Classic cars have a certain feel to them, almost like a vehicular soul that is unique to each make and model. That feel encompasses things like the sensation of shutting an all steel door and that very mechanical cranking of the carb on a classic engine. For some gearheads they want to keep aspects of that soulful feel, but add a modern engine and fuel injection for reliability.
Paul Krausz has taken his classic Holden HR Premier and gone the route of adding a new generation power plant, but with the twist of using a nasty Toyota 2JZ engine.
Kraus’ Holden didn’t come from the factory with an engine that made anywhere close to the amount its current boosted inline-six makes. These Holden’s sedans were bred more for luxury than all-out performance — the V6 and small displacement V8 mills were pretty tame. The variety of body styles were vast, including everything from a two-door utility coupe all the way up to a five-door station wagon.
The 2JZ under the hood of the Holden wheeled by Krausz is absolutely no joke, as the aftermarket intake, upgraded fuel system, and large Garrett turbo pretty much tell the tale that this car is all business. Footage of the first pass from FullBoost shows how much rip this 2JZ has: as soon as Paul comes off the transbrake it lights the tires up in a big way. On the next pass things go a lot better and the Holden cruises down the track to an impressive 9.75 at over 143 mph. Taking a look at the in-car footage you can see how well the car handles as Krausz looks like he is on a nice nine-second pass right down Broadway.