Text by Wooley Photos by Ty Cobb
It’s interesting how some of the ‘domestic’ companies are getting inspired by the FRS/BRZ chassis.
Because off the top of your head, when you think of a company like Holley & their family of brands (Hooker/MSD/NOS/Racepak/Superchips/+more), you think about generations of big-displacement, domestic performance. And a bald eagle caws in the distance.
But the guys at Holley will be the first to tell you… cool car, is a cool car, is a cool car. No matter what shore it comes from. That’s the beauty of it. No one’s stuck in a box here.
And as tuners have zoned-in on big American engines in lightweight Japanese chassis… it’s bridged a gap. Meshed & mashed cultures. What used to be segregated ‘import-vs-domestic’ sides of the parking lot meet… are no more. The lines have been blurred & reshaped.
So what we’re looking at here, are blurred lines in practical form – The Hooker BlackHeart FRS.
To keep the backstory simple, Holley’s CEO has definitely had a few Miatas perched next to all the Detroit Iron in his garage. Their friendly ad guy, Blane, has got an LS2-powered S14 that he is currently rebuilding for local track days.
Point is: There are a lot of different automotive backgrounds at work here. So when the FRS/BRZ came out a few years ago, the guys at Holley zeroed-in on the potential & purity of the chassis. It was a perfect opportunity to showcase Hooker’s new line of premium BlackHeart stainless exhaust systems.
The result? BlackHeart makes a full lineup of options for the FRS/BRZ. Unequal-length headers, as well as a catted exhaust, or a catless race exhaust. And you can get their exhaust system with single exit, or dual exits – whichever you prefer.
Under the hood, this Holley-owned car has an Edelbrock supercharger at the heart of the mods. Sure, Holley & Edelbrock are ‘competitors’… but it’s a friendly kind of competition. Because in the grand scheme of things, they’re also peers within the same industry. Pioneering for the same causes.
The FRS/BRZ is a blast. And while there is a definite fun-factor that can be appreciated in ‘having to wind out’ a stock FRS/BRZ to go fast, it’s also way-fun to have that immediate torque-punch under your foot… and that’s what the Edelbrock supercharger combined with a BlackHeart exhaust delivers.
Edelbrock E-Force supercharger
Hooker BlackHeart catback exhaust
Enkei RPF1s – 18×8 front & rear
Falken Azenis RT-615K – 245/40/18
Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs