Dan Burkett’s Toyota Supra is a rather perplexing car. On one hand, it’s very similar to nearly every cover car we’ve ever featured, but in many ways it’s like no car we’ve ever seen. The seemingly effortless blend of race parts here, show quality there and subtlety everywhere else has created a very unique Supra. It’s almost as if Twins Turbo has pieced together the dream car that so many of us long for but so often get detoured from along the way.
For the most part, the body on this Supra remains stock and only a trained eye familiar with the lines of a JZA80 would be able to spot the three-quarter-inch expansions on the fender wells. In fact, even to the n00b car enthusiast the site of a Supra with what looks like nothing beyond a set of wheels, a front diffuser and a huge exhaust is nothing out of the ordinary. These days, the Supra is practically a household name thanks to everyone’s favorite movie series. Even kids too young to drive know that the 2JZ is capable of 1000hp+.
During the course of the last decade the Supra formula has typically called upon lots of chrome, huge five spoke wheels and a big honking turbo to create a totally undriveable dyno queen. While he did keep the big turbo intact, Dan decided to take a slightly different route. Instead of chrome, Dan went with black and raw metals. Instead of going with catalog parts, Dan went custom. Instead of form, Dan went with function and the styling is simply a pleasant byproduct.
Instead of form, dan went with function, and the styling is simply a pleasant byproduct.
So what exactly is so special about this JZA80? All the parts and labor that went into the car launch it from ho-hum to hot-damn! In the words of Twins Turbo, it is basically a full-on GT car in a stock-bodied Supra. One peek past the body panels virtually anywhere on the car reveals a plethora of custom one-off fabrication, race-only parts and pure performance. The goal was to build a timid looking Supra capable of lapping with racecars and after some two-and-a-half years the car turned those dreams into reality.
Starting in the front of the car, disconnecting the quarter-turn fasteners and removing the bumper reveals a series of intricate ductwork designed to channel air to vital areas. With past projects the Twins have learned that good ducting makes all the difference between a car that makes power and a car that is actually reliable for a sustained period of abuse. Marc KOZ Kozeluh has fabricated each duct from raw materials and they are all hung from one-off front-end framework.
In the passenger’s side vent lies a massive K&N air filter surrounded by a partially enclosed duct to prevent starvation should the main passage become blocked by debris. Opposite the air filter is the equally huge Setrab oil cooler also boxed in by sheet metal. Filling the gap in the middle is triple-row series of ducts feeding the custom Garrett intercooler, C&R radiator and heat exchanger making sure no airflow goes to waste. Making big power with a 2JZ is the easy part; keeping everything together on the track takes a lot more effort and this ducting will go a long way to ensure nothing goes boom.
Unlatch the Seibon hood and a seemingly endless sea of vast customization greets you. More of KOZ’s handy work can be seen from the custom intercooler end tanks to the hot and cold piping to Mil-spec connector junction blocks. It’s awe inspiring how much has been packed into the engine compartment and it simply wouldn’t have been possible without custom solutions. Nearly every cavity of the engine bay has been utilized in a well thought out manner to maximize the little available space.