Your first day of high school is hectic enough without falling in love with a senior’s automobile on the way to lunch. Jose Gutierrez experienced something similar in 2000. He didn’t know what type of car astonished him, but he knew he’d get one. New Love “I didn’t know what kind of car it was; all I heard was a rocket ship,” he claims. He discovered it was a 1998 Toyota Supra, but at his young age, he couldn’t afford one. Seventeen years later, he got this 1993 Supra Premier Edition, although it was less lovely than the one he’d seen. “I didn’t care if it was badly damaged and barely moved because I wanted it,” he adds—my 33rd birthday gift. It could have been more flawless, but he needed a solid foundation because he had grand ambitions for the whole structure. Even a damaged MkIV Supra sells for a lot. Jose bought, sold, and flipped Toyota Tacomas to acquire it and start a large project. These proceeds were used to buy an automobile and disassemble and paint it. Jose copied Honda Civic Type R’s Crystal Black Pearl colour code for this dream build. It reminded him of his black Supra, his first automobile. The Supra’s Seibon hood, skirts, Pro Spec trunk lip, and TBT spoiler contrast with the black colour. A carbon fibre panel replaces the targa top on top of the cabin. One thousand nine hundred ninety-eight headlights, taillights, and turn signals were improved. Lexus, Jeep, and Chevy parts were stolen. Jose’s build has Honda’s colour code and three-model stop system—C7 Corvette and Jeep Cherokee SRT8 Brembo brakes, 6 and 4 pistons, respectively. Using unique mounts, the highly powder-coated stoppers behind the matte black TE37 bite into the Lexus ISF front and rear rotors. Bright green breaks up the sombre black and charcoal inside the automobile. Titan powder-coated roll bars surround Recaro bucket seats with black Taketa belts. A red-stitched carbon fibre steering wheel and dash elements complement the exterior. Jose avoided problem-solving. He cleaned and reinforced the engine instead. The bottom end can create almost 1,200 horsepower if he goes crazy, but at 45 pressure, it makes 900 hp. To protect the 3.0L from stress, Real Street brass caps, ARP hardware, and Brian Crower H-beam rods were used. Engine pistons and rods were replaced. The hot side has one Precision turbo and two TurboSmart wastegates—sleeper Design billet intake pipe with 90 mm Ross Machine throttle body on the cold side. GSC stage 1 cams, Powerhouses variable cam gears, a full Ferrea valve train, and shameless buckets support high-rev work. The engine compartment received a matte black bed liner before the engine was installed. Variable Delays Jose had a plan and money to develop, but it took longer than expected. “I didn’t enjoy my Supra until it was all done, about four years later,” he recalls. The Coronavirus didn’t help, and the machine shop’s closure delayed engine completion by a year. Since 2021, Jose has modified his Supra. “You’re never really done with it because there’s always something more you can do,” Jose explains. “I’m thinking about bigger turbo setups or maybe even dual turbo setups—something different, but we’ll see.” Carbon fibre again, but beautifully.
