Marc Soars Lexus IS200

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Marc Soars

Lexus IS200/Altezza

From Swindon.. day job I’m a courier for DHL. I wouldn't say anyone got me into cars as such but growing up in the ’90s with max power and other mags than the fast and furious franchise starting made me look at cars differently and want to build something myself...So I did

I’ve had IS200’s now for 7 years, my first one was a blue high miler that I got cheap and was really my introduction into modifying cars, before that all the cars I owned were just for work and running around. Unfortunately, she suffered at the hands of an ignorant taxi driver and went to car heaven.

From humble beginnings

Fast forward a few years and another IS in between and we get to my current car. I bought this as a completely standard car in Feb 2017. Not keen on keeping it standard and having lots of parts lying around I decided to hit the ground running. Within 2 months I’d done a budget DIY turbo conversion on it. Moving on, I then addressed aesthetics. Full OEM lip kit, wheels etc.

Well as we all know a car enthusiast is never “finished” and so the build progressed. The next item was an extremely rare JDM Altezza Gita front bumper which was imported through MLImports. New bigger wheels and bolt-on arches to tuck them in we’re next on the list whilst addressing the engine bay and tidying up the previously thrown together turbo build.

One day I stumbled across a Seibon carbon fibre bonnet for sale, be rude not to right? Of course, I bought it!

Many parts and upgrades later and in 2019 I decided to go to the next step. Getting hold of a rare Veilside carbon spoiler, Monster Service rear arch kit and charge speed fibreglass front fenders. With all these parts now fitted to the car, it was time for paint.. not wanting to stick with boring OEM colours I spent a lot of time looking at samples, researching colours and looking out for stuff on the road. One day I spotted it, that perfect colour. After some research, I found it out to be Twilight Purple, one of the very few and expensive colours available to the M3 on the Individual range. This was it, that colour that you see and just say “yes, that’s it”. 

So through the summer of 2019, the car got shipped off to KT Bodyshop in Kings Lynn for her transformation and what an amazing job they did, what an amazing colour, with the carbon fibre bonnet it really pops out at you, so chuffed with the work they did, sanding it, bodywork, then painted a masterpiece.

Throughout the years I’ve been quite heavily involved in the IS200 community, admin on several pages and run my own page called IS200 Owners/Classifieds. The idea being a place for owners to come for help and advice, share their cars and look for parts. Alongside owning these cars I also break them occasionally and buy/sell a lot of parts, the page being the perfect platform for this.

Then I decided to take things a little further and created my own business page called Soars Performance and a website attached to this www.soarsperformance.co.uk. The idea here is a place for me to advertise mods and parts for sale including my own range of small dress-up parts initially. 

As I’ve built up a reputation and many friendships through the years I’ve been lucky enough to become an authorised reseller for several companies including Rank One Performance and MCL Autoworx, so the business is the place for me to share the products and services available.

So for the question on everyone’s minds, what’s the spec on the car?? Well, where do we even begin with this.

Exterior

• Rare JDM Altezza Gita front bumper.
• Custom-built headlights with 2.5” Bi-xenon Projectors retrofitted along with 6000k HID kit.
• Seibon carbon fibre bonnet which has been ceramic coated and held in place with genuine locking aero catches.
• Chargespeed 20mm wider and vented front fenders.
• Carbon fibre skinned wing mirrors.
• OEM Elegant sports side skirts and rear lip.
• Monster Service 40mm wider bolt-on rear arches.
• Veilside carbon fibre spoiler, fully refurbished with new hardware and brackets.
• 86 Aero rear number plate Garnish
• Climair wind deflectors all round

Interior

• Full leather seats and door cards
• Purple trims throughout
• Aftermarket double din head unit with Bluetooth etc
• Custom audio install in the boot with Infinity 12” sub, Alpine V12 amp etc all done by Stylez Customs
• Innovate motorsport wideband AFR gauge
• Prosport Evo digital boost gauge
• HKS EVC4 electronic boost controller

Suspension/Underside

• Megan Racing IS300 Coilovers
• Megan Racing subframe collars
• Superpro poly bushes throughout most arms
• TTE uprated adjustable anti-roll bars
• Torsen LSD
• LS400 4 pot brakes, reconditioned, powder coated and fitted with braided lines and Brembo discs/pads
• JDM TOM’s front cross member and rear subframe braces

Wheels

• XXR527 staggered fitment and custom painted bronze. 8.75J ET20 Front, 9.75 ET20 Rear
• TGR Motorsport wheel nuts

Engine bay

Well, currently not a lot to write home about here. Used to have the factory 1GFE but with a turbo kit, big intercooler etc.. was a great build and really brought the car to life with 260bhp on low boost. However, the enthusiast bug bit and I decided it was time for a change. Queue ripping out and selling the old setup, all parts including the exhaust went so I’m left with an empty bay (bar a few ancillaries and wiring)

The new engine going in is bigger and better in every way.

• JZS171 1JZ-GTE VVTi. Imported from an auto car in Japan through Nippon Auto Spares. 
• MCL Autoworx conversion kit to run the IS200’s J160 gearbox. 
• Kinjutsu lightened/solid mass flywheel
• Competition Clutch Stage 4 6-Puck paddle clutch
• ARP Flywheel bolts
• JZX90 OEM engine mounts
• Full OEM TOYOTA gasket kit
• Oem filter and oil.
• Sytec RRFPR
• Aeromotive 340LPH in-line fuel pump
• Phoenix Engine Management harness conversion

I've not  yet purchased these but will be running

• Mishimoto Alloy Radiator
• Mishimoto twin 12” fans
• Mishimoto Power steering cooler
• Mishimoto intercooler

Then she’ll be off to KCF Customs in Swindon for a full turbo back 3” stainless exhaust system and 3” intercooler pipework along with a custom crash bar to hold the intercooler.

The plan is to be running around 320-350bhp initially with the eventual goal to upgrade turbo, injectors, standalone and supporting mods required to push to 500bhp.

Hopefully, she’ll be finished and on the road very soon and you’ll see her at some shows, feel free to come and say hi 

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