DRIVER PROFILE
DRIVER/OWNER: Tim Johnson
AGE: 25
LOCATION: Taranaki
OCCUPATION: Mechanic
BUILD TIME: 11 months
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: 3 years
THANKS: My partner, Katie; Simon,
Kagymin, Josh, Dad, Mum, Michael,
Bergen, Radcliffe, Ben, Connor,
Baxter, Glenn, PPRE, Gareth, Richard
Green, Hobbs, Davey, South Taranaki
Panel and Paint, Adam , Fraser
were last on the list before the wagon’s debut at Powercruise ’17.
The previously run Tremec failed on the dyno with only weeks to
go, so fixing that took priority, and, ultimately, time in which to paint
ran short. That was probably a good thing, considering that Tim
was about to learn that there is some truth in the saying, ‘Where
there’s smoke, there’s fire’. The resulting damage to the 323, while
not terminal, was enough to leave the rear third badly scarred and
melted. That damage has, in fact, somewhat become the wagon’s
identity and is unlikely to be repaired any time soon.
“It’s hard to be different in the rotary scene, and it’s now
definitely that. I enjoy using the roof as a workbench, and there is
just no stress when you go away for the weekend. People can lean
on it or whatever; it doesn’t worry me. I’m not too fussed about
spending money on the visuals right now,” Tim states.
The same ideology sees the wagon frontless: “I had a front,but I crashed it and haven’t had time, and now I can’t be bothered
putting one on it.”
Love the look or hate it, in Tim’s eyes, his time and energy
are better spent perfecting the mechanicals and getting seat time.
When you only get the chance to drive a vehicle a few times a year,
due to business commitments, how clean the paint is becomes of
little concern compared with how well the car can take a beating
all weekend long and come back asking for more.
The wagon’s imperfections have probably saved it from
being sold as the RX-2 was, given that Tim’s all about the build.
With this one he can, and will, continue to chop and change as
he learns what’s needed. Having been hurt at CARnival, the box
is coming out for repairs, and he’ll be chopping the front up once
more. This is the type of car that will never stay the same for long
— just don’t expect too many shiny bits to appear any time soon.What’s the trailer-brake LED
on the dash for? The orange
is for temperature warnings
and the red is for pressure
warnings, and Tim tells us
that it damn near blinds him
when it comes on
The front suspension is a mix of Mazda, Nissan, and VW. S13 BC Gold coilovers are mated to cut S13
knuckles, while the factory steering box has been retained and uses a custom stationary arm with VW
tie rods. S13 adjustable castor arms are also used to locate the assembly