1985 MK II Celica Supra Gets 2JZ Turbo Swap
Evan Poole was floored when the owner offered the pristine 1985 Celica Supra to him for a mere $750.
Love Affair with an '85 Celica Supra P-Type
In 1997, Evan Poole's service in the Air Force took him to Oklahoma shares MotorTrend, where an '85 Celica Supra first seized his attention. "It was Maroon Metallic (brown to some people), not a common color. It was immaculate." shared Poole "I would always see him [the owner] and his wife in it and I would always talk to him about it, and we'd shoot the stuff about Toyotas." That got Poole looking for a more affordable AE86, but even then the popularity of Initial D had the famous Hachi Rokus going for $6-10K even in poor condition in his local area.
Photos: MotorTrend
Too Good To Be True
"In the summer I noticed the Supra was sitting in the parking lot of the squadron I was in for months and hadn't moved. I asked around and was told the pilot was stationed out of the country and couldn't take his car, so he was going to leave it and deal with it when had time." Poole decided to email the owner and offered to care for the vehicle while he was away. But as fate would have it, the Poole found himself with a ridiculously generous $750 sale offer.
Photos: MotorTrend
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The Build Begins
After his 2nd tour in Afghanistan, Poole gave the Celica Supra a full body-off paint job to revive its exterior. Next, Poole opted to overhaul the vehicle's suspension. "I did some research and cross-referenced part numbers, spent time on forums, and figured out how to build my own front coilover system using Ground Control adjustable springs/sleeves with KYB gas inserts from a Ford Focus RS. The rear springs came from a company in New Zealand." To top it all off, Pool threw on some new control arms, sway bars, and pillow ball upper mounts.
Photos: MotorTrend
>>Join the conversation about this classic 2JZ Celica Supra right here in the Club Lexus Forum!
Mo' Powa Baby...
After a 3rd tour in 2013, Poole found himself itching for more power. "I always loved the Mk4 Supra but have a real soft spot for the boxy Mk2. I figured what the hell, let's put a 2J in my car. I'd been wanting to do it since the mid-2000s and I figured if I made it back alive, this was going to be my present to myself." Poole, now in California, found a reputable shop in the Bay Area to complete his project.
"The [shop] owner did a great job assisting me with the whole build process and working with me to get the goals I wanted." Working in tandem with Alex from Limitless Motorsports towards the end of the build, the shop owner helped Poole's vision come to life.
Photos: MotorTrend
>>Join the conversation about this classic 2JZ Celica Supra right here in the Club Lexus Forum!
Tuning the Dragon
After about three years of building, Evan Poole was finally able to put himself behind the wheel of his 2JZ-GTE. Poole then took the Celica Supra to Lawrence Shipman, a Santa Rosa-based tuner who specialized in 2Js, to dial the car in. The end result saw 430whp on pump gas and 500hp on race gas from the single GTX3582R turbo.
Photos: MotorTrend
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The Numbers Keep Climbing
Supertech valvetrain parts and Kelford T202-C cams pushed the numbers even higher a year later. "Numbers really got wild," shared Poole "Upwards of 530whp on pump, 610whp on race, and that wasn't even maxing out the turbo or the amount of boost. Lawrence is a mastermind on these 2JZ tunes and builds."
Photos: MotorTrend
>>Join the conversation about this classic 2JZ Celica Supra right here in the Club Lexus Forum!
A Family Legacy
Nowadays, Poole is enjoying his timeless classic and even has plans to race it. "I'm considering going to an E-85 setup and I'm currently developing a front air diffuser to mount to the car as I want to start competing in the Never Lift Drag/Race events in SoCal." The Celica Supra, which is still in prime condition and has yet to see rust or collision. He plans to eventually pass down the perfectly preserved machine to his children someday.
Photos: MotorTrend
>>Join the conversation about this classic 2JZ Celica Supra right here in the Club Lexus Forum!
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