirit five-point rollcage, in case you find yourself taking a turn for the worse out of a hard corner. And all engine operations can be closely monitored with the Trust oil pressure and water temp gauge, Neko AF700 air/fuel gauge, and a Nagai Denshi multi-mode meter.
After packing up my camera gear, Mr. Kumakura told me he's preparing to invade the American market. He also explained his fondness for the Wildo Speedo movie that he just saw at the theaters (that's The Fast and the Furious for us Yanks) and how he thinks his name should be splashed across the side of a car like Veilside's was. He also asked me, "Would you like to drive one of my cars?" Would I? "Do you have international driver's license?" he continues. Um, no. I bailed immediately feeling like I was wrapped in a piece of plastic labeled "Blow Pop". Otherwise known as a sucka!