The only transmission mods are an Exedy Racing twin-plate clutch and flywheel. The limited-slip differential is OE, but not original. "I was at Supras Invade Las Vegas, in 2005," says Stonawski. "It was my first time at a drag race with the 2JZ-GTE and I was advised to launch at 5,000 rpm. The rear end grenaded. It was past midnight once the car was towed back to the Luxor hotel where all the Supra owners were staying. I was lucky enough to buy a rear end from the owner of another MK III with a broken transmission. With help from my friend, Jose, it was installed in the hotel parking garage by four in the morning."
Back to the build: At Genki Garage, in went TEIN Super Street coilovers and upper pillow-ball mounts at each corner. Stonawski "went through a bunch of wheels" before settling on a set of Work Equips, sized 18x9.5 at the front and 18x10.5 at the rear, sporting Dunlop SP9000 tires; 245/40 up front, 275/35 out back.
The brake rotors are now Brembo, cross-drilled and slotted. Pads and lines are Endless and Earl's, respectively. Electrics were also upgraded at Genki. Along with GReddy and A'PEXi gauges, there's an Eclipse AVX2494 head, amplifier and SC8254 speakers. The sub-woofers are twin Momo MM2124s and the whole audio enchilada is connected with Stinger wiring.
While we're in the cabin, let's look at the furniture: Recaro Speed front seats, a MOMO steering wheel and hub, a TRD shift knob, and AutoPower racing harnesses secured to a Titan Motorsports bar.
Outside, it's Bomex-fest: Type 1 front lip, side and rear skirts, plus a whale tail rear wing. Stonawski is particularly proud of the Stout carbon fiber hood. It's one of two in the States. "The cost of bringing one in from Japan can be more than an MK III Supra itself."
Also unusual are the Hella 90mm module DOT-legal headlights, set into custom-made fiberglass housings (courtesy of Lisa from Creative Car Audio & Motorsports, also based in Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) and Euro-spec front turn signals. Auto Explosion of Gardena, Calif., did the body work, which included pulling out the front and rear fenders to accommodate the wide wheel/tire combination.
In 2006, Stonawski's Supra was voted the Third Placed Supra in the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club (TORC), and scored best MK III engine and exterior on a modified MK III at that year's Supras Invade Las Vegas bash. For 2008, it was awarded the GReddy Performance Festival trophy, and grabbed Third Place in the Toyota Class of JDM vs. DTM in Formula D.
However, it hasn't been an easy road. In June of 2005, Mike Urbano died in a motorcycle accident. "I never cried so much," says Stonawski. "From this sad event, I grew closer to some of Mike's friends and got a job with another crew of genuinely good people, the Uchida family at Creative Car Audio & Motorsports, who have also assisted with my project."
If Stonawski were to pay it forward and help others, what would be his advice? "Go to Supraforums.com or Supramania.com for all the help you will ever need. Be sure you know how to wrench. Also, go to Supras Invade Las Vegas. The wildest Supras from all over the country, including owners from around the world, gather to talk, show, drag and dyno. You won't find a better place to understand what you want to achieve and become inspired."
How much did his project cost? "More than I'd ever get back. But I made a lot of friends along the way." Ah, those connections again. "I visited my home in Austria, then went to the Nrburgring in Germany, and I coordinated a Supra meet there." And he's been to Japan. "Visiting the 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon, I realized how satisfied I was with my Supra. I didn't need to buy parts. I could enjoy Japan to its fullest-riding shotgun with drifting prodigies in the Hakone Mountains and high-speed blasts in the Wangan Tunnel."
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