1999 Suzuki Swift GTI

In the five years since SCC first featured Jason Steinhart's Suzuki Swift, it's gone from a very fast street sleeper to proven and trick racecar. The relative obscurity of the car in the compact world and in race series is not what sets it apart, however. If you want to see him race, you'd better pack some Imodium and head South of the border.

The International Border Race Series are all grand prix style street courses run in border towns like Tecate, San Felipe, Ensenada, Tijuana and Mexicali. Due to the proximity of domestic soil, very reasonable cost and high enjoyment factor, a good percentage of the field is made up of gringos who bring down everything from GT3 Porsches to Baby Grands (miniature stock cars).

Two competing clubs, Automobile Club de Ensenada (ACE) and Pilotos de Internacional Tijuana (PIT), host the GT races under the auspices of FIA (responsible for F1, WRC, etc.). GT racing is quite popular with the Mexican public. It's broadcast on TV, and provides an active and appreciative fan base that makes it just as enjoyable for the drivers.

As ineligible as Steinhart's Swift would be for just about any American race series, it slots in perfectly with ACE rules. In the B1 class, Steinhart mixes it up with cars like Toyota Corollas and MR2s, CRXs and 510s. In the Open Class, big nasty 911s duke it out with turbocharged VW Rabbits and supercharged Civics. We like.

When converting his street-driven giant killer into a full-blown racecar, Steinhart found his savior in Bill Gwynn of Wilco Fabrication. Usually found completing 100-point concours restorations, Gwynn lent his talents to the particular fabrication needs of the Suzuki, which include the one-off carbon fiber wing and four-row brass radiator (the races are often run in 100-plus degree weather). Gwynn also flared the stock sheet metal front and rear to allow the use of wider tires and wheels with more positive offset.

Before you laugh at the wing sitting atop the rear hatch, be assured that this is as small as they come in the Border Race Series. Most cars are bedecked with barn doors that would make a Plymouth Superbird blush.

Gwynn removed approximately 200 lbs. from the car's interior by ditching unnecessary sheet metal and replacing the door panels and dashboard with carbon fiber replicas. To keep tabs on the goings-on inside the highly stressed 1.3 liter, Steinhart relies on a complete set of mechanical Autometer gauges. A Kirkey sprint car seat-two were in the car at the time of the shoot for a navigator in La Carrera Panamericana-keeps Steinhart firmly planted on the typically rough road courses. Meanwhile, an Autopower six-point harness, six-point cage (modified by Gwynn) and Halon fire system take care of safety.

Unlike the billiard-table smooth racetracks of the United States, the GT races in Mexico are run on rough public roads with mixed surfaces. In designing the suspension, Steinhart chose components with proven track records and beefy designs. Koni Sport Yellows are reigned in by a set of H&R springs, which don't compromise travel and provide optimal ride height. Jackson Racing anti-roll bars front and rear and Select Sales Racing lower control arms round out the suspension. Packed into the fenders are 15-inch TSW EVOs wrapped in Yokohama AO32R DOT-legal race rubber, which are harder than most and resist wear on abrasive surfaces.

With the car's weight down to around 1,700 lbs, Steinhart found the stock brake sizes sufficient, but he added Rotora cross-drilled rotors, Axxis Ultimate pads and braided stainless-steel brake lines. To ensure adequate brake cooling, ducts are run from the front air dam.