My 1990 C33 Laurel - "Project Race Car"

On January 6th 2018 I some how convinced my mom that this was the perfect 1st car for me. A 28 year old car from the other side of the world with an unknown past, limited information online, me having never even changed a tire in my life nor knowing how to drive manual (thanks Thomas for driving it back home 7 hours for me). The next day I went out for a few lessons on how to drive manual and from that day forward this was my new daily driver. I returned to school from winter break the coolest kid on campus. I had a weird Japanese car that made fun turbo noises and complete ignorance for the journey ahead. 

Surprisingly it was mostly smooth sailing for the first 9 months. I drove with minimal issues and not a care in the world. I went everywhere including import alliance, the mountains, night meets and even my first autocross. However on September 1st 2018 a distracted driver in a Ford Ranger rear ended me at a red light. I was okay, but my car was not. Reflecting back on where I am now, this was a blessing in disguise. Once insurance settled out I was left with a wrecked car and motivation to fix it. 

I now had a part time job and was able to slowly fix and modify the car. Surprisingly the only reason it did not drive home that day was a few severed wires to the fuel pump. I managed to fix the wires and performed some very embarrassing body work. The car was ready for the road again. This was the car that thought me how to be a car guy. Over the next few years I learned so much working on this car. From researching parts, replacing suspension, doing body work, replacing clutches etc. 

In December of 2020 the car entered its next phase of life with the installation of a tube rear end. I was still in school plus I had my other Laurel so I just needed (and could only afford) the minimum. No fancy fuel cell or crazy body work. Up until that point the entire rear of the car was held on with gorilla tape, zip ties, hopes and dreams. After the tube rear was installed, I experimented with a few body kits and continued to drive the hell out of the car. I would get out of class early afternoon and just for fun go on mountain drives for the rest of the day. Countless autocrosses and even my first drift event. I put thousands of kms on the clock all while just doing basic maintenance to the now 30+ year old drivetrain.

Finally on October 2, 2022 the engine made its last pull and blew a head gasket. This car owes me nothing. I have so many great memories and learned so much from this car. It formed the foundation to my car obsession. Since the head gasket blew, it has turned into a bit of a parts car to get my other Laurel project finished up. That car has now been on the road since October of 2023 and my attention has been pulled back to this car. 

As of writing this (October 2024) the car sits on jack stands needing a lot of attention. I robbed all the suspension and brakes for my other car along with several misc parts. The good news is, I have the engine back from the machine shop and everything I need to get it back together. However, putting the car back to how it was is not how I roll. Since I have a dedicated street car now I have room in my garage for a track car. I am not at a stage in my life (or driver skill) to have a fully dedicated track only car, but I want to build this car for track time. The goal with this build moving forward is reliable, simple maintenance, no compromise for comfort and of course some style. Think early 2000s D1GP Street Legal / modern D1GP Lights. I am sure there will be set backs, but this is a forever car and one day it will be back on the road shredding tires.