Photography by David Barnhouse
There was a moment in 2010 that brought the Toyota JZX100 way up in coolness factor, and it was during the fifth round of D1GP at Ebisu. Coming in extra-spicy, Daigo Saito initiates his drift right at the apex of the turn, catching air mid-initiation, and landing his red Toyota Mark II in a full-on drift at full lock. If you鈥檝e never seen this jump drift, here鈥檚 your homework: watch the 35-second clip of the jump on YouTube, and then immediately watch it seven more times because it鈥檚 so rad.
For some, this would make the Toyota Mark II or JZX100 platform in general more awesome, but also expose Daigo Saito and his D1 shenanigans to an international audience. For others, like Ethan, this stunt was something that Daigo and his drift-mates on the WELD team were known for. Sliding sedans with crazy graphics, big power, big body kits, big wings, and big wheels that could leave the track and probably place at a car show are what WELD is all about, and that鈥檚 what Ethan fell in love with.
鈥淚鈥檝e wanted [a JZX] since I was 17,鈥� explains Ethan. 鈥淒aigo Saito and the WELD cars were some major reasons why I got into them. Most other cars around then were S-Chassis or Corollas, so seeing something so excessive was super, super cool. Once I got more into JDM stuff, I learned of WELD and their fleet of incredible cars.鈥�
While S-Chassis were really common in the mid-to-late 鈥�00s in Japanese drifting, they were also a big part of Ethan鈥檚 life. After getting his modifying start in Hondas and VWs, Ethan went on to own a few of Nissan鈥檚 most popular sport compact 鈥� seven in fact. Some highlights include an S13 with a 1JZ swap, SR20-powered hatch and convertible versions, and an S14 with some rare parts and the reliable power of an S15 SR20. The thing is, Ethan鈥檚 car has to do dual duty by being up for drifting at the track, and then be good to drive home or do the occasional road trip, and by looking at those requirements, a Japanese sedan with rear-wheel-drive and a dependable 1JZ-GTE engine seems to fit the bill perfectly.
When he eventually did come across the perfect Mark II, Ethan made sure that the 1JZ would be up to task, no matter the circumstances. The JZX100 was handed over to Leask Spec, headed by a buddy of Ethan鈥檚, to get a refreshed turbo 1J in the engine bay. The stock turbo has been upgraded to a 5858 Precision charger, and paired up with a large front-mount R33 Skyline GT-R intercooler, Greddy Type-R blow-off valve, and a dump-tubed Tial 44-mm wastegate, which makes for some insane noise at boost. Ethan also procured a 鈥渟lug鈥� manifold that needed some working to fit everything around it. For example: the SARD fuel rail didn鈥檛 line up at first, so it was fixtured and threaded with locator tabs, and then the AC compressor, power steering, pump, and oil dipstick didn鈥檛 fit, so those were all reworked to fill their roles again. A coolant bleeder tank, complete with swirl pot for air separation were fabricated and matched up with a modified Koyorad radiator to complete the cooling system once the charge pipes were done.
With an Apexi PowerFC standalone ECU tuned by RS Enthalpy, plus HKS boost control and a Bee*R rev limiter for insurance, this daily driver is capable of 576 reliable rear-wheel-horsepower at about 29 psi, which, when put down through a twin-plate OS Giken clutch and two-way Cusco LSD, is more than enough for getting the wheels loose at the track or passing on the highway.
Another thing that Ethan wanted to protect were his aesthetics. Being friends with the floor is cool and all, but being so low that you damage your kit everytime you leave a parking lot isn鈥檛. Vertex kits don鈥檛 come cheap, you know? To preserve his investments, the Mark II is sitting at just the right height on some Swift-spring-equipped custom-valved Stance XR1 coilovers. His Advan TCIII wheels are tastefully stretched on some Kenda Kaiser KR20 tires and hide some serious six-piston GREX calipers behind the front set. Serialnine front upper and rear lower control arms, toe arms, traction arms, as well as some one-off front lower control arms and tension rods from Walker Pro Motorsports (another friend of Ethan鈥檚, who also made his turbo piping), tailor in the tasteful stance of the Toyota, while a set of C鈥檚 Garage steering knuckles and Odyssey Fab subframe reinforcement help the sedan鈥檚 sliding capabilities.
鈥淭hough it doesn鈥檛 look like a WELD car, they鈥檝e definitely shaped my view of what a drift car can be,鈥� Ethan gushes. 鈥淭heir competition car was damn-near a show car, and I try to keep this car as clean as possible, while using it as much as I can.鈥�
While it doesn鈥檛 have then wild outward appearance of a WELD car, the Mark II definitely exudes JDM stylistic vibes. Vertex aero, Ganador mirrors, and Origin trunk lip and roof spoiler outside, plus the Bride Zeta II seat, Nardi Deep Corn wheel, and straight-out-of-Japan Carrozzeria head unit inside, this JZX is an exercise in how to build a clean and timeless car. And that鈥檚 not to say that WELD鈥檚 spirit doesn鈥檛 exist here 鈥� the coil pack cover on the engine, shifter bushing, braided brake lines, and, most recently, the differential bushings have all travelled overseas from the team鈥檚 shop to take up residence on Ethan鈥檚 car.
What Ethan has built, with some help from some friends, is a well-rounded JDM car that serves as a bit of culture shock to the streets of Texas that it cruises down. It鈥檚 not specifically a drift car, and it鈥檚 not specifically a highway racer 鈥� it鈥檚 daily driver in every sense, especially when part of your seat time includes getting sideways. This is a Mark II that makes its mark, everywhere it goes.
ESSENTIALS
Vehicle: 1996 Toyota Mark II
Owner: Ethan
Location: TX
Engine: Toyota 1JZ-GTE 2.5L I-6
Horsepower: 576 RWHP @ 2 bar
ENGINE
- Precision Turbo 5858 turbocharger
- Nissan R33 Skyline GT-R front-mount intercooler
- Greddy Type-R blow-off valve
- Tial 44-mm wastegate
- Leask Spec custom (power steering reservoir, catch can, charge pipes, coolant swirl pot, coolant bleeder tank, modified intake manifold)
- Billet throttle body
- K&N air filter
- Custom intake tube
- Koyorad (modified radiator, oil cooler)
- KTS modified upper radiator pipe
- Samco lower radiator hose
- Oil filter relocation
- WELD coil pack cover
- SARD fuel rail
- Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator
- Walbro 485-lph fuel pump
- Injector Dynamics ID1000 fuel injectors
- NGK BKR8E copper spark plugs
- Apexi PowerFC standalone ECU
- HKS EVC-S boost controller
- Bee*R rev limiter
- RS Enthalpy custom tune
EXHAUST
- TRUST 3.25-inch titanium exhaust system
- Walker Pro Motorsports custom (turbo manifold, down-pipe, wastegate dump tube)
DRIVETRAIN
- OS Giken (twin-plate clutch, flywheel)
- Cusco 2-way LSD
- WELD shifter bushing
WHEELS / TIRES / BRAKES
- Advan TCIII wheels 鈥� 18x9 +25 (f), 18x10 +35 (r)
- Kenda Kaiser KR20 tires 鈥� 235/40 R18 (f), 265/35 R18 (r)
- GREX (6-piston front brake calipers, 2-piece slotted rotors)
- Project-Mu emergency brake pads
- WELD braided brake lines
CHASSIS / SUSPENSION
- Stance XR1 custom-valved coilovers
- Swift springs 鈥� 24k (f), 18k (r)
- C鈥檚 Garage steering knuckles
- Toyota JZX110 tie rods
- TRD (engine mounts, transmission mounts)
- WELD differential bushings
- Serialnine (front upper control arms, rear lower control arms, toe arms, traction arms, subframe bushings)
- Walker Pro Motorsports custom (front lower control arms, tension rods)
- Odyssey Fab rear weld-in subframe reinforcement kit
EXTERIOR
- Vertex (front lip, side skirts, rear valence)
- Ganador side mirrors
- Origin (trunk lip, roof spoiler)
- Clear side markers
- Custom orange LED (side markers, turn signals)
INTERIOR
- Bride (Zeta III bucket seat, head pad, seat back protector)
- Nagisa seat rail
- Nardi Deep Corn 360-mm steering wheel
- HKB steering wheel hub
- Custom delrin shift knob
- DEFI gauges (60-mm boost, 52-mm oil pressure, 52-mm oil temperature, 52-mm water temperature)
- AEM AFR gauge
MOBILE ELECTRONICS
- Carrozzeria head unit
- JL 12-inch subwoofer
- Alpine subwoofer amplifier
- Optima Red Top battery
