What lurks in your home garage? A rusting bicycle with a broken chain, a collection of oily car bits and an old rug that the dog sleeps on? Alexander Hutton-Potts' garage - in Thailand - is not like your's and mine. It contains a full-house Supra turbo and a supercharged V8 BMW. Oh, and there's also a fully decked-out Chev Astro van and a Suzuki Hayabusa superbike sitting in the corner...
The Supra
Indeed, the masterpiece of the Hutton-Potts garage is this awesome 800-plus rear wheel hp Toyota Supra. The platform is your everyday 1995 UK-spec Supra twin-turbo - which used to be a fully optioned automatic. However, Alexander's immediate desire for a change in pace and face has called for a manual gearbox. Not to mention the odd mechanical alteration...
The 3-litre DOHC, 24-valve Toyota 2JZ-GTE motor has recently received a full build up incorporating GReddy 87mm forged pistons, forged rods, an ARP stud kit upstairs and down, head porting, titanium retainers, modified valve angles, HKS camshafts (with AEM adjustable sprockets) as well as underdrive pulleys. This built-to-blast motor was then crowned with a HKS T51R turbo kit (ie a cast manifold and a monster turbo), a huge HKS front-mount air-to-air intercooler and an A'PEXi N1 exhaust.
Some serious power generating hardware.
Despite being a considerable air journey away, an Australian Autronic SM2 programmable ECU was then freighted to the awaiting Thai Supra. Alexander cheekily adds, "The Autronic is just like MoTeC - only better..." The high-spec SM2 fuel and ignition computer works alongside an A'PEXi Super AVC-R electronic boost controller. Pushing fuel into the 2JZ's belly are six 865cc injectors with twin high capacity fuel pumps. Other stuff scattered throughout the engine bay includes a Powerhouse electric fan conversion, a Grex oil cooler and filter re-locater, lots of Earl's hoses and TRD heavy-duty engine mounts.
Unfortunately, however, the Supra endured a pretty major meltdown. After belting out 650 rear wheel horsepower, it "melted a cylinder or two" due to insufficient fuelling. Following this, the whole package was rebuilt with a new short block, JUN pistons and new fuel pumps. Alexander then flew in Mr Koyoma from JUN Japan to tune the engine to 800-plus rear wheel horses!
As mentioned, this car used to be an automatic. Now it's equipped with a slick shifting and super-strong 6-speed Supra 'box. Ensuring the heavily boosted motor's immense power gets to the road (or, at least the wheels!) is a twin plate TRD clutch - however, Alexander also owns a Giken triple plate spare that's too noisy for the street. A TRD limited slip differential apportions torque to the left and right 18-inch TRD F-type rims wearing (wait for it!) 285/35 Bridgestone S-02s. The front end rides on only 265/35s... Hiding behind each front rim is an ESS drilled racing disc with braided steel line. Suspension is now TRD coils with 3-position adjustable dampers. A TRD front tower brace and bushes also sharpen the handling a little further.
The curvy Supra is a sexy car - but Alexander's is undoubtedly one of the best you'll find. An injection of aesthetic aggression comes in the form of a TRD3000 wide body kit, while Alexander drives the car with one of two bonnets in place - depending on the season. The stock bonnet scoop'd bonnet is fitted during winter, while a heavily vented TRD replica is used for additional cooling during summer. Horses for courses.
Not surprisingly, there's more wild stuff inside. There's Recaro front seats (with matching rear seats and door trims), a TRD airbag wheel, Razo carbon pedals and a Veilside gear knob and C's short shifter. Nothing's been spared. Add to this a whole host of electronic gizmos - a Blitz turbo timer, Defi head-up display, HKS CAMP (Computer Aided Multi Player), Kenwood TV system with Video, CD, and touch screen TV. This machine is indeed bristling with technology. Seemingly insignificant are the twin subwoofers, Eaton rear splits, Macintosh fronts, 1200W Kenwood and 600W Sony amps...
And Parked Next to the Supra We Have the Beautiful BMW...
Alexander is a lucky man. He also enjoys driving a fully worked-over BMW E39 528 - after having "totalled" his 300-plus horsepower M3... oops! The new Beemer was originally a 528 - until Alexander brought in a whole 1998 540i from Japan and stripped it down for its good bits! This included the 4.4 litre V8 engine, the bigger brakes, the electronic suspension and the Nav/TV system. It was all then transferred straight into Alexander's 528.
Like this wasn't extreme enough, Alexander then decided to boost the bent-eight beast with an ESS centrifugal supercharger! Only mild boost pressure is fed in, though there's still the need for a rising rate fuel pressure regulator and an E39 M5 pump. The factory engine management system has also been custom programmed by Garrett USA. Once the (estimated) 415 horsepower have been generated, spent gasses fly out through a cat-back custom stainless exhaust, leading into quad pipes equipped with Schnitzer tips (Alexander actually had to cut out the spare wheel area to make room to fit these babies!). It's a truly glorious sound from the tail.
A lowering and a classy set of wheels are a no-risk way of making a contemporary Beemer look sweet. This ever-graceful E39 body is brought down a little closer to the ground thanks to Harmann springs (in conjunction with the BMW 540 electronic damping). Eighteen inch Schnitzer Type 3 rims fill each guard to the max, together with 245/40 and 265/35s. These tyres are, again, Bridgestone S-02s - the pumped looking N1 spec at the rear.
Inside the soft leather trimmed cabin is the aforementioned TV and Nav systems, however Alexander has also added a Video CD changer to the TV (which took some "interesting" wiring). More wiring extends to the Focal splits, twin 15 inch JL subs (with a dedicated Kenwood amp) and a Sony 5 channel amp for the rest. Complimenting the standard leather interior is a M5 steering wheel, Schnitzer pedals - plus there's probably more that Alexander's forgotten about...
Tough Decisions...
So which car does Alexander jump into each morning? On most occasions - oddly enough - he doesn't drive at all. His professional driver chauffeurs him to work in the luxury of a black, 17-inch wheel'd and lowered Chev Astro. A very unique sight on Thai roads!
The blown BMW is brought into the sunlight on weekends and whenever Alexander wants to venture out without his driver. Oh, and it's also used whenever his Mum is in town, "as she thinks the Supra is loud and silly". The Supra, of course, is only for weekend fun and showing off every now and then. Eight hundred-plus horsepower at the wheels is perfect for that! Yet - despite the awesome speed of the Supra - Alexander takes to two wheels when he wants to go really mad. The 180hp 1.3-litre Suzuki Hayabusa is wheeled out, "When I want to remind myself what fast really means, and to put the fear of God back into myself if I get too cocky in the Supra."
Amazingly, Alexander is also contemplating squeezing another project vehicle into his garage. He's planning building up a Mazda MX-5 roadster "and perhaps go rotary or do a big block V8 conversion". At the same time he's just bought a new condo - so there might be some more parking spaces available for a new monster Mazda after all...
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