Competitor number six for the 2014 Import Meet Street Car Competition is Johnny Nelson and his 1994 Toyota Supra Turbo. The IMSCC is an event that will compare some of the best import cars in multiple categories (drag racing, autocross, dyno, car show, etc.) on August 8-10 in Seattle, WA.
Other competitors will be announced leading up to the competition so be sure to check back regularly. Join the Facebook event page for notifications.
Without a doubt, the 90’s was the golden age of Japanese sports cars. The Acura NSX, Mazda RX-7, R33 Nissan Skyline, and the MKIV Toyota Supra were all released within a few years of each other. Clean versions of these cars still fetch a premium and most import car fans dream of owning one of them someday.
Johnny Nelson bought his first dream car five years ago – an FD RX-7. It was at this time that he became heavily involved in the import scene. After blowing up the RX-7’s rotary engine at the local drag strip he decided it was time to step up to the next car he had always dreamed of owning – a MKIV Supra.
Text and photos by Matt Haugness. Video by Dustin St. Hilaire (Jessup Visual Works).
Watch 1994 Toyota Supra Turbo on YouTube
When it came time to search for his Supra, Johnny knew it was going to be difficult to find one completely stock. After a long search he found one with a mostly built engine. He knew that buying one partially built would save him a bunch of money and it would also allow him to continue building it without having to worry about the 2JZ-GTE coming apart.
Even though the previous owner spent a significant amount of money on performance modifications, he left the outside of the car mostly stock. With the exception of new wheels, 98 headlights/taillights, and a handful of carbon fiber accents, Johnny has left the exterior alone.
“I was happy to find a Supra that wasn’t too modified. I love the body lines of the stock Supra and I don’t really care for the ones that are really overdone,” Johnny explained.
Recently he upgraded to a Garrett GT42R turbo, Hypertune intake manifold/throttle body, and a large GReddy 3 row intercooler. With the turbo upgrade, his fuel system also required an upgrade so he went with 1000cc Injector Dynamics fuel injectors, an AEM V2 standalone, and a 3 stage fuel pump.
“My first time at the drag strip on my race gas tune I actually twisted the stock driveshaft. This forced me to upgrade to the Titan Motorsports carbon fiber version and improve the rest of the drivetrain.”
To make the drivetrain bulletproof, Johnny went with an HKS triple disc clutch, HKS flywheel, a Titan Motorsports carbon fiber driveshaft, and a TRD rear differential.
The interior is still mostly stock but he did install Powerhouse Racing gauges, leather Cobra Misano racing seats, and a matte carbon fiber dash kit. The stock radio was upgraded to an Alpine head unit and the speakers were swapped out for Focal 6” component speakers.
While he initially built his Supra for drag racing, he has started to transition it to being mostly a show car. With limited amount of time available, shows are the easiest to fit into Johnny’s schedule.
Of all the parts installed on the car, his favorite one is the Garrett GT42R turbocharger.
“I love hearing it spool and it makes a ton of power. When it reaches full boost it hits like a sledgehammer.”
When asked why he thinks his car will do well in the IMSCC, Johnny responded with:
“I think my car is going to do really well in the competition because of the power that it produces and how smooth the tune is. It pulls extremely hard and with the suspension work I’ve done I think it will do decent in the autocross.”
For future mods, Johnny would like to install a Titan Motorsports roll cage and racing harnesses. He would also like to add a carbon fiber front diffuser and carbon fiber side skirts.
“For this build I’d mostly like to thank my friends and family. Portland Speed Industries has also done a great job with the car and figured out a lot of stuff on the car that other people couldn’t figure out. I’d also like to thank my local car club Xcessive Speedz – they’ve helped me work on random things on the car. Lastly, I’d like to thank John Reed for doing an amazing job tuning the car on race and pump gas.”
Modifications:
Exterior/Wheels/Tires:
JDM 98 Supra rear taillights, headlights, turn signals and emblems
Tan carpet
Carbon fiber rear bumper exhaust cutout dress-up
Carbon fiber license plate cover
Black 18” Varrstoen 2.2.2 wheels
w/ Nitto NT01 (rear) and BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW (front)
Engine/Transmission/Differential:
Fully built and bored 2JZ-GTE engine
Titan Motorsport cylinder head
Garrett GT42R turbocharger w/ black paint
GReddy 3 row intercooler
GReddy aluminum intercooler piping
Custom exhaust manifold
Hypertune intake manifold
Hypertune throttle body
HKS Super Dragger muffler w/ custom exhaust
HKS SSQV blow-off valve
AEM cam gears
AEM V2 EMS
Custom Vibrant Performance oil catch can
Titek carbon fiber coil pack cover
Titek carbon fiber radiator cooling panel
Titek carbon fiber fuse box cover
HKS triple disc clutch
HKS flywheel
Titan Motorsports carbon fiber driveshaft
TRD rear differential
2 step launch control
Aftermarket fuel regulator
Interior:
Cobra Misano leather racing seats
Powerhouse Racing gauges
Carbon fiber dash kit
6” Focal speakers
2” Focal tweeters
Phoenix Gold amplifier
98 JDM Supra steering wheel
98 JDM Supra shift knob
Aluminum pedals
Suspension/Brakes:
KW Variant coilovers
Cusco front strut tower bar
Cusco front sway bar
Cusco rear sway bar
StopTech brake rotors
Hawk brake pads
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