1991 TOYOTA SOARER
NICELY-MODIFIED COUPE LOOKS THE GOODS
In Soarer-speak this is a JZZ30, which means it’s the 2.5lt inline six with twin turbos. That’s the sporty version of the range – the other main engine is the Lexus 4.0lt V8. It originally came with an auto, but I’ve managed to switch it over to five-speed manual. Working at a Toyota dealership at the time certainly helped with that project!
This is a car I’ve wanted since I was about seven years of age – just one of those cars that appeals and stays with you. Prior to this I had another project, an E36 BMW that was converted from a 318 to 328i.
It took over six months to find this car, I’m always going through the classifieds. This one popped up, I went and saw it and drove it home – it was a quick decision.
It presented really well in the pictures, but when you go close you could see it needed some attention and was a bit the worse for wear. I’ve been doing up the interior, which was grey. Unfortunately the grey panels tend to go multi-coloured over time, so this one is being converted over to black.
The doors are double-hinged and weigh nearly 100 kilos each and tend to sag over time. There is someone local who specializes in fixing them, so that’s probably the next job.
We’ve done the suspension. It’s running BC Racing coilovers all round and all the bushes have been done, so it grips really well when you attack a corner.
The Australian Facebook Soarer group is terrific and is worth joining for all the tech help.