IT IS SO LOUD ABOVE 4000RPM, YOU CAN’T HEAR YOURSELF THINK
at the wheel. That is approximately 210bhp at the crank. From a nat-asp engine on a Jazz! It gets a move on and hits 100kmph in 5.9 seconds. The turn of pace is impressive and the sheer drama that accompanies it adds to the thrill. Turbocharged engines have become all-pervasive, even in the mainstream and you tend to forget the tingly sensations a proper naturally aspirated engine can deliver. It is so loud above 4000rpm that you can’t hear yourself think. But you don’t need to, because it’s so intuitive to operate. Well, there wasn’t a rev limiter, so I was shifting conservatively lest I blow the engine, but apart from that — it’s an absolute breeze! Shifts were buttery smooth. It is running a stock Accord gearbox, after all.
The chassis has been upgraded to deal with the additional power as well. The stock suspension was swapped out for Buddy Club Sport Spec coilovers that were sourced from Taiwan. Interestingly, they were made for the new Jazz and were adapted to fit his car. There’s additional bracing — a strut brace up front and a cross-brace and sway bar at the rear. All that power needs more stopping ability and the car has a rear disc brake conversion, while the front rotors have been upsized to 280mm (sourced from a Mini Cooper) along with Integra Type R (DC5) calipers. The Jazz also has Lenso wheels and Accelera rubber. Chuck it round a bend and it has tremendous grip and feels properly balanced. The coilovers were designed for the weight of a 1.5 engine, not the 2.4 but they don’t seem to be out of their depths despite the extra weight. It turns in sharply and you can get back on the gas much earlier with the aggressive LSD making sure every bit of the torque reaches the road.
But then when you want to just bumble about town, you can. The RaceJazz runs a custom wiring harness by Blackworks and the air-con, ABS, central locking and cluster all work. Delhi summers can get bloody hot and this makes the car usable all year round. It even has a working stereo! Not that you can hear it when you’re past 30 per cent of throttle travel.
This build wasn’t easy though. Karan is a little over two years into the build and says that “most” of the niggles have been ironed out. Getting components to match both the K24 engine and this chassis were a challenge, and he’s had to mix and match parts from all over the place to make it work reliably. Some parts on the accessory belt are from a CR-V, some are off a Jazz, some a 2007 Accord. And it isn’t a particularly affordable build either. Everything on this car would set you back in the region of `8 lakh, if (and Karan laughs when he tells me this) you build it yourself. Getting a shop to do it for you would probably cost more. And that excludes the car. The
engine is possibly the most expensive bit, since finding newer Accords in scrapyards is near impossible! Karan actually bought a whole car just to get the engine — one that had crashed and didn’t have insurance. He literally picked up the car from where it was lying on the highway, towed it to Agra, stripped it at a local mechanic and brought everything he needed back to Delhi in the back of a D-Max. Now that’s commitment to the build!
The RaceJazz stays true to its name. Karan takes it out to events, participating in drag races, autocross events and track days. He hopes to put in a time in the late 2:20s at the BIC this year. For perspective, the MercedesAMG GT R put in a time of 2:12 when we were there not too long ago. ⌧