Toyota has never sent all of the good stuff to America. One of their tastiest cars never to come over here was the Chaser of the early- to mid-'90s. Think of it as the love child the Supra and Camry never had, basically a Supra chassis and powertrain covered with a four-door body. Or just think of it as the old Cressida's evil fraternal twin since it shared most of its engineering with the sleep-inducing cruiser.
The Chaser brought over for Tokyo Drift is a 1998 model. Except for the addition of Volk Racing GT-V wheels (18x8s up front, 18x9s in back) inside Toyo Proxes tires (225/40R18s in front and 245/40R18s in back), a C-West rear wing, and some paint, it's pretty much stock. But stock, it turns out, is no bad thing when it comes to Chasers.
With the same 2.5-liter, single-turbo, DOHC, 24-valve 1JZ-GTE straight-six that was heaved into the Japanese version of the SC300, it carried a 280bhp rating back when it was new. On the chassis dyno this particular car knocked out 246.8 wheel-hp at 5800 rpm which, accounting for drivetrain loss, is consistent with that rating. On the track it pushed out an easygoing 6.05-second blitz to 60 mph and completed the quarter-mile in 14.31 seconds at 100.94 mph.
This car is a big, comfortable pussycat with the heart of a superstar. Except that it's awkward to shift the five-speed transmission with your left hand, this car was ready for commuter duty as much as it was prepped for drifting. The seats were comfy and the long wheelbase made cruising and drifting a breeze. All the controls had that early-'90s Toyota feel and it rode how Cadillac owners wish their Cadillac rode. No wonder Faust and Millen fought for the keys when it came time to put the Chaser through its paces for the camera.
In short, we missed out big time when Toyota decided not to send us this car. And it looks good in the movies.
1998 Toyota Chaser Tourer V
Engine
Engine Code: 1JZ-GTE
Type: 2491cc inline-6, aluminum head and cast-iron block
External Modification: Grex intake
Drivetrain
Layout: Longitudinal front engine, rear-wheel drive
Suspension
Front: coil-oversRear: coil-overs
Brakes
Front: stockRear: stock
Exterior
Wheels: Volk Racing GT-V, 18x8-in. (F), 18x9-in. (R)
Tires: Toyo Proxes T1R, 225/40ZR18 (F) 245/40ZR18 (R)
Body: C-West GT wing