It was crazy to see 155 cars packed the Tsukuba paddock and roads a few weekends ago. While idle cars may be filling up the Ibaraki circuit, I’ve never seen so many cars lined up for a single race like I did at Attack.
While this is Speedhunting heaven, it’s actually hard to pick a car to focus on from those high-profile machines that are always up close (stay tuned).I really don’t want to pass up the opportunity to show you a couple of cars that make you think differently, I might have just found them at Honda kei-class pairing.
You see, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution with carbon-fiber aerodynamics, 1,200 horsepower under the hood, and the massive operating budget behind it would accomplish something incredible. You’ll look forward to it too, Fire Ando and his Escort Racing team recently delivered, and it’s fantastic.
what are you Won’t Expect to be 30 years old Tie Cars lap Tsukuba Circuit in 1’03″630. But that’s what Honda Auto Okayama’s JW3 Honda Today can do.
Under the hood is the original E07A 656cc 3-cylinder engine powering various versions of this compact city car. In stock form, it makes 51hp, but this custom turbocharged example is said to make 250hp.This is essentially Four Multiples of raw output, backed by a cross-duty gearbox to make the most of it.
Weighing only 680 kg, the power-to-weight ratio is impressive.
Honda Auto Okayama put this thing together very well; from the exterior to the engine bay to the interior, it’s very clean. The cabin retains nearly all the trim, plus the requisite extras like a roll cage, racing buckets with seat belts, Momo steering wheel, and all the auxiliary gauges and digital mods you could possibly need.
The decision to ride white wide steel wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan Neova A050 semi-slick tires added to the appeal for me.
It’s an impressive build that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Every modification has been made for function, but enough attention has been paid to detail that it also nicely outlines the formal aspects of things.
If today’s attack wasn’t enough surprises, Honda Motor Okayama brought a second Cars – Newer model JA4 versions.
The engine is the same E07A unit, also custom turbocharged. It’s also the MTREC (Multiple Throttle Response Engine Control) version, with individual throttle bodies for each of its three cylinders. Honda took this base engine in the Beat and tweaked it a bit more for a higher RPM power output and a peak of 63hp. In Today, it’s tuned to 57hp, but slightly more torque is available to help drive around town.
The best time this JA4 achieved on the day was 1’07″033, a few seconds behind the JW3, but still a respectable figure.
The exterior has been retained except for the addition of Enkei wheels and a Lexan rear window.
Both cars are set up with a lot of negative camber, which allows the wheels and tires to develop maximum grip under high lateral loads. Plus, when the car is standing still, it looks disgusting.
I just love the attention to detail, the floor is painted the same Tiffany blue as the engine bay and cam covers – not to mention the look of another Today parked next to it!
I always like to see different approaches to making cars, and this pair is definitely different. Lesson of the day: Don’t underestimate anything Japanese.that applies to Tie Cars too!
dino dal carbonal
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
[email protected]