With so much hype surrounding the Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ models we decided that there was only one thing for it: we had to get in on the action and get one for ourselves!

Arriving in the Japspeed workshop with less than twenty miles on the clock and the protective seat covers still in place it all looked and felt very nice but, after parking it up next to our V8 S15, we knew that we had to unleash the potential that lurked underneath. It was time to get modifying!

Before we could crack on however, Team Japspeed drivers Shane Lynch and Paul Smith decided to take the car for a spin at Anglesey circuit. We could only hope that it returned to the pits in one piece!

Obviously, they had to try their hand at drifting it…

Thankfully, the car made it back in one piece. While we considered our options with regards to more serious power and suspension modifications, we cracked on with the basics in the meantime and decided to address the cosmetics of the car.

First up was a set of Buddyclub LED Tail Lights. The standard rear lights (shown above) are by no means ugly or undesirable but we were completely sold on the Buddyclub items upon opening the box. Plus, they have a built-in blinker function that definitely appealed to the twelve year old inside us all!

Installation is very simple, aided by the excellent instructions that are included. If the blinker function isn’t your thing it can easily be disabled should you wish to indicate in a slightly more discreet fashion.

They also look immensely cool when the brake lights are activated, as you can see in the below gif image:

The GT86/BRZ platform has been praised worldwide by motoring journalists and critics alike, with the chassis’ playful nature earning it countless awards and accolades. This is all well and good but, every time we walked passed our car we just couldn’t help but think that it should be that little bit lower.

Enter Eibach and their fantastic Sportline Lowering Spring kit pictured below (the standard springs are black, the Eibach items are red). While we usually swear by KW coilovers on our other cars, we didn’t want to induce too much of a ride height drop or increase the harshness of the ride at this early stage (that’ll come at a later date!)

In comparison to their Pro-Kit range, the Sportline kits offer a greater suspension drop without sacrificing ride quality and comfort. On paper these sounded absolutely perfect and, as soon as they’d arrived at Japspeed HQ, we headed straight to the workshop so we could fit them to the car.

Just like the Buddyclub Tail Lights, fitment is simply a case of removing the OEM items and replacing them with the new parts with no other modifications necessary. After removing the dampers, the OEM springs were removed through the help of spring compressors and subsequently replaced with the new Eibach units.

With the dampers reassembled it was simply a case of bolting them back onto the car, re-fitting the wheels and then dropping the car back on the ground so we could stand back and admire our handiwork.

We were impressed with the new ride height (especially so once the springs had had time to bed in and settle) but we knew that something was still missing. After a quick think we knew what was required and got straight on the phone so we could resolve the issue…stay tuned for the next instalment of our GT86 build!