Toyota Crown Athlete V | Reader's Car of the Week
This Supra-engined saloon is a perfect example of a JDM Q car from the defining era of big tuning
Sometimes there are cars of such JDM hero-worthy status that they need little introduction. Like the Toyota Crown Athlete V, for example, a 1JZ GTE-engined saloon mixing Supra vocals and performance with Lexus-like plushness. They’re extremely rare in the UK, so grudas’s recently-purchased Crown looks like a great find, with it having only been subjected to two British winters since being imported – which suggests the underside should be pretty healthy.
Certainly it seems this PHer has done their fair share of checks and upgrades on the car with a ‘Japanese gentleman’s agreement’ 280hp turbocharged engine. He plans to emphasise its stance on those two-part five-spoke alloys with rolled arches and wider boots (grudas clearly likes the sound of a boosted straight-six as so far he’s struggled with rear-wheel drive traction…)
In keeping with period JDM mods, there’s already an exceptional new gear knob and rear tints are due, meaning it’s already shaping up to be a great celebration of Japanese performance, quirkiness and individuality. But with the scale of aftermarket options on cars like this, there’s clearly a long way to go before grudas is done with his Crown. Naturally, PHers are expecting some rather large gains in power output – or, as some have already suggested, a Century V12 engine swap...
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