People often say the Japanese are hard-working. They are, but most people don't realize the extent of their commitment toward a job done right. Your typical "salary man" might get up at 6 to be on the train by 7 to get to work by 8. He will probably work until about 8 that night, spend another hour on the train back, and be home well after the kids are asleep. Social issues aside, yep, most Japanese we know are hard-working.
And how about the laboring masses in the myriad of performance tuning shops across Japan? I can see them now, rows of guys under hoods of cars, glistening with sweat, moving rapidly, repetitively, and robotically. "Tighten those bolts! Secure that turbo! Watch the boost! Fire in the hole!!" Oh, the brave and tireless legions that delivered us from the icy grasp of the American muscle car!
These guys slave away the sunny hours in the shops, but the sign on the door says they close at 6 p.m., right? Ha! Drop by Top Secret on any given night around 11, and they'll all be there, wrenching away. Ah, but Friday night they must get off early, or at least go to the karaoke bars together! No, silly. Fridays, the crew leaves the shop at midnight in a caravan of sloppy-idling, clutch-lurching, gassy-exhaust-burping sports cars. They make a pilgrimage to the opposite side of Tokyo at a particularly special parking lot, where friends, fans, and customers greet them with their own tuned machines. Everyone is here to chat, show off the latest projects, and of course, dork-off with all the shenanigans possible with a bunch of 500, 600, even 700hp cars at 3 a.m.
It's all good fun for the customers, but it can get hard on Makoto Koyanagi. As a mechanic at Top Secret, he gives them 90 percent of his waking hours, swapping RB26DETTs, dropping in sequential transmissions, and changing JDM air fresheners-you know, the usual stuff. It's relentless work, but it does come with benefits, like getting dibs on completed project cars for sale. Even before joining Top Secret, Makoto's future MR-S was up on the lift, being plumbed for its turbo kit. Soon enough, the car was on its way to fame and fortune when it debuted at the 2000 Tokyo Auto Salon.
Top Secret's turbo'd MR-S was a big hit at TAS, but it has evolved much since that show. Visual differences include Top Secret's G-Force front bumper cover, an original yet subtle design replacing the lower lip that so prominently protruded from the car in 2000. Further refinement is seen on the turbo, and don't forget a fresh motor. Top Secret may have improved the turbo's efficiency, but the motor, well, that's entirely Makoto's doing. It seems a Skyline wanted to play on the highway one day, and the thing about this MR-S is that it's really fast. Redline arrives in a flash, and with the rev-limiter removed, you're over 10K rpm a moment later if you're not careful. Makoto wasn't. Since then, he's been a tad gentler.
Hats off to him, however. He works 12-hour days, six days a week. He even bought me a Pocari Sweat, which tastes better than it sounds. Best of all, he owns one exceedingly cool turbo Toyota MR-S.
Fast Facts
Owner Makoto Koyanagi
Ride '00 Toyota MR-S
Hometown Chiba City, Japan
Under The Hood Top Secret Turbine kit with a GReddy T517Z turbo, exhaust manifold, intercooler kit, oil cooler kit, Drag Pro Titan 60mm exhaust system; Trust PRofec-B boost controller, upgraded fuel pump, Top Secret Special HKS F-Con V-Pro, Cusco 1.5-way LSD
Stiff Stuff Top Secret Super damper kit, Cusco lower arm bar and strut tower brace, Top Secret special floor under panel reinforcement, urethane bushings
Rollers 18-inch Volk SE37 K wheels, 215/40R18 Advan A048 tires
Stoppers Project rotors and pads
Outside Top Secret G Force aero kit: front bumper, side step, GT wing, and rear under diffuser; paint by Top Secret II
Inside Top Secret Super rollcage, Top Secret/Personal steering wheel