TRK's Colorado Condo - Home of the Touge

Hachi-Roku Touge Spec-A (ROTM December 2012)

Power ./ TBD
Torque ./ TBD
Weight ./ TBD
Displ. ./ TBD

Pricelist AE86: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Engine
Straight 4 cilinder 4AGE
Buschur Racing Air Filter.
TODA RACING High Power Profile Camshafts outfitted with HKS Adjustable Cam Gear.
Trust GReddy Titanium Exhaust Manifold Header to an HKS Hi-Power 409 Muffler.


Chassis
Acid dipped and stripped.
Reinforced with a custom roll cage.
DG-5 Racing Suspension kit with a custom spring rate.
Wilwood Big Brake kit with Wilwood BP20 pads front & BP10 pads rear.
Tanabe front 25.4mm ARB.
Tanabe rear 20mm ARB.

Interior
Stripped and cleaned.
Front passenger seat removed.
Bride racing seat outfitted with TAKATA racing harness.

Wheels
Front ./ 225/60R16 ADVAN S4
Rear ./ 225/60R16 ADVAN S4
Rims ./ WedsSport TC 105 N

Photos




M3 GTS Touge Spec-S

Power ./ TBD
Torque ./ TBD
Weight ./ TBD
Displ. ./ TBD

Pricelist E92 M3: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Engine
V8 cilinder S65B44
Amuse M480 R1 TITAN PERFORMANCE exhaust outfitted with custom Amuse headers and a custom Amuse R1 TITAN PERFORMANCE intake manifold.
The engine has received a complete GTS overhaul in addition to the Amuse parts. The 7-speed GTS gearbox has been installed as well, along with a custom OS Giken racing clutch.

Chassis
Acid dipped and stripped.
Reinforced with a welded in M3 GTS roll cage.
High end custom HKS Hipermax III springs and dampers, outfitted with TRUST / Greddy camber plates.
M3 GTS Chassis reinforcement with Cusco aftermarket parts.

Interior
-

Wheels
Front ./ 275/30R19 ADVAN Neova 08
Rear ./ 305/30R19 ADVAN Neova 08
Rims ./ Enkei RPF1

Photos




BRZ Touge Spec-A

Things are on rolls! After my setback I finally have the three important things I need again, my camera, my laptop and my car. Although the latter has seen better days.. Alas, it's still drivable.

Today was the first day that I didn't have to take the bus to work! Unfortunately I didn't have a radio system for the Hachi so I still had to use my iPhone. The engine started on the first try and I immediately pulled out my earplugs and put them away. How could I forget the sound of the 4AGE! This reminded me why I never had a radio system in my other Hachis, of course it saved weight but that was less important. It all sounded so stupid in my ears but I believed myself. My mouth curled into a smile and I drove off. As I drive off the apartment parking lot the Colorado sun start rising at the end of the road where I need to go. With a simple movement I pull down the sun visor and put on my sunglasses. Going to work never felt this good!

Louis and the boss were already in when I arrived, the red S2000 was absolutely glittering in the morning sun. I parked my little red Hachi next to it and went inside. We had a yellow ZR1 in which needed a new exhaust system, the boss had Louis and me work on. It was a pretty easy job, Louis knew what he was doing so I let him work his magic. After a short hour we were finished and had no scheduled customers so I asked the boss if I could bring the Hachi in for a check-up. He smiled and told me to drive it right in. He was a big fan of Hachis as well, apparently. There's still so much unclear about this man, he has a shroud of mystery about him but that makes him come over as even wiser than he already is. As I check my car the old man comes standing next to me and places his hand on my shoulder. He tells me that he had owned a Trueno when he was around my age. He seemed to enjoy the car because he was living up when he told me about it, that made me feel great, I respected this man. I walked up to Louis to thank him again for getting me this job, that I was really feeling at my place right now. I asked Louis to check the now cleaned engine of the Hachi, I really felt like I did a good job. My little Hachis heart was all sparkly again! I did see that the exhaust pipe had a nasty spot of rust and that the camshafts weren't set up properly. I decided not to fix it because I needed extra power on the Touge.

The day was done and we said our goodbyes and drove home. With the rusty exhaust and faulty cams in mind I decided to browse the web and immediately order parts from my trusty dealer from Japan. Since I didn't have a front bumper I decided to add a URAS front bumper and side skirts as well.

Can't wait for my delivery!

Loving the detail dude, really paints a picture in your mind.

The week was quiet and peaceful, my work at the old man's garage with Louis was almost soothing. It was quite a while ago since I had the opportunity to work on so many different vehicles. Working on these cars made me reminisce of my life back in Japan, working on my cars constantly to try and make them that split-second faster. In a way the crash was a relief, it made me think about life more than I did before, I enjoyed waking up a lot more. It used to be waking up just to go into my dark garage to fine-tune my ride and go racing on the mountain roads at night. Now I wake up to a perfect sun that I can enjoy during my drive to work. And when I arrive at work it only gets better, the old geezer lets us work in a tempo we want so there is no stress at all. Not only that but we get to work on so many great cars, from Supras to Skylines, Civics to Corollas and many more. Life was like a dream.

Today Louis and I worked on my Hachi some more, I told him my parts would arrive this Friday and that there were a few repairs to be done before I could install those parts. Louis is a great mechanic and he knows a lot about engines, I had no doubt that he knew what he was doing so I let him check my Hachi's engine. He still asked me before doing anything to the car, which I really appreciated. The car was on the bridge and I started to check for strains that the cut suspension might have caused. Unfortunately I find several nasty spots but there is just not much I can do about that right now, not without installing new suspension. Louis told me that the engine looked good, especially for its age so that took away some of the annoyance the springs caused. My day was of work was done, the boss had already left so we decided to go too. We shook hands and did a little head-to-head, the S2k obviously won although I was really surprised how smooth the 4AGE ran. The Hachi actually led for a small while. When Louis passed me I flipped him off and we both went home.

I had just barely arrived at home when my phone rang, it was Louis. He told us Nicole had invited us to a dinner at the boss' house! We decided to race there so I drank my beer, hastily put on a nice shirt and grabbed my car keys. The dinner excited me, I hoped we finally got to know the boss better. For me this invitation meant he was proud of us, it only made me feel like I was becoming part of a family. My Hachi fired up, the headlights flipped up and I went off. The engine was still warm so I decided to see if I still had some skills, the road to the boss' house was a nice winding road and best of all, it was empty.

With respect for the neighbourhood I drove onto the parking lot. It actually made me laugh, I was acting like I was going to see my parents in law. While opening my Hachi's door I realised I won our little race, I smiled. Nicole welcomed me in and offered me something to drink, we sat down and the old man came from upstairs. We talked a bit, I thanked them and he said that there was nothing to thank him for. He asked for my motives, why I came to Colorado. I told him that I came here for the crown. While saying that I realised that I didn't do a single race towards that goal, I didn't even think about it after the crash.. The bell rang and Louis arrived, I smiled at him, knowing that I beat him here.

The dinner was absolutely delicious, the old man really knew how to cook! Louis was going to help Nicole with the dishes and the old man and I sat on our asses, doing nothing but talking about the past. It was a relaxed conversation but I felt that he was a little bit uncomfortable so I asked him if there was anything wrong. He stood up to get Louis and he told us that he knew exactly who we were. He had seen us race in Japan, he even knew what cars we drove. This was all a bit weird and surreal, I asked why he had not said this sooner but he didn't want to answer. He said he was getting old, that was everything he wanted to tell us about this odd situation. Louis and I respected the man enough to let him have his weird little mysteries, I was sort of used to it since my hotel owner back in Japan never gave me a straight answer. I laughed and told Louis that it was getting late, we should head home. We said our goodbyes, hugged the old man and Nicole and went outside. We waved and the old man walks back inside, Nicole waved again and closed the door.

"Soooo, you and Nicole, huh?"
I laughed.
"Sly fox, don't you think I didn't see that. Eyes like a hawk, bro, eyes like a hawk."
Louis smiled sort of uncomfortable and punched his arm.
"You've got my blessing, good job brother! I'll see you tomorrow."

We went our own way and I flipped him off again. It was weird, it really started to feel like a family. That night I slept the best since I came here.

Awesome read dude! Really liking the way our stories have ended up. same story but different sides lol

Of course, we experience it our own way :]
Sorry for the big update, though! I had trouble stopping writing, haha.

Haha, no worries man. Bigger the better. PM'S in a sec

That's what she said.
Word for word.

Yes it was.

Today I woke up to the sound of the birds outside rather than my alarm clock. The boss gave us the day off and I decided to take it easy. The sun shined through the blinds, showing small particles of dust. Yawning as I stretch and get out of bed, I decide to make me some eggs and bacon, oh man how I love me some bacon. With the bacon crackling in the pan I decide to check my laptop for emails, I just recently set up a website and did some promotion for my photography business. As much as I love to work on cars, photographing them is another passion. Five new emails, spam, spam, damn viagra add, facebook birthday notifications and then my face changed. It was an email stating that someone wanted me to photograph his Pagani Huayra! He asked me if I could shoot it anytime next week, I checked my calendar and decided that Saturday was the best day for me. This news got me so excited!

With the day off and loads of spare time I decided to take the little Hachi for a spin. Today was the day my parts would came and I couldn't wait to install them. I had the entire Saturday planned out already. When I was cruising around Redrock my phone rang. It was the old man. He asked me if I could pick up Louis and meet him back at the garage. I figured this was about his speech the other day so I decided to drive straight to Louis. He opened the door, I told about the situation and he hopped in his car. We went on our way and arrived at the garage in about fifteen minutes. There was a weird sort of atmosphere hanging in the garage.

The old man opened the door and we walked in, he greeted us with a hug and we walked in. Nicole was there too. He told us that there was a reason why we were hired that easily, he said that he used to Touge back in Japan. Louis and I looked at each other but the old man continued his story. He had lived a large portion of his life in Japan where he raced the treacherous Mount Fuji. He drove a black RX7 and while he was saying that, Louis and I looked at each other again. Now I know I've seen that car before, it was a legend. No one knew who was driving it back then, the guy never revealed much of himself, other than the occasional grab of money from someone he defeated. He told us that he was getting old, too old for the fast paced Touge. So he moved to Colorado with his family, that was two years ago. Even before the Horizon festival was here. He did what he did best, working on cars. He told us that with Nicole growing up and the stress it gave his wife he promised them not to race anymore. He couldn't give it up that easily so he said he searched and searched for promising students. The old man told us that we showed great promise and he asked us what we thought about him teaching us his secrets. With the crash in mind it was a no-brainer for me. I hoped I could learn more about this Shelby and who drove it. Louis and I shared the same thought and nodded at the old man.

When I drove home I seriously gave this some thought. One day you're working for what seemed a harmless old man, the other day you're learning secrets from a Touge legend!

Nice!

Do you think you could forward that viagra email to me?

LOL!

I can read it in your story now: "And I got this strange email from TRK, something about viagra.."

Haha, you know that's what's happening

When I arrived home after our little talk with the old man on Friday, I saw a note hanging at my door. It was from my neighbour, a woman in her thirties, still easy on the eye. It said a delivery came in from me, heavy feeling, she had to carry it to the garage with the help of the delivery man. The note stated that she was home the entire Saturday so I could pick them up whenever. I decided to not disturb her at that time and go see her first thing Saturday morning.

Even though it was Saturday and I had nothing important to do, I woke up early. All I could think of was my newly arrived parts! Since I didn't want any time to go to waste I ate my breakfast in a hurry and went to my neighbour. Our apartment didn't have bells on the doors so I knocked three times. She opened in her sleeping gown, yawning as she opened the door. I apologised as I didn't mean to wake her up, she said it was alright, smiled and invited me in. She walked in front of me and turned her head, asked if I wanted something to drink. I asked for a beer and couldn't help but notice how good she looked, swaying her hips as she walked. We talked a bit about how we liked the apartment complex and other trivial things, she was a nice woman to talk to, smart, funny and she had some interesting views on things. After a while I asked her about the parts, she said she'd put them in her storage box and would walk with me to get them. She stood up and walked to her room:"Excuse me, I'll need to get dressed first!" She winked and went to her room. I had almost finished my beer and looked around the room, she had it decorated quite nicely. Modern white and black with some green plants, just the way I like it. As I turn my head to see the rest of the room I notice she left her bedroom door opened a bit and I could see her undress, she had a lovely body! I didn't want to be a pervert or come over as rude but I just couldn't help but take a little peek, how could I not see this woman before. I smiled and drank the rest of my beer. The woman came walking out of her bedroom and said: "I don't believe we've actually exchanged names!" and she laughed. "I'm Jennifer, but you can call me Jenny." I told her my name and thanked her for the beer. We walked downstairs and she opened her storage box. "You know, aren't you the guys from the crash in Redrock a while ago? You shouldn't do dangerous stuff like that, it might kill you and that would be a shame." She looked a bit worried but I told her that I would be fine if I didn't get rammed from behind and that racing is my life. That seemed to comfort her a bit. She helped me carry the parts to my car, I almost feel bad about letting her help but she didn't seem to mind so I didn't too. She got me intrigued, what was a beautiful woman like her doing in an apartment complex like this.. So I asked. "That's a story for another day, sir." I smiled and told her I'd be glad to hear it sometime. All the goods were loaded into my Hachi so I thanked her for everything and she went back to her apartment. My head waved back and forth on the rhythm of her swaying her ass as she walked. When she got at the stairs she turned her head to wink and she saw me look! I smiled awkwardly and waved, she covered her mouth and laughed as she walked up the stairs.

Time to call the boss, I thought. I grabbed my phone and dialed his number, I asked him if I could use the garage today. He said it was fine and told me to pick up the key. I opened the door of my Hachi, got in, started the car and went on my way. The day started off way better than I hoped!

When I arrived at the boss his house I saw him standing in the door opening, with his coat on. I hopped out and walked towards him. "Sonnie, do you mind if I go with you?" With a smile I replied that I would love it if he'd go with me. We hop in and drive off. He was silent, but it wasn't awkward silence. It was a calm silence. We arrived at the garage and he opened the doors, I rolled the Hachi in and opened the hood. We talked as we installed the new camshafts, headers and exhaust. "I see you spared no coin going for the best parts, that's a good call, boy. TODA cams, Trust headers, an HKS muffler, you're almost making me jealous. Almost." He smiled. "She'll run like a charm, but with cams like that it isn't that much of a daily driver, you'll need to keep it in the high RPM regions to get the most power, do you have plans for this car?" I replied that I am building a Touge racer, that I've always loved the Hachi and had drifted it for a long time. I said I couldn't afford a new M3 just yet and that I felt this was the next best thing. He agreed that the balance of the Hachi was superb and that he loved the car as well. He told a story about him owning one back in Japan.

"Son, I have a present for you. You and Louis have worked hard for me and since you don't have any bumpers.. Well, let me give you this." He walked out back and came back with a URAS front bumper, side skirts and an Origin hood. I couldn't believe my eyes.. I hugged the old man and said that I didn't know how to thank him. He replied with a simple: "Just make me proud on the Touge, that is enough." We continued to work on the car, installing the bumpers, taking out the front seat, stripping the interior and installing my new rims wrapped in ADVAN S4 rubber. I was amazed by the old man's abilities when he helped me weld in and manufacture the rollcage I designed. I was so happy that the old man came with me, I probably never got my car done in time if he didn't.. The boss told me that with the increase in power I wouldn't go wrong with a new air filter. We had a Buschur air filter for the AE86 lying around so I asked if I could buy that. The boss agreed and sold it to me. I installed it and sat down to look at the car.

"We did a lot of work today, Tim. But it's getting dark, we should go home, Nicole is waiting for me." I didn't even notice it was dark already, we had worked on the little Hachi the entire day! We installed the seat back in for the drive home. I dropped off the old man, thanked him again and went on my way. The sound.. Oh wow, this sound! The car was so fast and felt so agile! The new rubber in combination with the stripped car and new more powerful engine felt so amazing! I felt really confident for the Touge tomorrow.

I decided to go to bed, take out the seat tomorrow, maybe turn it into a chair?
With the Touge in mind, I dozed off.

Mmm, double date? Haha, awesome update dude!

Today was the day! Today was the day that I hosted an illegal Touge event, I figured that it might attract serious driver and maybe I'd even recognise someone from my first race here. The Hachi was running smooth, felt very solid and I felt confident. Confident, but scared. What if something happened again? I called Louis to let him know what was going down tonight since I really wanted to see him race as well. As I walked to my car, now sporting an unpainted URAS front bumper, side skirts and an Origin hood I saw my neighbour through her window. She winked and waved, I smiled and nodded and walked down the stairs.

When I drove to the location, which was near the Bunker, I saw some other cars going there too. That made me realise that I might be in over my head, I probably should've be more careful with the promotion. We met at the Horizon outpost on the top of the hill, there were eight cars standing there, one of which I knew. A red Honda S2000. I walked over to Louis, greeted him and called the drivers to us. I told them that we would do a knockout style tournament, racing in pairs of two. I warned the drivers to be cautious since we probably can't stop all the traffic or else we'd attract too much attention from the cops.

In my first race I'm paired up with a super low two-tone S13, the engine sounded MEAN! We start side by side on the top of the hill, both revving our engines. He seemed focused, I couldn't allow myself to lose so I took a deep breath and revved the limiter. Louis gave the sign and we went on our way! I decided to rush ahead, my car is lightweight so I was faster on the start. After the first two corners the S13 was about ten meters behind me. As I thought, the car was way too low for racing. It was an easy win.

Louis had won his race as well, we talked a bit about our races and the section. After a while it was my turn again. This time versus what seemed a stock Nissan Skyline R34. This was going to be a hard one, he had more power and AWD but I was lighter.

Louis drops the sign and we went off! Damn, that R34 was fast, he took the lead from the start. From my previous race I knew I had to race hard and take the lead through the twists because the R34 had the advantage on the straights. He took the first corner wide which allowed me to get close, right up on his bumper. He went wide on the second turn as well, he didn't seem like a very serious driver. He just had a powerful car. He went wide on the third turn as well so I shifted down to second, slammed it and took the lead. I lost him in the turns but he came close on the last stretch. The last few corners were wider but he was careful, I won pretty easily.

I laughed when I saw who I had to battle in the finals. It was Louis. We smiled and got into our cars. His VTEC was making me scared, that was a serious car. I saw race the first few corners and he really knew what he was doing. If I wanted to grab the win here, I'd have to give it my all! We revved our engines and the dude gave us the sign, there we go!

I had the faster start but Louis was on my tail, I knew I had to try and lose him in the corners because he was faster on the straights. I pushed hard, raced my Hachi in the high RPMs and tried to hit every apex. Louis was falling behind a little bit but I was unsure if it was enough to take the win, this guy.. This guy is fast! The red honda crawls up on the straights and I tried to push the gas peddle harder but I couldn't, I couldn't go faster than this! The last few corners and Louis is right on my tail! Second to last corner, the S2000 is crawling on my bumper! Last corner, I need to get this right! I hit the apex and bring her home, damn that was close!

We get outside of our cars and I'm still pumped! Louis was an amazing driver! We drank some beers with the other racers and talked about the race. They were pretty cool. I let the other racers know that I'll be hosting more races in the future and that I'll keep them updated. We went on our way, Louis and I drove behind each other for a while until we couldn't anymore. I flipped him off and drove home.

Time for bed, I'd won a nice bonus today and was happy to see Louis was such a great driver. I slept well.

Awwww yeahhh!

Sweet write up dude!

Thank you!
It took long to write this down, haha.

Haha I bet!

You wrote it awesomely though!

It mostly took long because I couldn't think straight, haha.
And now I've got insomnia whilst I have a very important presentation in about seven hours..

The week went pretty well, nothing really special happened. You could almost say this week was a little bit boring. With the photoshoot of the Pagani Huayra this Saturday in mind, I decided I needed to get more familiar with my photocamera. What better to shoot than my little baby? It was still dark when I woke up, I had my alarm set so I would be able to get back before the morning sun arrived. The eggs were out so I made a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so delicious! Once I finished my sammies, I grabbed my camera and headed outside. The thought came to me that I had not seen anyone other than my neighbour here, there were never cars parked in the parking lot. Not that I minded, I just found it a bit odd. The sun was not up yet so I decided to wait while looking for a nice angle for the photograph. I didn't want to wake my neighbour so I rolled the car in front of the tree in our courtyard. Other days when I woke up I caught the sun rising and it was exactly at the other side of my apartment. I figured the spot in front of the tree was a nice place.

The sun rose and I had rolled my Hachi in front of the tree, I took position at the far end of the parking space and shot my first photograph of this session.


I was pleased with the photo although I found it a bit too dark. After shooting the front I decided I wanted a photo of the back, too. So I rolled her away and set her up so it caught the sun nicely. I had put a brick on the brake pedal because I liked the way the brake lights complimented the paintjob. *Click!*


I was quite content with the photos, I used a lot of aperture so the detail really focused in on the parts I wanted it to. Namely the car! With the tree catching a lot of sunlight I decided I wanted to shoot one last photograph. I set up my Hachi and shot her again.


The Hachi was a pretty cool car to shoot so I decided to keep track of my build process with a photo diary. Entry one, TODAY!

Awesome! Gonna update mine tomorrow. Do you work Thursdays?

Yeah, I work everyday except the weekends :]

Good good, we can go pick up my new car on our dinner break if you dont mind?