In honoring our 3 year anniversary, we have been hand picking features that we have personally shot or written in the past that represents a good look of previous trends and hot cars. To contrast the MR2 featured earlier, shot by Josh Mackey, we first caught sight of this MR2 in Japan back in early 2006. That may not seem too long ago, but we’re nearing two years since this feature was first ran in Modified Magazine. Looking back, it seemed like the widebody craze wasn’t as heavily accepted in the stateside as it is now. Certain aspects of this vehicle were unique back then and still are today. The attention to detail that the owner executed while building this car ons truly one of a kind.
As I packed my suitcase to head out to Japan for the first time ever, I expected to see anything and everything out there. Like a kid in a candy store, I knew I’d be in for the trip of a lifetime being a hardcore automotive fanatic. What the country had in store for me however can’t even be put into words. Perusing over all the cars at Tokyo Auto Salon, I was overwhelmed by what the show had to offer, but when it was time to hit the streets not even I was ready for what was in store. My expectations were definitely met, as I saw anything and everything imaginable, but truth be told the MR2 that is in front of your eyes on these pages is something out of this world. The originality and custom parts are a perfect way to exemplify the Japanese tuning culture. With a blend of USDM tuning and JDM tuning, this MR2 consists of many one-off parts with a show status that rivals top American built show cars. Don’t believe us? Let’s take a closer look; the details of this car will overwhelm you.
First off, there was quite a language barrier when dealing with the owner, Ono-Ken. We were lucky enough to have our Japanese correspondent, Ken Williams on hand as we had many questions to ask Ono-Ken. For those that are quickly noticing the orange square decal on the car that reminds you of the Type One logo, Mr. Ono-Ken (being the different guy that he is) made his own Type Ono decals for the car. You see, Ono-Ken’s MR2 dominated the show scene in Japan and he’s just a privateer. He explained to us that when he started this car he wanted to prove to everyone out there that with some creative ingenuity and hard work a privateer in Japan could win at car shows as well: “It took about 18 months to build the car. I invested about $1200.00 dollars US into the car each month for 18 months, but most of the labor was done myself.” Wow, $1200.00 USD a month – that’s a hefty car payment on an MR2! But let’s take a closer look to see where the money went, shall we?
Admiring the exterior, we were able to pick out a few things that easily caught our eyes. But it wasn’t before Ono-Ken pointed out the details and explained to our translator that we were really able to appreciate what was executed. Starting with the front end, it is a complete one piece that exists nowhere else in this world. Swapping on a set of USDM turn signals, a Bomex front bumper along with 5cm wider front fenders were molded together with a factory hood to produce this one piece front bumper. The headlights were also swapped out for a funky set of Nissan Cima F50’s (Infiniti Q45 for us) that arguably give it the look it needed. As if the front end alone wasn’t unique enough, the way it opened blew our mind. With a push of a button on his keychain remote, the front end slid forward and was lifted open with an air cylinder. Through a time relay, the front end drops itself back to the stock position over a matter of a few seconds – all on its own. Catch your attention yet? There’s much, much more to just the body work done to the car.
In Japan, many people purchase their brake, wheel and tire setup prior to doing body work and aesthetic modifications. Ono-Ken is one of these enthusiasts, knowing that he wanted this particular set of wheels and brakes on his MR2. Coming straight from Rays Engineering’s factory in Japan, a set of Volk Racing SF-Challenge wheels in a bright gold finish were delivered to Ono-Ken’s hands. Knowing he would be going widebody, Ono-Ken had the wheels made in an 18×7.5-inch width in the front and a 2-inch wider pair of 18×9.5-inch in the rear. With the wheels in his possession, a set of Dunlop FM901s were wrapped on the lightweight Volk wheels and were mounted for test fitting. Ono-Ken then explained to us the process that happened: “The widebody was basically built around the wheel and tire setup. Width and offset is very important in Japan, so we tend to build our custom body modifications to ensure everything fits perfectly.” With that being said, the rest of Ono-Ken’s widebody work is just that, a work of art. The side skirts and the fenders were all molded together in the rear making it a seamless one piece. The rear blister fender was widebodied around the wheel and tire setup and smoothly molded otno the rest of the car. Out in the rear, JGTC styling took over as a JGTC styled rear bumper with a one off rear diffuser was installed. Utilizing USDM taillights in the rear is also an attribute to the Japanese spo-com tuning culture we have been mentioning. As if the surprises weren’t enough, we were checking out the spoiler when we noticed a Nismo logo on it. Nismo on a Toyota? Ono-Ken had some explaining to do: “This spoiler is actually a genuine JGTC spoiler off the championship Nismo car. It’s a Nismo Hoshino dry carbon fiber wing and this trunk had to be modified to fit it. You’ll notice that there are different settings on the spoiler itself for different weather conditions – wet, semi-wet and dry.” Talk about die hard goods that any US based fan would kill for! Ono-Ken topped off the rest of the noticeable body modifications with slightly modified Bomex rear engine lid and air ducts. The entire car was repainted a custom shade mixed by Ono-Ken himself with BASF paint.
There is so much more to the car that we haven’t even touched yet. When we were done exploring the outside, Ono-Ken was anxious to jack up the car and pull off the wheels. Sure we’ve seen suspension all before we told him, but he still insisted: “It’s just not the suspension I want you to see, the chassis itself has undergone several modifications that I’d really like you guys to check out!” So off to work he went in this empty Japan parking lot, jacking up the car and removing the shiny Volk wheels. Starting with the rear first, what was revealed when the wheel came off will surprise even the harshest of critics. After modifying the tire housing to fit the 18-inch setup, the tire house under coat was removed and shaved to get rid of any additional holes. We’ll get to the suspension and brake setup in a few, but we had to admire the carbon fiber re-wrap the rear wheel wells underwent. That’s right; everything inside the rear wheel wells was redone in full carbon fiber. The front underwent just as clean of a change, cleaning everything up for the shows.
With both the front and rear wheel and tire removed, we took a look at the brake and suspension setup. Starting with the coilovers, a set of APEXi N1 dampers were used, but the springs were swapped out for a set from Swift Springs. Basically combining the strut adjustability of the APEXi N1 dampers with the comfort and performance that Swift Springs delivers, this MR2 actually drives out to the shows with ease. The front brakes were swapped out for a Brembo upgrade equipped with 2 piece calipers and 8 titanium pistons. Ono-Ken couldn’t show us the actual pistons in the calipers, but trust me had he had the opportunity he would’ve been more than happy to. The rotors were swapped out for Project mU pieces in the front and the rear. Brembo calipers shine brilliantly in the rear as well. All the brake lines have been rerouted to remove the ABS and a Hurst line lock kit was installed.
Now keeping in mind that this was a show-oriented car build, Ono-Ken does drive this car a lot. Having easy access to a tow vehicle isn’t exactly ideal in Japan. Ono-Ken actually drove a fair 35 miles to meet up with us for the shoot. With that being said, we carefully removed the Bomex engine lid to reveal a show worthy bay. A GReddy intercooler was installed along with corresponding piping and hoses. An oil cooler and oil catch can from GReddy also ensure this boosted MR-2 keeps things nice and chill. Goods from HKS also adorn the engine bay, including their suction pipe, gas pipe, heat shield and turbo cover. A Super Sequential blow off valve can be heard from miles away, as the turbo spools up with plenty more high rpm power produced from HKS’ cams. One thing we’ve failed to mention, when Ono-Ken was pulling up we thought a JGTC car was around the corner. A custom one off titanium exhaust system modeled after the JGTC vehicles is what has been fabricated on the car. Top it all off with an entire carbon fiber’ed out engine bay and an NX exhaust system and this car is ready to roll. Tuning both the boost and the N2O is a GReddy e-Manage piggyback ECU while an APEXi AVC-R controls the amount of boost being fed into the engine. Going extreme is the only way that Ono-Ken knows how to build his cars, so when the drive train modifications were next, a HKS twin plate clutch with a TRD LSD was installed. A little harsh for daily driving, sure – but Ono-Ken says he’s not exactly done with the performance aspect of the car.
At this point we weren’t sure what else to expect, but we decided to open the doors to reveal the interior. With the interior completely redone in Alcantara fabric, a pair of Bride seats buckled with Takata harnesses can be seen with an NX bottle in between. The stock steering wheel and shifter were swapped out for TRD pieces. The entire factory gauge cluster was tossed out and a custom carbon fiber enclosure housing a series of Pivot gauges took its place. Displaying oil temperature, water temperature, speedometer, tachometer and boost the Pivot gauges are more than a sufficient replacement to the stock gauge cluster. A series of Ignited switches along with a Ractive shift knob are in reach for Ono-Ken on his daily drives.
Lastly, what about in car electronics? This car has its fair share. In Japan, Pioneer brands their product line as Carrozzeria, which explains the head unit and navigation in Ono-Ken’s car. Focal Utopia speakers produce the perfect sound in the cabin, while a pair of Phoenix Gold amplifiers and JL Audio subwoofers is under the hood providing plenty of bass.
The beauty of Ono-Ken’s car lies in the fact that everything was built with his own hands over a long period of time. He takes great pride in his car and everything’s he done on it being more than eager to show us everything. Just as we had many questions inquiring about his car, he was very curious on how his car would do on the stateside in competition. Rumor has it he had gotten his hands on an NCCA rulebook and translated each word himself to see his chances at a Hot Import Nights event. Interested in seeing Ono-Ken’s car in person? Well, you might have that chance in the near future!
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