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The 3000GT-VR4
Bought on January 7 1991 as a
graduation gift from my Mom, my 3000GT is black and has the
VR-4 option
package. This includes a twin intercooled turbo,
fuel injected, four valves per cylinder engine with a peak
output power
of 300hp and 307lb-ft of torque. It has all wheel drive
and four
wheel steering with limited slip differentials. It is a blast
to drive,
and a bear to keep clean. It can achieve a 0-60mph time
of 5.3
seconds (Motor Trend, 3/91). It cost about $30k to
purchase.
A conclusion to the Twin Turbo run
This
story has a conclusion. On March 18, 2016 we were
driving
North
on Rt 3 in Crofton, MD when all of a sudden, I saw a puff of
white
smoke coming from the driver's side of the hood. The
engine
died
immediately. It would not restart. Luckily, there
was a gap
in the traffic, and we were able to push the car to the side.
Opening the hood and looking in, I could see the fan
belt was
shredded. It was towed to my mechanic a few hours later,
and
the
next day we heard the bad news: Timing belt was broken.
There
was
most likely major engine damage and the car was basically
totalled.
The last image I shot of the 3000GT. This was taken in Fall of 2015.
Photo shot on the final night while being loaded onto the tow truck.
For
years, a former coworker had said that if I ever wanted to
sell the
3000GT, he would buy it. By now, he had retired and had
time
on
his hands. I sold it to him for $500 as I knew I would
be
able to
see it run one day again. He lives close to me and I
sometimes
pass his house to see if he has done any work on it.
Despite the 3000GT being 25 years old, I had not thought much about a replacement. After some searching, I settled on trying out the Lexus RC F. I wanted something that was a four seater coupe with lots of power. I also wanted something with aggressive styling. On Sunday, April 10 2016, I visited a local dealer that had a leftover 2015. It was available for a test drive and liked it immediately. While I was departing the dealership, they asked if I wanted to take it overnight for an extended test. I thought it would be nice to have it Thursday night for our weekly skate night at the rink and said I would come by Wednesday to pick it up. The salesman then asked "Why don't you keep it till then". I could not refuse the offer and drove the RC F for the next few days. Well I totally fell in love with the car. It was like putting on an iron man suit and going out in the world. Needless to say I bought the car when I came back on Friday that week.
So far, I have painted the calipers red (with Brembo silver lettering), and added an aero kit consisting of a front lip and side skirts.
Despite the 3000GT being 25 years old, I had not thought much about a replacement. After some searching, I settled on trying out the Lexus RC F. I wanted something that was a four seater coupe with lots of power. I also wanted something with aggressive styling. On Sunday, April 10 2016, I visited a local dealer that had a leftover 2015. It was available for a test drive and liked it immediately. While I was departing the dealership, they asked if I wanted to take it overnight for an extended test. I thought it would be nice to have it Thursday night for our weekly skate night at the rink and said I would come by Wednesday to pick it up. The salesman then asked "Why don't you keep it till then". I could not refuse the offer and drove the RC F for the next few days. Well I totally fell in love with the car. It was like putting on an iron man suit and going out in the world. Needless to say I bought the car when I came back on Friday that week.
So far, I have painted the calipers red (with Brembo silver lettering), and added an aero kit consisting of a front lip and side skirts.
My new ride is the Lexus RC F. This is the high performance coupe with
the 5.0 Liter 467 HP engine. 0-60 is in the 4.2 second range.
An update on the 3000GT. The person that bought it was always going to get it running but he passed away in 2023. It was then sold to someone in Virginia that has been restoring it as it sat for many years. I will include pictures and an update in the future.