1999 Suzuki Swift GTI - One Hot Tamale

Not much power would be necessary to make this little hatch haul nalgas, but that didn't stop Steinhart from building a tiny turbo'd screamer. Select Sales Racing prototyped its first Swift turbo kit on Steinhart's car, which has held up well to the rigors of racing. A Garrett T-3 turbo with custom Turbonetics impeller is spun by gases flowing through a tubular exhaust manifold before reaching the Wilco Fabrication exhaust and Supertrapp muffler. Cold air is drawn through a headlamp-mounted filter before passing an application-specific SSR intercooler. A GReddy blow-off valve and Turbonetics manual boost control valve keep boost in check.

GT races often last much longer than the sprint races run in the United States, so Steinhart decided a built engine was the way to go and turned to Phil Hammelstein of the Japanese Auto Center in Torrance, Calif. Hammelstein bored the stock block 0.180 over and fitted it with low-compression Arias pistons and Carillo rods. Custom cams from Babe Erson spin in a ported and polished head, while Eagle springs work on stock valves.

The Japanese-spec intake manifold, which is used on JDM factory racing applications, was ported for forced induction duty. Mounted to the manifold is a bored-out throttle body from RC Engineering. High-octane fuel is sprayed through RC 320cc injectors fed by an AEM fuel pressure regulator and, surprisingly enough, a stock fuel pump.

A Jacobs Electronics coil combined with Hyfire 10mm wires ensure adequate spark fires through cold heat-range NGK plugs. Dyno testing and tuning was performed by Darren of R&D Dyno in Torrance, Calif. who provided precise fuel and timing information to Rob at Superchips, who then burned a custom chip for the application.

The stock five-speed gearbox has proven beefy enough, although the final drive features hand-filed gears to eliminate fissures and stress risers. A custom ACT pressure plate and four-puck disk apply power to a spooled differential. You read correctly; a spooled front-wheel car that does more than go straight. Steinhart reported that this modification requires mastery of left-foot braking.

Just how does this mini hot-hatch do on foreign soil? Second- and third-place finishes dot Steinhart's career in B1, and with a little help from his dear friend Mas Boosto, he's ready for the new season.

Good luck guys. Just remember: Don't drink the water.

1999 Suzuki Swift GTI