There’s something very special about track days. Show up to nearly any HPDE and you’ll see a slew of different vehicles, from Corvette’s to Civics, and everything in between. You’ll also see lots of seemingly different people, but there’s one thing that everyone at a track day has in common: the love of cars and going fast. Scott Yun is one of those guys who has fallen in love with driving on track, and he has chosen a slightly off-beat car in which to do it. Although FF Hondas are far from uncommon at track days, it’s not often you see a luxurious high-end Acura out there getting beat on by the owner. Most TL owners would cringe at the idea of scraping their aero or getting the car dirty after running four-off. But none of those silly fears will stop Scott — he only owns one car, and by golly, he’s going to track it.
“I originally planned on buying a Civic Si and modifying that,” Scott says. “However, my wife Christine was against that idea, because she knew that modifying cars could get very expensive. So we agreed on me purchasing my ’07 Acura TL Type-S on the premise that I wouldn’t mod it. Well, this didn’t last very long, since it turns out that this is the most modified car I’ve ever driven!”
Don’t be fooled by the modest outward appearance of this TL. Scott has chosen to stay clean and classy with the OEM A-Spec aero package and a noticeable but not over-the-top 40 percent tint job all around. The small amount of tint is mostly for function — to keep the interior cabin cool — and the fact that anything lower than 70 percent is illegal on the front windows in California makes this a wise choice. We’re glad the car isn’t “murdered out” and screaming for attention.
The wheel choice Scott has made is a great fit for his subtle yet performance-oriented theme. The 17x9-inch WedsSport SA-70 wheels aren’t a very common fitment, especially on a FF car. This makes Scott’s TL even more unique, claiming to be the only known TL in the states to sport this exact wheel. For tires, Scott has chosen a good true street tire, the Nitto NT05. With a nice balance of handling characteristics and a very reasonable tread-wear rating of 200, this is a very good choice for a daily driver that sees spirited track days on occasion. A Neuspeed Super Cup Race kit, a fairly rare item itself, completes the stance of the TL with a modest and functional drop; you won’t see Scott bottoming out left and right with this setup.
The performance modifications Scott has performed are all subtle, but with purpose. Since this is his only car, Scott doesn’t want to go too crazy and ruin the composed character his TL displays along his daily commute. One particularly cool piece on the car is the exhaust. “This exhaust was made by the founder of ATLP as a one-off exhaust for his own TL, but I was able to get it from him,” Scott brags. The note and appearance of this exhaust are exemplary, so much so that it could be mistaken for a factory performance item by an untrained observer (like Officer Jack), and that is a good thing around these parts. The car’s interior is subtle as well, with only a few tasteful mods and a fairly intensively upgraded stereo and electronics department.
We like Scott’s TL because it shows that you can have a practical, luxurious car and still have some real fun with it on the track. “Another thing unique about me and my car is that although my car is my DD, I track it as often as possible in its current form,” Scott says. “I love road racing, and I’ve never personally seen another TL at the track.” We hope to see Scott at as many track days as his schedule permits and look forward to seeing what else he has in store for the car in the future.