Some years back, I had a conversation with the guys at Phoenix’s Power in Kyoto about the old days of drag racing in Japan. Curiously, when I asked them which car stood out the most from those golden years, they all unanimously replied with the SW20 Toyota MR2.
That surprised me as I would have assumed they would all have said the GT-R. But apparently it was the mid-engined layout that made the MR2 popular; it had the ability to hook-up hard off the line, no matter how much power it had.
You don’t see many SW20s in Japan these days, so when I spotted this clean example in the paddock at WTAC on set-up day I took notice.
It was the mix of a stock-looking exterior and chunky drag radials that had me thinking there must be something interesting under the engine cover.
The ‘VTEC Turbo’ sticker on the rear glass sort of gave things away.
The 3S-GTE that came in the GT-S version of the SW20 was never considered a bad engine; the turbo 2.0-liter had just under 220hp from factory, and there were plenty of options to go wild on the aftermarket side of things. I remember shooting a wide-body TRD version running a fully upgraded engine and a T88 turbo that was good for 600hp, but the Honda K24 setup this BYP Racing & Developments-built customer car reputedly pushes out 850hp.
K24s have become a popular swap option for the SW20, and one look in the engine bay at how well the 2.4-liter Honda four-cylinder fits only emphasizes this. Mated to this particular setup is a bulletproof Quaife transmission, sending all the ponies efficiently to the rear drag rubber. If you’re wondering what the car is capable of, a 9.1-second quarter mile pass on an un-prepped surface at Cootamundra Airport should give you an idea.
Extra points go to the slick exhaust, a short trumpet-like setup that dumps spent gasses skyward through a cut-out in the engine cover.
How meaty does that look?
This is just a very quick example of the kind of stuff you can find on display in the paddock at WTAC. Trust us, there’s much more to come…
Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com
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You're just making my never ending car list longer and longer.
What, no video of this thing running? How very rude.
Here you go.
https://youtu.be/WwHC1ryA83Q
Just saw the video...WOW!
QUITE the car he has here, very impressive consistency and the car seems pretty decent to drive even under full load.
This is a prime example of what I love about car tuning. This thing is perfection.
Very sweet, I love it when someone does a proper job on a wild engine swap. Nice touch with the exhaust exit! Possibly my 3rd-favorite Japanese car after the Z32 and NSX, although the FD argues loudly.
Too bad the car was so dirty, kind of distracted from things with the acid-rain swirls and such.
These cars are tough to come by, seems like the few around rightfully get snatched and under the knife quickly. I saw a decent-looking white one in a field with a "make an offer" sign and went back the next day, but it was gone already...gotta move QUICK it seems!
Do you have images of how he is running his intercooler? Front mount I'm guessing cuz it's a drag car. I'm thinking about turboing my aw11 but don't really wanna run a stupid amount of coolant lines to the front and back.
Look up BYP Racing K Swap Toyota MR2 on Facebook and you should get everything you need
Oh hell yeah!
Super sick!
Sheesh... So much power
Same as the Texas 2kcar or no? Nice to see something that isn't stance / rice on here.
finally a cover about the MR2 again.These cars are so underrated,not only becasue i own one haha but because the fun they are to drive!
Its a light car with mid engine layout,sharp steering and direct feedback,i never understood why they are overlooked so much.
when i went to Japan with my friend-we visited http://www.daie-motors.com/english/flame-contents_english.htm
check it out for great condition MR2s.
thanks for that article Dino