As the turns got tighter, the road got narrower, the air grew thinner and my confidence in this solid and reassuring package grew, so too did Peter’s heart-rate.  The tight, twisty and mostly off-camber mountain road best illustrated the bundles of torque on tap, and just how malleable the EJ-20 is with the benefit of the up-grade conversion.  While the 4.11.1 final drive remains, the mid seven second 0-100km/h and 15-second quarter times are a distant memory.  Considering the extra labour required with the larger turbo, power delivery is surprisingly smooth with a relatively subtle lurch on boost and the absence of any serious lag.  Throttle response is notably improved and spool-up is instant thanks to some APS trickery, namely a cleverly designed turbine outlet casting which retains high thermal inertia to provide instant boost.  Oh, and some other well-kept secrets.  Quite reasonable fuel economy is also a testament to good fuel management.

Which renders the kit a very viable proposition for effortless day-to-days, with impressive engine tractability across the range and plentiful poke for your average discerning enthusiast.  Hey Peter, any chance we could have one for a long-term appraisal - say six months?

APS (www.airpowersystems.com.au) has been designing and manufacturing turbochargers, electronic fuel injection systems and related components for over 20 years.  As well as catering for the engine management needs of 2000 GTP Champion and this year’s Targa Tasmania winner, Jim Richards, and 2000 Class E GTP Champions, Jim and Kosi Kalaitzidis in their Proton Satria GTi, they supply avid 4x4 customers in the Arab Emirates with turbo Landcruisers that run happily at speeds of over 200 km/h all day.

The company’s two major product lines, the Unichip Programmable ECU and their own APS WRX Performance Products, are available nationwide.