Back when DVDs were popular, many of us enthusiasts got our education of JDM machines via Best Motoring videos. Tuned-up cars from popular tuners like Spoon, HKS, Amuse and local specialists were meanwhile featured in the Best Motoring-Hot Version edition.
It was awesome to hear the engines scream and watch the drivers execute rev-matching and other clever footwork to maneuver the vehicles around Tsukuba and Gunsai-Gunma circuits.
Thanks to the high tuning potential of the Toyota GR Yaris, many Japanese tuning companies have started to push the performance envelope of the hot-hatch.
Watch Eu Jin chasing a Toyota GR Supra with the GR Yaris at Sepang!
In this video from Best Motoring, Japan’s ‘Drift King’ Keichi Tsuchiya has been roped in by Auto Craft Evolution (ACE) to set some benchmark time during a hill climb event on the Tajima Alpine Road in Kyoto, Japan.
Mr. Shirahige, the owner of ACE, explains that not much has been done to the Toyota GR Yaris since he just collected the car about a month ago. He was however able to replace the stock suspension with HKS Hypermax items and paired with wide Rays ZE040 9.5Jx18 wheels.
You can watch the full video here. Be sure to turn on the captions for English subtitles.
The engine meanwhile features the plug-and-play HKS Power Editor boost controller unit which brings up the total output from the turbocharged 1.6-litre engine to 292 hp and 380 Nm. The interior meanwhile features lightweight Bride racing seats and ACE’s own advanced steering wheel with data readout and upshift lights.
The ‘Drift King’ set some fast times as well as praised the suspension setup by Mr. Shirahige. “The car turns in so good especially at entry, so controllable. It is not bumpy and absorbs so well,” said Tsuchiya after his fastest run.
Back at his workshop in Kyoto, Mr Shirahige then points out the strengths and weaknesses of the Toyota GR Yaris. He has plenty of ideas planned to further improve the performance of the hot hatchback and perhaps become the ‘king of the hill’.
Source: Best Motoring YouTube
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