How far has your collector-car search taken you? Out of state? Cross-country? How about 5,793 miles, to another continent entirely? This year, one classic car made its way from Yokohama, Japan, to Gilbert, Arizona.
There is something to be said for exclusivity, and Ren Molnar is likely the only person driving around his neighborhood in a turbocharged, right-hand-drive Toyota Soarer. Ren is no stranger to the car enthusiast community, having owned a number of show-quality vehicles, including his pride and joy, a 1998 Lexus SC300 that we featured in a video about the Future Collector Car Show.
That SC300 has gone through a transmission swap and a long list of upgrades under Ren’s ownership. Even though we know a “project car” is never done, Ren was thirsty for something new. He had his sights on a car that was sold only in the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM). And the rest, as we’ll see, is history.
Soarer Background
The Soarer name was first introduced in the Japanese market by Toyota on a “personal luxury” grand-touring coupe in 1981. It was a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car that shared some architectural elements with other Toyota models like the Carina, the Celica and the Supra. About a decade later in 1992, the third-generation Soarer was finally marketed in the United States but sold under the Lexus “SC” nameplate. It had been designed by a California-based design studio and was sold until 2000.
Search and Acquisition
Ren’s car is a 1998 Soarer 2.5 GT with a five-speed manual transmission. He first learned about the car in early 2021 via Instagram from its owner who lived near Tokyo. Ren was immediately drawn to the striking Royal Sapphire Pearl paint color and the unique drivetrain. A purchase agreement was put in motion, and I’ll let Ren tell the story of how it played out in our detailed Q&A below.
Q&A Session
- What prompted you to begin looking for a Soarer?
I’ve always wanted to own a JDM car, but with so many great JDM options out there, I was having trouble deciding which one would suit me best. All I knew was that I wanted something rear-wheel drive and with a factory turbo. In the past year, I was able to narrow down my options down to the JZX100 Toyota Chaser, SW20 Toyota MR-2 and, of course, the JZZ30 Toyota Soarer.
I ended up with the Soarer because it actually fell into my lap at the perfect time, and it came paired with a great back story. Back in 2021, a gentleman named Yutaka who lives near Tokyo reached out to me on Instagram and was excited to show me his beautiful new Soarer he just purchased. Over the next few years, we would chat back and forth about our cars and built a great friendship. Fast-forward to April 2024, when Yutaka reached out to notify me that he needed to sell his Soarer so he could buy an economical car and fund an upcoming wedding. He asked me if I wanted to buy it, and without hesitation, I said yes!
- What was the overall timeline like?
At the time I agreed to buy the Soarer, I did not know anything about importing a JDM car. So I had to quickly find an exporter to export the car and a broker to handle all customs paperwork. A friend, Patrick, on Instagram directed me to an exporting company in Japan called Royal Trading, who could export the car for me. I was able to note the timeline from agreeing to buy the car to the day I picked it up:
4/30/24 – agreed to buy Soarer
5/8/24 – reached out to Royal Trading
5/14/24 – wired full payment to Royal Trading
5/21/24 – Royal Trading pays Yutaka and picks up the Soarer
5/28/24 – car is booked for transport
6/7/24 – car heads to Yokohama Port
7/10/24 – car is loaded on a RoRo ship and departs Japan
7/26/24 – ship arrives at Port of Long Beach California
7/29/24 – Soarer cleared and released from U.S. Customs
8/9/24 – I drive my truck with a U-Haul trailer from Arizona to California and pick up the Soarer.
- What were some of the biggest challenges with the acquisition?
The biggest challenge of importing a JDM car in my case was dealing with all the U.S. Customs paperwork. I had to sign tons of paperwork and had to make sure that the correct paperwork was received and supplied to the right people in a short period of time. I highly recommend hiring a broker to handle all of the legal paperwork, because I personally don’t think I could have done all of this without the help of a broker. Getting the car registered, titled and legal for the road was extremely easy since I live in Arizona. The DMV just had to do a “VIN inspection” and make sure the chassis number matched the export documents.
- Would you do anything differently if you started the process over?
I think I could have saved more money by going with a different broker, so if I had to do this again, I would do more research and get multiple quotes from different brokers. Other than that, I would not change anything, I will use Royal Trading again if I ever need to have a car exported from Japan.
- What are your future (short-term and long-term) plans for the car?
Right now, I am faced with a tough choice … keep the Soarer 100% stock and original or lightly modify it. I am in the process of reinstalling all the original exterior badges since the Soarer came without any badges. It was completely debadged, and it had all the badge holes shaved last year, according to the previous owner. As much as I really like the bare look, I want people at car meets to know it’s a Toyota and a Soarer. In the long term I want my Soarer to become a time capsule and to be showcased as a pristine example of a classic ’90s JDM car.
- What are some of the unique features that JDM Soarers got and USDM SC300s didn’t?
The most notable feature that you will notice as soon as you sit in a Soarer is the amazing all-digital instrument cluster. It’s by far the coolest feature that Soarers have and SCs never got. Another feature I enjoy using in the Soarer are the power folding mirrors. Because streets are narrow in Japan, power folding mirrors are a standard feature in most JDM cars. For the top-of-the-line 4.0 GT-L Soarers, only those came equipped with GPS navigation and air-ride suspension, which was way ahead of its time in the early ’90s.
- Do you still plan on keeping your USDM SC300?
I’ve had my SC300 for over 18 years, so she ain’t going anywhere.
One Journey Complete, Another Underway
When Ren started digging into his new car in detail, he noticed that the car’s Pioneer touchscreen head unit (which was navigation-equipped) showed the car’s last “known” location as the Port of Yokohama, Japan. The car had taken a very long journey since leaving that location.
And thus began another journey entirely – not one of long-distance travel, but rather one of personalization and refinement. And Ren is well on his way to having the car dialed-in to his liking.
Thanks, Ren, for giving us an inside look at your awesome ride. We look forward to seeing you the Future Collector Car Show again!
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