A '93 Toyota Supra Colored like Mass Transportation

The vechicle is a rather cruel and decrepit form of transportation, really. We'll start with the bench seat. It's permanently bolted to the floor, disallowing any forward or backward movement. There's no lumbar support. Come to think of it, theres not much side or butt support either. The seat is swarthed in dark green vinyl and lovingly modified with cuts, holes and written oddities like "Jenny Loves Dan".

The vehicle doesn't have air conditioning but there's a really nice window off to the side. If its two manual latches are up to the task. the window can be opened a maximum of halfway! There's no sound system. Wads of used gum entice shoes to become permanent residents of the floor. There's only one main door to get in and out of. The vehicle's acceleration is equal to that of a DMV clerk drugged with valium. And here's the best part-anyone seen in this vehicle is instantly considered a complete loser!

OK, by now vou've figured out that we weren't talking about the way-cool Toyota Supra gracing, these pages. In fact, we were referring to the supreme icon of American education-the school bus. Why? Three reasons. First is that this Supra shares its paint scheme with generic school buses-a dark vellow, set off by black wheels. Second, the Supra is actually used for school transportation. Omar Simbulan is the owner, and this Glendale, California, resident uses his Supra to get to and from school. Third, this is Super Street, and we like to think we can do whatever we want. So let's see why this Supra is so much better than a school bus, shall we?

The most noticeable change on Omar's Toyota is the non-factory paint. Its school-bus like hue was created and sprayed at 14th Auto Body in San Francisco. The company also installed the Veilside body kit that gives shape to the paint. Up front a hyper-aggressive nose piece makes the Supra look like it's baring teeth and ready to chomp hapless 300ZXs. There's also a rear valance, side skirts, and a dual-plane wing. The side skirts and rear valance have been molded to the body, smoothing the lines and eliminating the "tacked on" look body kits sometimes have.

Paint-matched headlight covers and black Gewalt five-point wheels complete the visual changes. All school-bus similarity ends with the Supra's speed hardware. Under the hood is a 3.OL turbo six. Actually, this Supra rolled out of the factory as the 220hp non-turbo version. But after installing the body kit, Omar was quickly infected with the "need for speed" bug.

Rather than buying,a whole new Supra or trying an engine swap, Omar had the engine heavily modified. XS Engineering of FuUerton, California, installed a Garrett TS04 turbocharger and its subsequent piping. It's mounted to a Japanese imported header designed for the Lexus GS300. To cool the compressed air provided by the turbo and HKS air intake, there's a giant Apex intercooler mounted ahead of the radiator. Because of the intercooler's size, XS had to trim the front bumper to make it fit.

Thanks to the work of Dan Paramore Racing, the compressed air of the turbo is used to its fullest potential. The intake manifold has been ported and polished and there's a Stage VI head with lightened valves, welded and shaped combustion chambers, and radius-cut seats. Remnants from this hi-po process are routed through Greddy 3-inch mandrel-bent piping. The bottom end is stock, though Omar would like to upgrade the pistons along with many other engine components. On the wish list are a reprogrammed ECU, increased maximum turbo boost pressure, a thicker head gasket to lower the compression, racier camshafts, stronger ignition, and a high-flow fuel pump.

Unlike the engine, there's not as much that can be done to the suspension, but Omar has fitted Eibach springs and adjustable GAB shocks at each corner. The anti-roll bars, bushings, and brakes are stock. The previously mentioned Gewalt wheels measure 17x8.5 in front and 17x9.5 in back and are capped with Toyo Proxes T-ls (235/45ZR17 front, 265/40ZRI7 rear).

Moving inside, there's a nice lack of green vinyl, but it does look really wild with its clashing mix of black and yellow. The dash has been painted to match the exterior, and the seats are yellow. The rest, including the stereo, is mostly stock; the only exceptions are the pedals and shifter from Razo.

It would be difficult to get a more menacing look than the Veilside kit provides. It consists of a lower nose piece, side skirts, and a rear valance. Replacing the factory hoop is an even more noticeable (and better looking) dual-plane wing. The single exhaust tip is connected to a Greddy exhaust. It might be black like a school bus wheel, but that's about it. The Gewalt wheels measure 17x8.S in front and 17x9.S in back. They're capped with Toyo Proxes T-I's (235/45ZRI7 front, 265/40ZRI7 rear). Behind them are stock rotors and pads. Go even deeper, and you'll locate Eibach springs and GAB adjustable shocks.

Toyota Corollas wish they had stuff like this under their hoods. The 3.OL six-cylinder is thoroughly worked over, including an XS Engineering custom turbocharger, DPR Stage VI head, Greddy exhaust, and A'pex intercooler.

So there you have it. The Toyota looks better than a school bus. It's faster than a school bus. It handles better than a school bus. And hey, you don't have to ride along with 40 of your least favorite friends. Maybe if every big, yellow kiddie-hauler was like Omar's Supra, students would actually want to go to school.