The Lesser Loved Cresta - Juiceboxforyou

If you watch the vlogs, you are probably aware of how this shoot came about. Just after we finished up taking photographs of Johns Sileighty, he mentioned his friend Padraig who had a pretty tasty selection of cars not far from the photoshoot location.

Before we knew it, we were in someones back garden and the unmistakable rear end of this JZX100 Cresta was grumbling slowly out of a corrugated tin shed.

Crestas, especially the JZX100 model, are few and far between. They are always considered the lesser desirable of the three body styles. Padraig’s example could very easily sway my opinion.

The Chaser was considered the performance model while the Cresta was considered the Luxury model of the three body styles, leaving the MKII somewhere in between. Padraig has retained most of the cars creature comforts on the inside. After all, this was marketed as the comfort model but under the surface, this Cresta is loaded with all the go-faster, performance parts.

BN sports is the aero of choice for this Cresta. I’ve always loved how much these kits puff out the exterior of these somewhat understated big body sedans. The pearl paint contrasts nicely from the19 inch Bronze CRK-AI’s. This is exactly how I would style one of these cars.

Under the bonnet, this subtle monster is boasting 400+ BHP. The 1JZ-GTE is mated to a Greddy TD06 25G with a Greddy wastegate. The 1JZ doesn’t need much to extract very enjoyable power. Some 850cc injectors feed enough fuel to this keep this setup quenched. If you watched the video on this thing in our recent vlog, you probably remember just how quick this barge gets up to speed, more than enough power to have a rowdy time at the blip of the throttle.

Behind the 19″ Kiwimani’s is a set of TRD Calipers upfront which aid in bringing this Cresta to a stop.

At the rear, some Supra calipers do a similar job.

The perfect combo? The rear wheels are 19×10.5 and just about tuck under the back arches.

This was the first-ever JZX100 Cresta to be imported into Ireland and it’s by far one of our favourites. You can’t help but admire the simplicity of the BN kit and what it does for this Crestas appearance.

Less is truly more with this thing.

Handling wise this Cresta has been fitted with Blitz suspension and a Kaaz LSD.

I often wonder why Toyota made three of basically the same car, we won’t see stuff like this ever again, especially with today’s rules and regulations. Let’s just enjoy the fact that Toyota decided to make three similar cars which essentially competed against each other at the very same time.

There’s not much more to say about his Cresta, its a reminder of a time where Japan was absolutely on point with their cars, churning out some of the greatest FR sedans the world has ever seen. The 1JZ engine will go down in history along with the 2JZ as one of the most bulletproof reliable engines ever built.

The drift culture that embraced the JZX100 series in Japan is a testament to how well built these cars are, they are arguably one of the best platforms for drifting ever built and are still widely used today. Padraig’s Cresta is a nice reminder as to why these cars are so damn popular.

Let’s just thank Toyota for building incredible cars like the JZX100 series. I doubt we will ever see such an awesome four-door setup coming out of Japan again.

Engine:

1JZ VVT-I
Greddy td06 25g
Greddy wastegate
Siemens deka 850cc injectors
Greddy Fmic
Hks air cleaner

Suspension & Handling:

Blitz suspension
Kaaz LSD
Trd front caliper
Supra rear caliper
Twin plate clutch

Exterior:

Bn sports aero
It’s a series one with series 2 headlights
Pearl white

Interior

Power FC and Commander
Defi gauges

Wheels

Work emotion 19×10.5 18×9.5