Enjoying The Scenery At 11,600rpm
Sure, Toyota’s ZN6 is a great looking car, and as anyone that has driven one on the tight and twisties can tell you – ripping around quiet ocean-side roads like this one is a guaranteed good time. But is it Speedhunters worthy? The ZN6’s ability to put a smile on anyone’s face during a spirited drive isn’t exactly news, after all.
As much as I love pedaling these cars, no, it certainly wouldn’t be worthy of a Speedhunters ‘Dream Drive’ feature if it wasn’t for this sticker adorning the factory (what, no Rocket Bunny!?) rear fenders. This not only makes it worthy of this site, but is enough to get me straight on the phone to see how I could possibly get my hands on the car for a decent test drive.
It all started mid-2015, when Dino caught wind of JUN’s latest demo car: a ZN6 powered by an absolutely beautiful high-revving Synergy V8. Being a Kiwi, my ears definitely perked when I heard the Synergy name. I’ve known of the New Zealand born and bred engine manufacturer for years thanks to its heavy involvement in the local speedway scene, and I soon discovered that Synergy had developed a complete ZN6 turn-key, bolt-in kit for its unique 2.4 and 3.0-litre 32-valve, flat-plane crank V8s – no drilling, cutting, welding or panel-beating required.
I wasn’t in the position to fly over to Japan and try to convince JUN to let me drive its hyper-lemon machine, but with a trip back home for summer planned, it turns out I wouldn’t have to; Synergy had built their own demo car and they were more than happy for me to come and check out the operation, and most importantly get behind the wheel.
