Do you seriously want this car?
Yeah.
I understood after sitting next to you,
from your driving style and that you know this car so well.
The driving style hasn't changed.
You did well maintaining this car as it was.
Can I ask you a question?
Sure.
What do you intend to do with this FC after acquiring it?
Do you want to drive it just because it's nostalgic,
or do you just want to remember the past.
Is it something like that?
Time has stopped...
You're sure saying some complicated things.
Since Zero closed down, I've been separated all these five years from FC.
I got a good job as a car commentator and made pretty good money.
Although I shouldn't have any dissatisfactions by now, but somehow...
It felt that as if time has stalled.
Thoughts That Won't Stop
It sure is good. The rotary is the best.
The car is really fast, right?
Yeah, this guy didn't change.
But, in order to fight with Z, there is something more that I need to add on.
Z will also be tuned by RGO.
Is Ohta-san going to do it?
No, I asked his daughter, Rikako-san.
His daughter? I see.
This sounds fun.
It'll be a match when we meet next time.
Yes.
I don't have any conditions, it's up to you.
I'll try.
Hello, sorry to disturb you.
Good day.
Shima-san and uncle Kitami! What's the matter?
If you'd like, I'm here to give you advice.
I heard Akio asked you to overhaul this car.
Please do so. I had wanted to ask you, about the secret of this Z.
Secret?
Such as are there any extremely special parts installed?
And also how you manufactured and assembled them.
I'm sorry so say this, but there's no special parts at all.
The cam and piston are all normal L-Type parts.
Really?
Yeah, the turbine is also an old TD...
It can't be said to be effective in the current times where ball bearings are mainstream.
Just normal parts being assembled in a normal fashion.
There is no secret at all.
But...
But?
There is only one special part.
It's he only part I've never touched.
It's the crankshaft.
Crank?
It's not a full counter forge, super high class one...
It's just a rather normal crank for 3.0s and 3.1s.
But, even now I cannot forget that stable feeling when I took hold of it.
This is the only part that can't be meddled with.
Whoever gets their hands on this, will think so too.
That is...
We really cannot meddle with it, no matter what?
Of course it's up to you, because you're the one who was requested by the owner.
You can do everything as you like.
I understand.
We have another thing to look forward to now.
It's rare for you to call me over at this hour, Akio-kun.
Yeah, since it won't be as suspicious as being alone.
Won't be suspicious?
Eh, why a book store?!
Kijima-san taught me this.
If I read a book alone at the book store, I'll be suspected as a shoplifter.
13B Turbo. Is this the FC's one?
For a rotary, the engine is really compact.
With that, it can go over 300km/h.
I understand now after reading this book. I misunderstood before.
I thought rotary cars were all just handling machines.
Or stuff like well-balanced packages, or 50-50 weight distributions.
But I was wrong. Rotary cars are high power machines.
I didn't knew anything at all.
Akio-kun, there's something written about it here too!
There is only one special part. It's the crankshaft.
This is the only part that can't be meddled with.
Whoever gets their hands on this, will think so too.
Seems like Z is going to run again.
After I won the battle at Ooi's straight road,
I heard that Z will be running once again,
and I should have been excited that...
I can experience that moment again. But why...
Why are my feelings so mixed up?
Haven't I been looking for it?
The battle tactics that will shorten my life?
Yes, hello?
Yeah, it's me. What happened, calling me at this hour?
An accident? You? Alright, I'll be there right away!
Thank you.
With just a speed of less than 50km/h, what in the world was I doing?
Why I my heart so confused until this extent?
There's really no secrets in this engine.
How long do you intend to keep staring at that?
No matter how great it is, in the end it's still a L-Type SOHC 2 valve engine, right?
That's true, but...
I can't wait to see it, not a Kitami-tuned one, but your own L-type.
This L-type that you're assembling, is going to be installed in Z.
What kind of sounds it'll make, and how it will run.
Besides tuning machines are a never-ending quest of finding their weaknesses.
If we try to improve the good parts, absolutely nothing will happen, right?
For human beings, if we find their good points and praise them, they may improve,
but the machines are not like that.
So, if you get lost, the only way is to find the weak points, and try to solve the problems, carefully one by one.
There is no magic for tuning, you get that.
If the power is increased, defects will definitely appear.
You then just have to eliminate them one by one.
And one day, it will become an extraordinary tuning.
That's how it is.
Good. I'll still step further.
If anything were to happen to me,
whatever I have amassed until today will be lost,
including my money and my job...
What other things do I have?!
Just a bit more... wait for me, Z, BlackBird!
What kind of image you see when you're building it, that is what's important, right?
How far can you realize your ideals?
I'll always be watching you from Osaka.
They're all normal parts, there's no special parts at all.
No matter how high level we assembled it,
it doesn't necessary mean that something will be changed significantly.
But even though every single part holds no secret,
once the engine is assembled and installed inside Z,
for sure something will change, something new will be born.
How was it?
Well, it was something.
When did you finished?
Just a while ago.
It seems to move well.
Uncle Kitami, if you don't mind, please come with me for a while.
I want to run it at around 100km/h.
A warm-up run? Warming up is a privilege for owners, right? Akio will be angry.
It's not warming up but wrapping up.
I just want to make sure it's fully ready.
Those are the rights of tuners, right?
Alright.
As might has been expected, you are able to maintain 3000rpm nicely,
and without initiating boost.
Since we did drive and tweak it thoroughly, for this L-Type system.
Did you find out anything?
That there was no secret.
The engine block, piston and cam too, are all normal.
But the crankshaft is different after all.
Even though it's a L28 Custom 3.1 liter, but the stroke is 84mm.
The stroke is set 1mm longer than normal 3.1 liter engines.
The additional displacement value achieved is only 38cc,
which is a little more than 1% of the total displacement.
For a normal L28 Custom 3.1 liter engine, with the inner diameter of 89mm multiplied by the stroke of 83mm,
the total displacement is a 3096cc 3.1 engine.
This is the most well-balanced L-Type.
However, this Z has a stroke of 84mm, which is 1mm longer.
89mm multiplied by 84mm, you get a 3134cc 3.1 specification that breaks the balance.
Why is such an unreasonable increase of displacement done?
That's right. You're pretty sharp.
If there exists a mechanical secret in the Z, it's only that 1mm longer stroke,
and that 1% more of increased displacement.
My tuning life which started from L-Types,
in the end I couldn't escape from the borders of L-Types.
But I'm proud of this tuner's life of mine, where I understood L-types more than anybody else and lived alongside it.
However, I'm not going to touch L-Types in my life anymore.
After this, it all depends on you,
whether you let this Z continue to run as it is now,
or complete it as the ultimate L28 Custom Twin Turbo.
Kitami-san did?
He said, "I'm not going to touch L-Types in my life anymore."
Can you do a warm-up run for 500km?
After that I'll check it once more and then go full out.
Got it.
I replaced the piston rod and crankshaft's metal, and for the head the valve guide is replaced,
and some sealing-related gaskets.
They're only normal consumer items.
It's quite a normal overhaul and assembly.
That's why, there's no change in power.
Something like a refresh, like it's new, that's all.
It's not been tuned, so nothing has been changed.
Good morning! You're early.
Could it be, you did the warm-up until morning?
Yes. For the time being, I drove 800km.
Not bad.
So, how was it? Did you hit 300km/h?
No, I tried not to go above 4000rpm.
Why not?
She only re-assembled and the parts have not been changed much, right?
If you drive around 100km/h, you can still go all out, right?
Yes, that's true, but somehow that feels like a waste.
What's up with this?
He came early in the morning and left it here, saying he drove 800km.
So, just check the whole thing, change the oil and pass it back to him at once, alright?
Seems like he really does like to drive.
Did he say anything else?
He doesn't want to waste it.
A sense to not speed recklessly.
That's right, Eiji also said the same thing.
There's a sense of quality driving in your engine.
A person who understands will be able to see it.
It appears to be visible damage only on the left side,
but there's a slight warp on the right pillar section.
It wasn't even moving at more than 50km/h, right?
Just because of that, the whole body was warped?
It's more than enough, even below 50km/h,
depending on the angle and which part was hit, it can be seriously warped.
This is difficult to repair.
Takagi, you look happy.
No, not really...
Can't you do something about it?
There are many ways to just cover it up.
For example, by completely replacing the power train.
Convert the current 964 Turbo's power train to a 993's body?
That's right. Your preference for 2WD is maintained.
That's definitely a good choice,
but I don't think that's Takagi-san's... no, both of your real intentions.
What do you mean?
Monocoque, construction technique for automobiles in which the body is integrated into a single unit with the chassis rather than having a separate body-on-frame
For example, remain monocoque only at the center and make new front an back frames.
And also make all outer parts with carbon fiber.
Carbon?
I saw a car like this in an American technical book before.
If this car is 700hp and the car wight is 1500kg,
then the power-to-weight ratio is about 2.15kg per hp.
If we can reduce the weight by another 200kg, the power-to-weight ratio will then fall into the 1.x range.
That's right.
Its movement will be that of a completely different car.
It will, without a doubt.
But what about the car safety inspection?
Since we're cutting a monocoque body and installing carbon panels,
either way we still have to file an application for the modifications.
No problem. I have a year more until the car safety inspection.
In other words, you will scrap this car within a year?
It'll be impossible if I wasn't mentally prepared for it.
That car will regain its speed.
No matter what, since it has already started to run.
Because of Z?
But a patched up monocoque might not be able to run straight.
I'll make it run straight.
How about Kitami-san?
No problem for me, as long as you can prepare some money for fixing up the engine.
Then, that's decided already.
Yes, it is.
Actually, it's because of this accident that I could understand something only now.
There's only one person chosen by that Z.
I've been chasing after that Z all this time.
When we meet, I'm able to immediately jump into action. That was my instinct.
But actually, I wanted to be chosen.
After I realized that fact once more, I was astonished.
Having resonated with something in Z,
it's impossible to just forget about it or separate from it.
There are only two choices.
Either being beside it or facing it head on.
You just got off work?
Here.
What's this?
I left the car at the garage.
This receipt is like a child's scribble, right? And isn't it too cheap?
Since Rikako Speed Factory is an honest shop, it's alright.
The cost for the parts are written in the RGO's order form without permission.
That means it's free of charge, but there's profit too.
Is that fine?
It's fine!
I wanted to do it even though there's no pay.
And I changed some stuff a bit.
Which part?
I changed the oil circulation system.
Oil... so, what's the difference now?
The oil pressure will be more stable, and the center of gravity will be a little lower.
Center of gravity...
Did you know, BlackBird got into an accident?
BlackBird did?
It was a light accident but it caused an unexpected amount of damage.
And since it's going to be repaired, I heard that its weight will be reduced and its body rebuilt,
as well as engine reassembled.
How is it, tough? Do you want to upgrade to a larger turbine?
It's alright, you don't have to.
I feel that after it's overhauled, it became much better, really.
It's definitely not the same as before, but it undoubtedly gained something new.
If there's something required to be done after this, that'll be actual driving.
Whether it's a miracle or a will,
if this guy really has something like this,
the thing it lost will surely return. That's what I believe.
I see, after the oil circulation system was changed, the center of gravity has been lowered.
3rd gear, 8000rpm.
4th gear.
4th gear, 6000rpm.
7000... 7500.
A direct drive which conveys much more power.
Direct rev to 8000rpm.
Alright, shift to 5th gear!
5th gear, 6000rpm.
6500, 6700...
6900, 7000!
It can still go up! If I carefully increase the rev, at 5th gear overdrive,
I can achieve a longer acceleration continuously!
I can fight, once again!