Quote:
Originally Posted by WingsofWar
So some good and bad comments in this thread.
Let me clarify some things for you guys.
1. The Target Market for this kit is for race teams, not enthusiasts or entry level racers.
2. The TRD supercharger kit is handcrafted and engineered with no compromise for racing purposes. While the Labor and Materials in making this kit is likely to be half of what they are asking, the 26k is really for the ultimate reliability for race teams which is worth the Premium.
3. Why do you need to make a Minimum 2 purchases? Most teams will have 2 cars running for their season it would make sense to offer a 2 charger package deal for teams which will save them money.
4. Why bother with a TRD supercharger when aftermarket will offer possibly more power for cheaper? Some racing series do not allow 3rd party power mods, and some series waive rule restrictions when the manufacture is the one offering the mods. As is the case with some One Make Race series like the Stock Miata Cup comprised mostly of N/A racers, but Mazdaspeed MX-5 were also allowed and swaped turbocharged Miata using factory equipment were allowed as well to compete in the same series.
Does any of this concern any of you? Yes and No! What this does is allows Supercharged Toyota86s to compete in the World Stage of Racing. If and when Toyota finishes well and receives praise among the Pro Racing world, it will likely spawn FI performance models in the future for the Toyota/Scion/Subaru models in commemoration of Toyota's success in World Motorsports.
If anything this is the indication of what the future may hold, but not yet attainable on the consumer level.
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Actually, the explanation is much more simple:
Without this supercharger kit, the car cannot be raced as-is since the engine is far too weak, and this is the only way TRD can have a competitive FR-S in World Challenge AND meet the requirement that it's all "off the shelf" parts.
Again, see Toyota GT-One or Nissan R390 GT1 and their respective road variants.
At some point SCCA Pro Racing will close this loophole for manufacturers.
-alex