Midnight chase: 1999 JZX100 Chaser Tourer V

The Toyota Chaser JZX100 - some call it the four door Supra, some call it the Japanese M5. All I know is it's my childhood dream to own one. It's pretty simple why these cars are still appreciated and sought after, even 20 years after their initial release. Front-engine rear wheel drive layout, sleek bodylines and a long wheelbase that shouts its presence on the tarmac, making sure you stand out among a sea of dull, silver, basic Toyotas. This particular example is a little bit more special from the Chasers we see roaming the roads frequently.

This particular car started life as an aforementioned Chaser until Mr. Abid Hasan bought a halfcut of a 1999 Chaser Tourer V Series 2, with a, wait-for-it, 5-speed manual transmission and swapped in the whole nine yards of 90's Japanese coolness.  This has to be one of the very few examples of a proper manual Tourer V, proper in the meticulous attention to detail and the effort in making it stand out. This is the only way to ensure a full restoration from all the 20 years of Bangladeshi dirt and dust, wavy panels from all countless poor repairs and worn out interiors these cars are subjected to.

The car looks the part too, and I really can't put my finger on why. Is it the lowered stance (courtesy of Tein coilovers and 18" Rays alloys), the dark blue color scheme, or is it the big Blitz intercooler peeking out of the front bumper? All of it, as it turns out. The exterior all comes together and gives a road presence that turns heads everywhere. And this is no garage queen either, goes to show that in the hands of the right person the car can still look factory fresh, despite being driven daily through thick and thin, not to mention traffic consisting of busses, rickshaws and random jay-walking pedestrians. If that random jay-walking pedestrian is a JDM enthusiast though, it's very likely that a sudden stop in the middle of the road to gawk at this beaut will result in a swift but happy death under its polished wheels.   

Setting aside the GTA 5 daydreaming, the inside of the car has a similar story too - the interior is immaculately fresh with factory carbon-fiber trim on the center console. This car was built in the era where Japanese over-engineering peaked as the power output was limited, at least on paper, to 276 horsepower - contributing to the factory option carbon fiber panels, factory aero kits and lots of other goodies we don't really see much anymore as a factory option in this segment. Since the Japs couldn't let their engines do the talking, they competed on options offered, which is pretty much the only reason you'll find carbon panels on the interior of a large saloon such as the Chaser Tourer V.

As soon as you turn the keys, you are greeted with a red TRD gauge cluster boasting a 320 km/h speedometer and the first thing you lay your hands on is a TRD short shifter that offers a click-click action as you put it through the gears. The car is equipped with a factory 2-way sunroof as well to add icing on top of this blue cake.

A peek under the bonnet and you find a carbon-fiber strut tower brace, HKS induction kit and obviously the Tourer V trademark – an ultra-smooth 1JZ-GTE VVTI engine. The JZX100 Tourer V was the first to receive the updated third generation 1JZ-GTE, boasting more torque thanks to variable valve timing and moving to a single CT15B turbocharger from the twin CT12A turbo used in the earlier models. The motor in its current form boosts at 12 PSI and develops 325 wheel-horse power, delivered to the rear wheels via a short ratio rear differential.

Abid intends to up the power even more with an upgraded Garrett GTX turbo, 18 PSI of boost and HKS cams in the future, taking this evil looking Chaser to a whole different level. Whatever the state of the car is in the coming years, we know it'll be in good hands since Abid has shown what he can do with the platform, and won our hearts with his gorgeous Chaser in the process.

Photos: Rahin Sadman Islam