Name: Kurt Nelsen
Age: 21
Occupation: Engineering Apprentice
Lives: Auckland

Hi Kurt, nice ride! AE111 Levins and Truenos aren’t typically the sorts of cars that are heavily modified in New Zealand, so what’s the story behind yours?
It was cheap and different. It was either this or a Silvia, but at the time I got this, there were just too many of those Nissans running around.

Have you always been a Toyota man or is this the first one you’ve owned?
I worked at Toyota for two years as a parts b*tch, so it was just an easier option to have a Toyota and do it up. I also previously owned a little beast of a 1.3-litre Corolla.

What modifications did you have in mind when you first got hold of it?
I originally just wanted to sack it on some rims, but then it all got out of hand. The first time I had a cheap turbo fitted, and when I put it on the dyno the turbo blew up and that was only an hour after we put it on. So this is the second turbo conversion I’ve done on it, and I’ve learnt my lesson not to use cheap parts!

It looks pretty well sorted now. Talk us through the current setup.
It’s running the factory 20V black top 4A-GE engine with Arias forged pistons, shot-peened 20V silver top rods, ARP rod bolts and ACL race bearings. I worked at Glendene Engine Reconditioners for three months and rebuilt the motor with the crew’s help. The head is pretty much factory. It runs a twin-scroll CT-26 turbo off a GT-4 Celica, with all the ceramic bits switched for steel bits. The main difference compared to most 20V turbo setups is that it doesn’t have quad throttle bodies any more, and instead uses a big 72mm throttle body off of an Alfa Romeo, which gives it some good torque. It runs a Link G3 ECU and has made 210kW at the front wheels on 18psi boost with massive amounts of torque, which makes it fun to drive.

I take it you enjoy your driving with a bit of torque steer then!
Yep! It’s pretty mean to drive with the tyres and suspension and diff, as it actually doesn’t get too much torque steer. But it’s pretty much pointless trying to bring on boost in the wet.

We bet. How easy was the conversion to do?
It wasn’t easy at all; you can’t simply buy stuff of the shelves for these engines. Everything had to be made, or bought from America. You couldn’t get forged black top pistons locally at the time, so they cost me about $1500 to get in from Arias. But other than that, if I hadn’t taken it to Westech Automotive, it would have been pretty hard to complete the conversion pitched up underneath the old lady’s gazebo.

Since you’ve re-done things the right way, has it been reliable?
Yeah, being a Toyota it’s pretty reliable, and knowing that I’ve built the engine myself and knowing who has played with it helps, too. For daily driving duties I run it on 14psi, and then whenever I want to have some fun with it I crank it up to 18psi. Fourteen psi is a good power band on it. I’ve also had to put a big alloy radiator in it to keep the temperature down.

Externally, the car looks pretty damn cool. Talk us through what you’ve done there.
I’ve also got 18-inch Inovit Tarmac wheels, which fill up the guards and definitely help with traction. I sourced a bodykit from Christchurch, and I don’t know if I ordered the wrong one or they made it too wide, but I had to get both the front and rear guards flared out so it all lined up. That actually hasn’t turned out looking too bad, to be honest. The lights that I’ve got in there are facelift BZ-R lights from the later 6-speed AE111, as no one really makes any cool aftermarket bits for these cars.

What about the suspension?
I’ve fitted a set of Tein Super Street adjustable coil-overs. They’re mean, and I have never had a problem with steering on the car since. Apart from that, I have just fitted Nolathane bushes throughout.

Overall would you say that it’s now a better package to drive than it was when you started with it in N/A form?
Sh*t yeah, it’s mean fun! I will eventually get a roll cage put into it and I’ll take it around the track. I don’t want to hit the track before that, though, as it’s pretty flimsy, being a lightweight car.

Do you have any further plans for the car over the coming years, or possibly grand plans for something new?
If I go down the track route I will probably have a crack at Super Lap. And if not, I will probably sell it and try something new. I want to get me a dirty V8, most likely a Mustang, or possibly a skid car.

Not quite the answer we were expecting, but fair enough. Let’s hope you decide against the bent-eight route and take this bad boy to the track instead! Cheers Kurt.

1995 TOYOTA LEVIN BZ-G (AE111) – Specifications

Engine: Toyota 4A-GE black top 1.6-litre DOHC 20V inline-4, Arias forged pistons, shot-peened 20V silver top rods, ARP rod bolts, ACL race bearings, balanced internals, factory black top cylinder head, TRD 3-layer metal head gasket, custom Westech Automotive intake plenum, custom Westech alloy intercooler/piping, Simota air filter, 72mm Dellorto throttle body, custom Westech steel shaft, Toyota CT-26 turbo, HKS SSQ blow-off valve, Tial 38mm external wastegate, custom Westech steam pipe exhaust manifold, Sard fuel pressure regulator, Evo V fuel pump, 550cc GT-4 injectors, Link G3 engine management system, Link ignitor, 2.5-inch exhaust, X-Racing dump muffler, custom alloy radiator, custom Westech alloy catch can, de-loomed engine bay
Driveline: Factory AE111 5-speed gearbox, Exedy 5-puck cerametallic clutch, TRD LSD
Suspension/Brakes: Tein Super Street coil-overs, Nolathane bushes, factory 4-wheel discs
Wheels/Tyres: 18-inch Inovit Tarmac wheels, 205/35R18 Toyo Proxes T1-R tyres
Exterior: Aerotech front bar, rear bar, side steps, flared front/rear guards, tinted windows, facelift BZ-R black crystal headlights/tail lights, X-Racing crystal side repeaters
Interior: KW bucket seats, Momo Race steering wheel/gearknob, Prosport boost, oil pressure, water temperature gauges, Autogauge EL shiftlight, Pioneer head unit, Pioneer Kevlar splits, Pioneer 6×9-inch speakers, 15-inch Fusion Jonah Lomu sub, 2x amplifiers
Performance: Dyno Power — 210kW at the wheels

Kurt Nelsen – Driver Profile

Age: 21
Occupation: MD Engineering apprentice
Kurt thanks: Dion @ Westech Automotive, Paul, Vik @ X-Racing, the boys @ GER, Cottrell Panelbeaters, Jas @ Woolf Mufflers, Cale @ Firestone for the paint, my family, the boys @ OI Glass and all the rest out west

This article is from Performance Car issue 153. Click here to check it out.

Words: Gray Lynskey Photos: Adam Croy