If you venture away from the likes Tokyo and Yokohama and find yourself at a car event in a more far-removed location, you’re quite likely to be the only Westerner in attendance. While I was at the Ultimate Royals event in Kobe back in September I thought I was the only tourist within the locale (complete with my sunburn and thumping headache) until a Kiwi chap walked by me and struck up conversation.
As it transpired, his name was Ewan and he was one half of the Osaka-based Stacked Inc. export company. Even more interesting than that though was his immaculate MA61 Toyota Celica XX that was parked up within the show, complete with stunning paintwork and an unmissable supercharger setup sitting atop the 1UZ V8 lump.
Funnily enough, this car was actually based with Ewan in his native New Zealand until he relocated to Japan and shipped it over. I can’t imagine it’s particularly easy to register a modified import in Japan but the guys at Stacked Inc. certainly managed it, allowing this machine to be driven amongst Osaka’s thriving street scene.
I don’t have a spec list to hand but I’m sure these pictures will provide a lot of material worth studying for those who are fans of retro Japanese cars and classic Toyotas. I’ll see if Ewan can send the spec over and, if so, I’ll edit this post with the information. For now though, be sure to check out the details within the flawless engine bay in the above photo.
I’ve only ever seen a handful of Celica XXs with my own eyes over the years, with most sticking to a rather tried and tested formula. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, Ewan has taken the usual rulebook and ignored the sections he wasn’t particularly interested in when it came to building what must be an absolutely hilarious car to drive.