Lambo-Celica

The question here is what does a Lamborghini Aventador and a Toyota Celica have in common ? Well besides only having 2 doors and a low roof line, it seems the similarity ends there. However, both are dream cars for different variety of people and in Malaysia there is a guy bold enough to dream for both. He is the first in the country to combine these 2 lovely sports car into one visually. His creation, the Lambo-Celica. Firstly, what sets the Aventador away from other Lamborghinis is the front bumper that has a sharp nose and huge air intakes on both side of the bumper. This are the main parts that this owner have focus on and captured into the Celica design. The headlights are not the original design but it has a combination of LED and HID that is similar to the Aventador. It keeps its JDM style with the Invader hood and original Celica hood spoiler. No doubt from the front it seems a small sized Lamborghini is riding through the streets.

When you see the front, it is natural that people wound expect the rear to look very close to the Aventador. I have to admit while waiting for him to tease us with the rear when it was still in the process was a bit difficult especially when imagining how the Aventador's design can merge with the Celica's rear. When it was done, the rear certainly is not the Aventador but instead a very fierce JDM look. The rear bumper is not a 100% custom design compared to the front and is actually based on the Bomex rear available for the Celica as this was the previous bumper that the owner used. The owner had his previous bumper widened for the wide body effect and added vents to give it the fierce looks and changed the tail lights. That is why you can still see the shape of a Celica. Since the body is now much wider, a larger spoiler is needed. Although the front is going after the Italian Lamborghini look, it is still a JDM car so the GT wing design is used.The wing is custom made because it is simply too wide.

On the side view,the wide body effect can be seen clearly. The huge vent on the rear fender area is huge and the door can be seen inverted in and the side skirt is a custom from the Varis design for Mitsubishi Evolutions. I remember a few years ago when a US vendor sold Ferrari F430 replica kits for the Celica and it look exactly the same as a F430 on the outside and the interior has been replicated to look as close to the original as possible. However, in this case instead of making it look like the Aventador, the interior of the Celica gets a 2 tone makeover and leather wrapped seats. The cluster meter is not exactly a JDM spec with its mph indicator. It looks great but it does not tell the speed well because I believe it is just a face change (not confirmed) but it is ok because the speed can be told by the Pivot Speed Meter just in front of the cluster. As you can see from below there are 2 extra gauges on the A pillar.

The final outcome of the Lambo-Celica is definitely a love-hate relationship. Some might hate it as the Celica design is no longer pure but some might praise his effort and passion and love that sharp Aventador nose. I for one love the effort, time and money he throws in to get the one of a kind look that he wanted for his lovely ride. At the end of the day, it is only important that he thinks it is the best car in the world. I salute him for his bravery. Custom Bodykit = big bucks, Lamborghini looks with the convenience of a Celica = awesome but the smile on the owner's face when people head turns looking at your car = PRICELESS !!

Repairing Fiberglass Parts

When I got my hood, it was in a bad condition. From the surface only the paint job looks bad but actually from the bottom, it is really bad. There are some spots that the frame is detached from the hood and cracks from the frame as seen below. Normally with this kind of damage, the usual people would just throw this out and buy a new one. However, in this case I would not think of buying it if it is not worth something. The great thing about fiberglass is it could be shaped into anything which is a favorite with custom body parts makers. Another characteristic is when hit, it will crack or break and it is repairable. That is why I bought the hood and now it is restored. 

Bad Condition When Purchased 

Now fiberglass looks like shreds of fiber or thread and some even prepare it in a small square patch ready for use. The repair process is just aligning the parts and putting the fiber on top of area needed to repair. Apply glue to make it wet and stick together and while doing this, the shape needed is shaped. The process is repeated until it is strong enough. Leave it to dry or heated by blower and it will look like new. Below are some photos of the process and how fiberglass looks like.

The photo below show the same area that was broken. As you can see it might not be fully restored or look smooth but it is like almost new. There are some area that are no longer attached to the hood and the use of glue solves that. So, if you have a part that is made of fiberglass and it is broken, do not worry as it can be fixed.

Carbon Hood Part 2

Today I had 2 tasks regarding my hood. The first is to install the hood pin. Well the part that goes on the hood is already attached and ready from the day I bought the hood. This hood pin design is rarely found on hoods because it requires a big space and many are reluctant to cut their expensive hood for the big hole seen below to fit this lock. This design looks much better than the alternative so I am happy with it especially since it comes with the hood. Now many will ask why is it necessary to install this hood pin is because the hood is too light and would open if driven at high speed. I did not drive too fast before this fearing it would lift on its own and I look forward to testing the power when I have the time. To install the pin, holes had to be drilled but the most time consuming thing is to adjust it so it locks properly and is not too tight and tear the hood. Also, on one side the pin is too near the radiator hose and it had to be shorten.

Hood Lock

Lock from Below

Hood Pin

Installed

The second task is to adjust the height of the hood by using the stock hood rubbers shown below. Now the hood is lower on the left side. It needs these rubbers to lift the hood up but the stock rubbers are too big and the fiber frame is too thick. So, a replacement rubber is used instead. The hood is raised but just by a little and nothing could be done. This is common because no carbon fiber or fiberglass product that is hand-made will be 100% fitting because of the material. I pay a lot attention on details and this really frustrates me but nothing much could be done. I just have to accept it as it is. As for the stock rubbers, I will keep as I am keeping my stock hood just in case one day i would de-mod and sell the car.

Stock Hood Rubbers

Drilling through thick Fiberglass

Rubber from other Source

Even as one day has passed after getting the hood, I already have some problems or concern about this hood. First thing is the design of the hood. The scoop is too big and the the fin is removable. The scoop is too light and too big that driving fast could crack the hood which already happened. The fin area, I am worried the water may leak in is it is not screwed tightly. The person who installed the hood pin says the quality does not reflect japanese product. The second thing is the fitment and paint. Since it is fiber, the surface when painted has a strange cloud like pattern under the sun and many had to be done to make it fit. Even with a lot of effort it still is just 90% fitting. Finally, the last part is when I open my hood to see my white engine cover with a black spot. I soon realized that the screw on the scoop area is hitting the engine cover. So, I have to change the screw to save my engine cover.

Crack at Scoop Area

The Screw on Hood (top) effect on Engine Cover (bottom)

Carbon Hood Part 1

I remember buying the half carbon fiber vented hood on 16th March and I left it in the hands of my mechanic. The good thing is I realized the design is a favorite, the C-ONE Ver.2 hood and it is half carbon. I asked him to find a shop to repair the hood and get it painted since the place where I bought the hood is near my mechanic's place and I did not want to transport it too much. However, after 34 days at the workshop with no news, I decided not to wait anymore and start looking for contacts to get it done. I got a recommendation from my friend of a shop that could fix the broken structure of the hood. I sent the hood for repair and it took 5 days. I was disappointed with the service as the hood was not completely fixed. The structure was not totally strong and still flimsy. I took the hood anyway because I did not want to leave it there anymore.

Transporting the Hood

After collecting the hood, I went to a painter that my another friend highly recommended where the workmanship is good and is cheap. That place already painted 2 other Celicas so I was sure of the workmanship. I negotiated for some time regarding the price because my budget was very tight. At the end, I got a sweet deal for a 2 tone paint job (body color for hood and grey for vents) and matt black for the bottom part. It took quite some time for the hood to be painted (6 days) because the first color was off, the paint cracked due to the soft structure and polishing. I had to go visit several time just to check the progress. Finally, it is done I had it installed today.

Getting Polish

Lightweight Hood that Bends, Matt Black on the bottom

Below are the stages of the changes done to my hood. When finally installed, I was concerned about the difference in color as there is no 100% similarity in a paint job. I was also concerned about the effect of weight on my car because the hood is really really light. When I first drive with it, I felt my steering wheel lighter and accelerates better but before I could try anything, I noticed that the hood is moving. At only 80 kph, the hood starts to move because of the lightweight and the super big intake bulge. Plus, my hood pin is not installed yet. So, tomorrow I have to get the hood aligned and the hood pin installed and then I can finally try the reduce weight effect on my car's performance.

Stock Hood

Without Hood

When Fitting

Without Vents

Completion

New Source

When you own a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) car, it would make sense to buy accessories or modification from Japan. This is especially true when you drive a JDM sports car and fill your car with goods from Japan. However, for owners that could just afford the car but still wanna mod, the solution would be to get replica from other countries or source locally. I finally found someone to send my beat up carbon fiber hood for repair. While I was there I asked the person that sells carbon fiber hood where most hoods sold in the market are from and he told me its mostly from Taiwan.

Celica C-One Ver. 2 Hood - my hood design

I knew that Taiwan is one of the biggest suppliers of parts besides Japan but to completely overshadow the Japanese supplier seems unthinkable. Now, many people considers price but my biggest concern is the weight and finishing since it is carbon fiber that we are talking about. I was told that it cost a fraction of price with 80% finishing of a Japanese counterpart but it is slightly heavier than the Japanese one. I tried to carry one of the hoods in that person's shop and although it is fully carbon it still is heavier than I thought.

Celica Veilside FF-GT Hood

The reason I would consider buying a carbon fiber part especially hoods is for the weight saving, durability and the racy design. There would not be a point to get a heavier and lower quality product but the price difference itself is incentive enough. Plus, it is more difficult to find one from Japan especially products from C-ONE that went bankrupt a few years back. This could really justify buying parts from Taiwan instead. However, I am considered lucky being able to find an original carbon fiber hood from Japan. Although it is really banged up, it is well made and most importantly very light. I can't wait for mine to be done and send it for painting.

Celica Invader Hood

Honda CR-Z MUGEN RZ

I went to my friend's workshop and spotted a new facelift Honda CR-Z parked there. It is undergoing some body kit change to the MUGEN series and I heard that the owner will supercharge the CR-Z later. Although in Japan, HKS, a major performance parts manufacturer already R&D a supercharger kit for the CR-Z, the current trend in Malaysia is to use a supercharger by the company, Sprintex instead. I have not compared the specs of both supercharger but HKS is definitely expensive. In terms of bodykit, since MUGEN is the direct performance line for all Honda models, its body kit is undeniably the most popular choice until I have gotten sick at spotting one. 

That is when I remember that MUGEN came up with a special edition that sells only 300 units called the MUGEN RZ. Surely a complete car from MUGEN does not only have aesthetic changes but also a bump in performance. How this particular special edition fit into the topic is that although also from MUGEN, the body kit is not the same and it comes stock with a supercharger similar to Rotrex and HKS design. If given the choice I would prefer to get my hands on this beauty rather than bolting on an aftermarket supercharger. Not only did some expert already R&D on it, there is higher reliability. From the picture below, the exterior parts are listed.

I am using pictures from the official MUGEN website and it lists the parts that is different from the standard CR-Z. The first thing that you will notice is actually the blue and black theme surrounding the interior. The door trims and front seats is now blue rather than all black and steering wheel have blue stitches, gear knob has a blue ring and the extra boost meter has blue illumination. The whole thing does really fit well and matches with the blue cluster meter that CR-Z is famous for. In addition to it, I think that blue is chosen because of the hybrid badging of Honda that is blue and also to separate itself from the usual red and black interior for its type R models. The most exclusive however is the MUGEN RZ badge in the interior that shows that it is an authentic RZ and the number of the car out of the limited 300 units.

I have listed the exterior and interior changes, now it is time to focus on the main dish, the power unit. Usually a supercharger kit comes with the supercharger, optional intercooler and air filter. In addition to these 3, the RZ comes with a change of radiator and oil cooler too forming the XIMA system. You could say it is a very complete kit where the whole thing increased the original 120 bhp by 30% reaching 152 bhp but it does not only stop there. MUGEN as an experienced tuner, knows that it is not enough just by increasing the output of the engine. It is also important to let it breath properly, so the exhaust is also upgraded. MUGEN changed the piping to straight flow piping but it will be noisy and to solve that, a silencer is used at the end. CR-Z has a 3 mode drive system (ECO, normal, sport) and MUGEN introduced a new mapping for the E.C.U., increasing power for all modes and added a PLUS SPORT system.

It looks cooler from the exterior to the interior and it definitely is a force to be reckon with thanks to the force inducted engine but now we all know that there is some other things are a big concern that many forgets. If a car can go faster, you will need more braking power and to maneuver through corners, the suspensions must be upgraded. MUGEN never forgets about that department and came up with parts that will do the job right. The whole front leg has undergone special treatment. The whole suspension (absorber & spring) is upgraded making it harder and the car lower for the corners. As for braking, nothing is left stock. The rotors is bigger and thicker with slits and the caliper is bigger to accommodate the bigger rotors. This all increase the temperature that the brakes can withstand and release heat faster. The brake pads are upgraded coupled with micromesh brake lines to handle more heat and reduce fading especially during track attacks and all this is behind MUGEN 17 inch aluminum rim. Now this setup will definitely be enough to stop this powerful machine.

I do not know about you but an average car owner could not get one car to be like this MUGEN RZ. It is heavily loaded and most importantly it is from a famous tuner. I would get my hands on one of this beauty because one look at this, the normal CR-Z seems like a tame kitten. Definitely enough for daily drive and the occasionally sprint with great looks. I would love to drive everyday in this blue and cool interior.

PS. All photos are from http://www.mugen-power.com/automobile/complete/MUGEN-RZ/rz/index.html