"The eggs are cooling, and the butter's getting hard." These are words diehard Laker fans hear quite often. By the time you read this, the LA Lakers will have already kicked Sacramento King butt on their way to an NBA Championship threepeat. (That's funny because the Kings asked me to play for them.-JL) I met Shawn Kim in Sacramento during the conference championships and wanted to rub it in a bit, but I resisted the temptation considering that he could very well run me over during the photo shoot.
What distinguishes a championship-caliber basketball team-and Shawn's car-from others is how it is trained, toned, and developed with much sweat and tears. Of course, natural potential goes a long way and the Supra is not lacking anything in this department. Shawn's fascination with the JZA80 began back in '93, when he saw his uncle's cherry red Supra for the first time. Since that day, he's wanted one and the hype created by "the movie" (you know the one) certainly whet his appetite even further.
On the outside, Shawn's Supra is a virtual who's-who in the Japanese dress-up department. A venerable assortment of C-West body pieces and a full carbon-fiber GT wing adds some racy looks, while a vented Top Secret carbon-fiber hood assures that the engine compartment stays cool. Stock side mirrors and headlights were tossed in favor of sleeker Ganador units and newer HID iterations, respectively, adding further individuality. Door handles, emblems, and other external cues were shaven for that smooth Gillette look. Finally, a custom metallic blue paint was applied, coating the car in azure richness.
Underneath the hood, the 2JZ motor received a healthy dose of motivation from a ZEX 75-shot nitrous system. A GReddy intercooler, A'PEXi intake system, and a Rod Millen Motorsports downpipe assist the factory twin turbos. Boost surge and spent exhaust gases are evacuated by an HKS blow-off valve and a Tanabe Racing Medallion exhaust system. The engine bay received some extra show points through the use of some shiny, pretty goods from TRD, Hose Techniques, and Powerhouse Racing.
Shawn has bigger plans for the motor and has already spec'd out a single turbo conversion via an HKS T04R unit. Judging by my seat of the pants sensors, this car is already pretty quick. With an upgraded turbo, I have a feeling my Victoria's Secret thong would ride up my crack rather quickly.
Bringing this blue demon to a halt at stoplights requires some heavy-duty stuff, so Shawn gave the nod to some extra strength braking equipment in the form of Stillen cross-drilled rotors and TRD braided brake lines. Although I couldn't see it at first tucked inside the brake calipers were Hawk carbon-fiber brake pads. A hidden gem, to say the least. It was no wonder that I didn't see any brake dust on the Volk TE37s. These 18-inch wheels are shod with Nitto NT-555R rubber all the way around and secured to the hub using blue anodized lug nuts, courtesy of Ray's Engineering.
The same tasty flavor continues on the inside with Bride Dinos II carbon-Kevlar racing seats-wooo...pretty! A Sparco steering wheel furthers the race feel of the driver compartment. A combination of electronic goodies from Blitz, HKS, and GReddy keeps engine vitals in check, while a carbon-fiber dash kit and Indiglo gauges do the same for the factory dash.
On the in-car entertainment end of the spectrum, a Pioneer multimedia display unit takes center stage while the sights and sounds are fed through a Kenwood CD/MP3 head unit. A Sony PlayStation 2 provides an additional entertainment option while a Valentine One radar detector makes sure that The Man doesn't creep up on an unsuspecting Shawn.
Will this Sacramento King prevail? Hopefully better than C-Web did. Will Gray Davis win another term as governor of California? Does anyone care? Will Shawn Kim's Supra continue to turn heads wherever he goes? Definitely.
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