【Speedhunters译起看车】Supra的极限调教——过去如此，现在依旧

原标题：The Titans Of Supra Tuning, Then & Now

原作者：Dave Thomas

One of Chris Rock’s most well-known skits centers around Robitussin, an over-the-counter cough suppressant that was evidently a cure-all in the comedian’s childhood home.

克里斯·洛克（Chris Rock，美国著名编剧，导演，史密斯奥斯卡打人事件的受害者——译者注）曾关于罗比托辛(Robitussin)创作出一个著名的小品，这是一种非处方止咳药，在他家乡显然是万灵药。

In many ways, Toyota’s venerable 2JZ-GTE engine has become a similar cure-all solution in the performance automotive world. Show car needs a hook? 2JZ. Car’s got rust? A 2JZ will help you outrun it. Quarter-mile passes too slow? Just add 2JZ. And the almighty 2JZ-GTE solves problems even faster when the factory twin turbos are jettisoned for one single, usually rather sizable turbine.

从很多方面来看，丰田久负盛名的2JZ-GTE发动机在性能汽车领域也已成为一种类似的“万灵药”。想让自己的展车更出彩?用2jz！车车子动力太迟钝?2JZ会帮你跑得更快。四分之一英里的速度太慢了?只需移植一台2jz。当你为了减重而替换掉出厂的双涡轮时，万能的2jz又能帮你完美地解决问题。

None of the six cylinder engine’s praise is unwarranted, mind you. With the correct rubber compound applied to a drag car’s rear wheels and a properly-built 2JZ up front, the earth might just spin in the opposite direction when the light turns green.

请注意，对这台六缸发动机的赞扬并非是没有根据的。如果在一辆拖车的后轮上使用合适的橡胶化合物，并在车头安装一个精心调校的2JZ，那么当绿灯亮起时，我猜地球可能会向相反的方向旋转。

Hyperbole and jest aside, 2JZ development has been incredibly impressive for a very long time. In North America, Titan Motorsports has been at the forefront of it.

抛开那些夸张的段子和玩笑不谈，2JZ的发展在很长一段时间内的确令人印象深刻。在北美，Titan Motorsports一直走在改装这台引擎的前列。

The Florida-based operation has built quite a name for itself through deep knowledge of the 2JZ and a certain copper-colored MkIV Toyota Supra drag machine. The car is legendary and keeps Titan’s name familiar in any discussion regarding 2JZ performance.
这家总部位于佛罗里达州的公司通过对2JZ全面的了解和那些定制的铜色MkIV丰田Supra马力机器打响了自己的名号。当人们谈到这台传奇之车时，总绕不开这家公司——泰坦。

Titan has been synonymous with high-performance 2JZs and Supras for so long that prior to gathering information for this article I had no idea that the company’s founder, Nero Deliawal, was originally a car audio enthusiast. In the late ’90s, Nero went to his first ‘Mexico’ street race and the hunt for higher SPLs was replaced with one for lower ETs. Self-described as “very competitive”, Nero lost himself in determining the ins and outs of what makes a car scramble down the quarter mile quicker.

Titan长期以来一直是高性能2JZ和Supra的代名词，在写这篇文章之前，我根本不知道这家公司的创始人Nero Deliawal原来是一个汽车音响爱好者。在90年代末，Nero参加了他的第一次“墨西哥”街头比赛，在那里，参加更高级的SPLs的想法被ETs所取代。Nero自称“非常有竞争力”，他一心只想着如何让一辆车更快地冲过四分之一英里。

Even back then his car of choice was the Supra, and Nero was able to make up for his relative lack of driving skill by generating more engine power. Eventually, Nero’s driving skill would sync up with his mechanical skill and he began to win quite a few races. At that time drag racing an import vehicle with success was akin to black magic, so Nero began documenting and sharing his successes.

那时，他最喜欢的车便是Supra。Nero通过大幅提升功率来弥补他驾驶技术的相对不足。等到他的技术足够驾驭这台马力巨兽时，他开始赢得不少比赛。在那个时候，将一辆进口汽车改装成大马力加速赛车的乐趣如同一种黑魔法，所以Nero开始记录并分享他的成功。

There’s not a soul in the world that would describe drag racing as a frugal hobby, and very quickly Nero realized he needed a way to fund his race program. In that regard, Titan Motorsports started out of necessity. If Nero had the platform knowledge and people were already asking him for parts, he might as well sell a few to cover his operating costs.

世界上没有一个人会把飙车描述成一种节俭的爱好。很快Nero就意识到他需要一种方式来资助他的赛车项目。因此，Titan改装公司的诞生是出于必要。既然Nero已经具备足够多的知识，而且已经有人向他索要改装零件，他还不如卖掉一些来弥补运营成本。

The quarter-mile records broken in their wake didn’t hurt the company’s street credibility either.

使用Titan公司了改装部件，Nero团队创下的四分之一英里的记录很快被打破，但这对公司的信誉只增不减。

Back in 2002, a mere two years after the business started, Nero and his team sent their Supra down the quarter mile in 9.42 seconds at 157.6mph (253.6km/h). They achieved this using street radials, a feat that was practically unfathomable at the time. Titan also contributed to Ebrahim Kanoo and Gary White’s effort in building a Supra that could run the quarter mile in the high 5-second zone at 240mph.

2002年，也就是该公司成立仅仅两年之后，Nero和他的团队就以每小时157.6英里(253.6公里)的速度，用9.42秒完成了Supra的四分之一英里的测试。他们利用正常街胎实现了这一目标。这在当时是一项不可思议的壮举。Titan还帮助易卜拉欣·卡努和加里·怀特（前者的GTR曾以9.35秒的成绩完赛——译者注）建造了能够以240英里每小时的速度在高5秒区域内跑完四分之一英里的supra。

A business that once fit within a standard garage has grown into an operation that occupies a 25,000 square-foot facility. The expansion has not just been physical; Titan Motorsports has grown beyond just the Supra and today dabbles in a bit of everything, from imports to exotics.

这家曾经只在一个普通车库内经营的作坊，如今已经发展成为一家占地2.5万平方英尺(约合465平方米)的公司。这种扩张不仅仅是公司规模上的；Titan Motorsports的业务范围已经不仅仅局限于Supra。如今，Nero涉足了从进口到美国本土的几乎一切直线加速改装。

Their new facility has a fabrication shop, an R&D department and a few work bays. Whether you need lower ETs or simply have your engine’s oil changed, they are well-equipped for both.

他们的新工厂有一个制造车间，一个研发部门和几个工作间。无论你是需要满足更低的排放标准，还是只是换下机油，他们都能满足。

So why the sudden Titan Motorsports admiration? Well, as much as the internet feigned disinterest with the GR Supra upon release, it’s still a rather capable car with good bones. Yes, the A90’s engine was developed in the BMW factory, not Toyota’s, but at the end of the day the B58 was begging for proper private development.

那么，为什么Titan突然对新车产生了兴趣呢?就好比，虽然网友们假装对GR Supra不感兴趣，它仍然是一辆相当有能力的车。是的，虽然supraA90的发动机是在宝马(BMW)工厂研发的，而不是丰田(Toyota)的，但归根结底，B58仍然有极大的改装潜力。

Titan Motorsports could have buried their head in the sand and stuck with the old faithful 2JZ, but what fun would that be? In a world where the MkIV and MkV Supra exist, why not have both? Using their knowledge of turbo engines and drag racing, Titan were one of the first to get a B58-powered GR Supra to an 8-second quarter mile.

Titan公司可以向许多改装厂一样甘当鸵鸟，继续埋头捣鼓曾经的2jz，但那又有什么乐趣呢？当SupraA80 和90都存在时，为什么不把它们都收入囊中呢？依靠对于涡轮和加速赛的知识，Titan成为第一家让安装宝马引擎的GR supra在四分之一英里中跑进8秒大关的改装车企。

With nearly a quarter century of race-specific development behind them going into the GR platform, it’s maybe a little scary to think of where Titan Motorsports is going to take these cars. Partnering with companies like CSF, Titan has all the runway needed to make the A90 Supra as fierce a competitive platform as its predecessor.

在GR平台上进行了近四分之一个世纪的开发后，Titan将把这些赛车带到哪里都令人生畏。通过与证金公司(CSF)等的合作，Titan拥有一切所需的跑道。它期待A90 Supra能像其前身一样成为一个竞争激烈的平台。

Can they do it? So far all signs point to yes, and we can’t wait to see how.

他们能做到吗?目前为止，所有迹象都表明答案是肯定的。而我们，将拭目以待。