Chris' 90

Chris' 90

I've always had a fondness for a JZX for absolutely no reason. It's not like I grew up around them, it's kind of something that just developed over time. It was always VW, Porsche, BMW and Audi in my house growing up, there was never any room for Jap cars. It's not like they weren't liked, they just weren't something that we looked at home.

But as I grew up and older, they were little VW/German shows on in Ireland. Yes we have Dubshed, Europrojekt and VAGE Show and Shine but there just isn't the same amount as the JDM shows but it was more track days where I get my love for Jap cars. I was lucky that I was able to get to Mondello without having to hassle my parents for a lift every second Saturday.

I have the likes of JDM Classics and Showa Racing to thank for creating and putting on these track days for all to see. It was at these events where I began to learn about JZX's and their chassis'.

Hitting the Nail on the Head

Over the past couple of years my knowledge on the chassis has grown so much that it makes me wonder how I will afford one by 25. Me and my good friend Alex (shoutout Alex, love that guy, full feature on his Glanza coming soon) spend most of our days sending each other our own ideas of the perfect iteration and we're pretty sure Chris has hit the nail on the head with his own.

I had actually never met Chris in person before but I knew who he was from his previous build, a 280hp K24 EG9 Saloon. Chris knows what he's at when it comes to cars and when he picked up this 90 MKii in December of 2024 I was keen to see what he would do. I'd been following the process on socials and asked him a couple weeks back if he'd be around for a shoot sometime in the future to which he agreed. Rang up Alex Saturday morning telling him to come along to which he couldn't say no.

The price of VRT being so substantial on JZX's, the earlier JZX90's have become sort of sought after, with many landing on Irish shores in recent years. It's hard to stand out with one nowadays but I think Chris has achieved just that.

The Exterior

What Chris has done is fitted a BN style kit which includes front bumper, rear bumper and side skirts. The front wings are a take on the original but 50mm has been added as well as vents to give it that aggressive stance. The car sits on a set of HKS "D - nob" hypermax coilovers with Cusco front upper camber arms and Heyman 800 knuckles. The bronze TE37s try to drag your attention away from the 360mm discs on the front off a Lexus ISF with Megane RS Brembo 4-pots a much needed upgrade over the factory single piston calipers.

The Interior

The interior got the same treatment with a lovely set of Bride Brix 1.5 driver and passenger seat. A Nardi Deep Corn 330mm steering wheel giving you something to hold too. A tasty set of G-Corp mats make you want to take your shoes off when inside. I also love the DEFI gauges which show boost, water temp and oil temp. A ECU Master EMU Black is the brain behind the car which has the ability to control 4 button CAN Keypad on the dash which control the high/low boost, antilag, launch control and rolling antilag, or in other words, the fun buttons.

Under the Bonnet

When I asked Chris if he could pop the bonnet, he replied with "it is the cleanest bays, could do with a tidy" and goes on to show us the glorious 1JZ that so many of us love. For a car that makes a tickle under 500hp, it's surprisingly simple. It's an unopened non vvti 1JZ with a Pulsar GTX 3582R mounted on a 6 Boost manifold. A 50mm Gen 2 Pulsar waste gate, Greddy front mount intercooler and alloy rad keep things cool whilst making the fantastic surge noises. A set of R8 coils and thicker oil lines complete this healthy package. Car is mapped by Aongus at AP Performance making 495hp on high boost.

Mated to the engine is the equally important brand new R154 and ORC 559D twin disc giving you the iconic jingle. The exhaust is a full custom 3" downpipe and straight pipe.

I can't thank Chris enough for allowing me and my brother to come out and shoot the JZX, we genuinely really appreciate it. The car is a credit to you and we'll be back again sometime in the summer to see where you go next with it. But as always, if you've read this far, I really appreciate it, I hope you enjoyed my feature of Chris' 500hp JZX90 because I certainly did.

// Noah

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