Williams review....
On the train up to Durham I, in reality, I had some idea what to expect. As a previous customer of Woodsport for a 3vz-fe conversion, a 2gr-fe conversion would be similar, right? But how wrong could I have been!
The results of Pauls work an hour later when at Woodsport were simply stunning! The car was pristine, the engine and the engine bay were immaculate and it was hard to believe it was the same car I had dropped off a few weeks earlier.
Turn the key in the ignition of a 3.5 litre MR2 and from the moment it fires up there are only two things that are guaranteed. The first is you know just from the sound, that it is going to be a powerful car. The second is that, every time you drive it, you will have a smile on your face! The only thing putting a downer on that moment was knowing I had a 270 mile trip back to London when I couldn’t explore the full potential of growling V6 behind my ear.
Having filled her up with premium gasoline (defiantly recommended!) I joined the A1 ready to settle into the running in stage. At a cruising speed of 65mph she ate up the miles effortlessly, refined and relatively quiet, a general nice place to be.
Then you go for an overtake. MY GOD! Drop to 4th gear and bury that right hand pedal and the noise! The torque! The acceleration!…. One word… Beautiful! In the words of Jeremy Clarkson, ‘you turn the big thing in the middle to make it turn, you push the middle pedal to slow it down and you push the right hand pedal to make more noise! And what a noise!
… Well that was a few months ago now and I’m pleased to say she still puts a smile on my face every time I drive her. If anything, an even bigger one as she’s now fully run in and I can now unleash her full potential. Where better to do this than at Brands Hatch. To see the look on the face of a 944 driver in his dedicated track car as he gets lapped by a 20 year old Toyota. To be able to out drag XXR’s and M3’s. This engine is a brute! And I absolutely love it!
Last but not least to sum up Paul…
I truly believe there are three types of people in the world:
The type that when a challenge is thrown at them just walk away.
The type that will take on a challenge and fail hopelessly on so many occasions they just end up giving up, but hay they had a go… (this is me!)
And then there’s Paul. A person who seems to conquer any challenge thrown at him and just for good measure, makes it a little better.
Paul, you’re a legend. Big thanks for all your hard work and I will no doubt be seeing you shortly for a supercharger as I have officially now managed to ‘Tame the Beast’!
All the best, and keep up the good work!
William