Engine of the Week is presented by
At a show with as much to look at and as many people to speak with as the PRI Show, sometimes it’s not possible to see everything there is to see. However, when you do take the time to walk all corners of the show floor, you often find some gems.
That’s exactly what we found when we ventured toward the back corner of the Indianapolis Convention Center’s Green Hall during the 2021 PRI show. There, in the Ticon Industries booth, was one of the more badass Toyota Supras you’ll ever see. Appropriately named Wasabi, this green Supra belongs to Duy Bui, a Texas native who’s well-known in drag racing circles.
What really caught our attention – aside from the car’s cool name and the bright green paint job – was the lack of a Toyota engine, which you’d normally see under the hood of a Supra. Bui did originally build the car with a 2JZ powerplant, but in an effort to go faster down the track, he recently decided to repower the car with a turbocharged Hemi V8. That’s why we stopped in our tracks and spoke with David Aiwase of David Aiwase Wiring to find out about some of the drag car’s details.
David told us he did all of the electronics and wiring work for the new setup, which is driven in Limited Drag Radial by Eric LaFerriere. The new engine is a 521 cubic inch short-deck billet Hemi from Brad Anderson (BAE), which was built by Joe Hornick Enterprises (JHE) in Mooresville, NC.
The 521 Hemi also has BAE cylinder heads, which pair with a custom camshaft and valvetrain setup spec’d by JHE. The Hemi gets some extra horsepower courtesy of a 118mm Precision turbo and a Noonan intake.
Additional features of the Hemi setup include a MoTeC M150 ECU and MoTeC PDM that serves as the control center for the car, while a FuelTech FTSpark and CDI coils deliver ignition. Titanium from Ticon was used to fabricate the exhaust system. An M&M three-speed Turbo 400 transmission along with a Boninfante titanium bellhousing, a ProTorque EV1 non-lock-up converter, and a 10-inch gear third-member from Strange Engineering send the power and torque to the wheels.
The car rides on Menscer struts up front and four-way adjustable shocks in the rear, with Strange carbon-fiber brakes all the way around.
The Wasabi Supra, in its 2JZ form, had previously produced a best 1/8th-mile time of 4.09 @ 186 mph and a 1/4-mile time of 6.23 @234 mph. Running on M1 methanol, the new turbocharged Hemi setup only just recently got tested in Brandenton, FL in January. As David put it, “it’s quite the combination,” and we can’t wait to hear more about how it performs.
You can see the Wasabi Supra this year racing in Limited Drag Radial at the Duck’s races.
Engine of the Week is sponsored by PennGrade Motor Oil, Elring – Das Original, Scat Crankshafts and Engine & Performance Warehouse Inc./NPW Companies. If you have an engine you’d like to highlight in this series, please email Engine Builder Editor Greg Jones at [email protected].
