Let me start by putting things into perspective: Takashi Koike never intended to execute a Porsche 935 replica with his Z33 Nissan Fairlady Z. He simply wanted to pay homage to a car that he has huge respect for, and in the process build a Z like no one had ever seen before.
One look at Takashi’s Nissan, and I think you’ll agree that he has pretty much nailed the brief.
View the Z from the rear and you’d not even know that the front end has received such a drastic conversion.
In fact, the nose tuck is so smoothly integrated that you may not even spot the difference from a profile view.
I call it a ‘nose tuck’ because this goes so far beyond bolting on aftermarket aero parts – it’s a true transformation that Takashi executed himself. Of course, it helps that he works in a bodyshop and is a seasoned pro when it comes to these sorts of custom modifications.
Deleting headlights is no simple feat, especially when they extend into the bumper and fenders like the OEM items on a Z33 do. To remove them altogether, substantial work needed to be done around the hood line and where the bumper meets the front fenders. The integration of the large round HID projector lights and LED DRLs was actually the easy part, as they sit beautifully recessed in the custom mounts that Takashi created.
As these build images that Takashi shared with me show, everything was shaped hand. Much care was taken refining the radius for the bumper snout, the new hood line and both the front and rear wheel arches. You can see just how far back the conversion stretches too. In fact, it’s just the doors, roof and rear deck lid that remain stock.
The fenders were cut and molded into the overall new shape of the car, taking that added width and bringing it around and over the arches, right down into the side skirts.
At the time of our shoot, Takashi was running on aftermarket coilovers and a set of 19-inch Work Gnosis GS-1s. Behind the squared-off spokes of the front wheels hide Central 20 6-pot brake calipers biting down on 2-piece slotted Project µ rotors.
The modified side steps brings a nice angular feel across the profile of the car, something that helps counteract the fact that the Z33’s rear is rather bulbous. They meet the massively widened 3/4 fenders which taper inward to almost meet the original width of the rear bumper.
Takashi finished it all off with an integrated lower bumper skirt, large diffuser section and a Battle Aero wing with tall stays that sprout from behind the bumper.
On the back glass, Takashi proudly displays the Raiden logo, a club he belongs to with all his friends.
There is something just so imposing about a slantnose car. The Kremer Racing 935s of the early 1980s took a base 911 and lobbed off the car’s signature bug-eye headlights for that flat-nose look. The main projectors were moved to the corners of the bumper and with that a legendary transformation was born, one that Porsche ended up offering in 1986 with the pricey Flachbau (flatnose/slantnose) option for the 930.
I think Takashi’s headlight conversion has a Garage TBK feel about it, you know, like the 930 from Wangan Midnight.
The hood modifications also include a pair of dummy louvers and a functional center air outlet.
A lot of thought went into the color – a custom-mixed blue/gray – and the contrasting black detailing, and I think it works well.
Takashi has stuck to very minimal upgrades under the hood with an HKS induction kit to give the VQ35 V6 some character on the induction side. The exhaust has also been enhanced with a full Fujitsubo system and the ECU was re-flashed with a custom map.
Takashi may look at some substantial engine mods in the future, but for now he’s enjoying having completed the exterior styling.
With the car oozing 935 vibes, it only seemed right to somehow try and tie the interior in too. Takashi found these Sparco Martini Racing sports seats that hint back at the legendary livery the Kremer-built 935s are most associated with.
It’s always a true pleasure to meet talented young builders. Without guys like Takashi and his Raiden team, the Japan car scene wouldn’t be what it is.
It was so cool that they all made the trek from Nagoya to Tokyo to meet me for this shoot, and I can’t wait to share with you what the rest of the Raiden crew brought along.
A Big-Boosting R34 Skyline GT-R V-Spec – Speedhunters
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To many of us, the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R is the holy grail of JDM cars. Wherever the influence came from, we all tend to share the same appreciation for this forbidden fruit from Japan and fantasize of the day we might actually own one.
Unfortunately for those of us stateside, the rules for importation still require cars to be at least 25 years old. That makes the most cherished version of the GT-R produced from January 1999 to August 2002 just out of reach right now, never mind the buy-in price these days. There are however, a few ways to get around the former issue.
You can purchase a Motorex car (I am sure most of you are familiar with these, and if not a quick Google search will net you days’ worth of content) and use it as a pure track car. Or, you can import one under the ‘Show or Display’ exemption, but only the 282 Midnight Purple II V-spec cars, along with the 285 M-spec Nür models that were produced in various colors, fall into this category. In importing a car under this exemption, you can’t do more than 2,500 miles per year, and must agree to make the car available for federal inspection when requested, until the car is over 25 years old.
You might be aware of the R34 GT-R that sold a couple of weeks ago for US$314,000, along with the one that sold last week for US$310,000. The R34 GT-R I’m going to share with you today is neither of those cars.
Through my own Skyline ownership, I’ve been able to meet many people online with the same passion, one of whom is Brad Nielson. Brad has become a friend to me, and is known locally as ‘The GT-R Guy’.
Brad has always loved cars, and like many of us, he caught the bug early on from his father. “When I was young, my dad had a ‘68 Ford Bronco called ‘Fred’. He would let me sit on his lap and drive Fred around. I loved driving from that point on. Several years later, I saw the movie ‘No Man’s Land’. I haven’t seen the film in about 30 years, and it’s probably terrible, but I remember Charlie Sheen driving a Porsche 9111, and that was the first car I fell in love with. I will own a GT3 RS one day.”
I inquired about Brad’s first car, which as it turns out wasn’t an import but a ’91 Fox Body Mustang 5.0 “with a big diesel-sized turbo on it. Before that, it had a 150 shot of nitrous. One time, I had a nitrous backfire and blew half the intake manifold off. To the Mustang’s credit, it drove three miles back to my house.”
I was curious about how Brad ended up becoming such a huge fan of the GT-R. “In the ’90s and 2000s, Skylines were [relatively] cheap, and you could do a moon tune to them and make them rip, so that was the first thing. Then, ‘The Fast and the Furious’ came out and I got a bit more into JDM cars. I started buying ‘Best Motoring’ DVDs. I was pretty into the Skyline at that point. When I got the Best Motoring DVD where Keiichi Tsuchiya drove the white Mine’s R34, I was amazed by how quickly it revved and the way it handled. That was the moment I knew I needed one.”
This attraction ultimately led Brad to a mutual friend, Chris Driver, who owns and operates Driver Motorsports in Lynchburg, Virginia.
This introduction really opened Pandora’s box. “I got into a place financially that I could afford to buy and modify a Skyline, so I searched the internet and found Driver Motorsports. Chris, the owner of Driver, and I spent months looking for the right one. I ended up buying a pretty much stock R32 GT-R that had a roll cage already installed. That project grew and grew to the point that I realized I wouldn’t be street driving it very often. I wanted to have the ‘Skyline experience’, so Chris found me a low-mile R33 and had his team give it a ‘Stage 1′ build with upgraded turbos, suspension, TE37s, and some other minor mods resulting in 420whp. The R33 is a dream of a car. If you hate them, then perhaps you haven’t seen one in person. Around the same time that I bought the R32, I also bought a lightly-modified 2016 R35. I don’t think at any point I thought I was collecting Skylines, then people locally started calling me ‘The GT-R Guy’. It’s a title I’m very proud of. I think cars are like significant others; you don’t choose who you fall in love with. I just happened to fall in love with Skylines, and my wonderful wife, who sees how much I love the cars, supports me and has never tried to talk me out of buying any of them.”
Brad now owns a total of five GT-Rs – one R32, an R33, two R34s and an R35. With his obvious love and admiration for these cars, I was curious if he had become more interested in the history of these cars and whether he still loves them as much after experiencing his halo cars. “Honestly, I know a lot about the history of the Skyline and the high praise it has received and still receives. After owning a few I think it’s just made my appreciation grow. Something that always makes my day is when a kid on a bike sees me in my R33 and points and yells ‘Skyline!’. I would like to shake their parents’ hands. To me, and many others, the Skyline is more than a car – it’s Godzilla. Watching people react to seeing their first Skyline in person is my favorite thing; more than beating up on supercars in it.”
The car before you is Brad’s 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R V-spec in famed Midnight Purple II, sitting on the perfect set of wheels for a JDM icon – bronze RAYS Volk Racing TE37s.
I have to say, Midnight Purple II is the hardest exterior paint color I have ever tried to capture. Depending on the light, you get purple, blue, green, brown and even burgundy. But it’s simply stunning, and one of my all-time favorite automotive paint colors.
When Brad purchased this car, he sent it straight to his friends at Driver Motorsports. The crew got to work on some fairly extensive modifications, most notably the use of Vibrant Performance tubing and hardware. You can clearly see the heavy use of titanium in the piping with perfectly-executed pie-cuts and welds. Devin at Driver also added some custom-fabricated tanks and lines for the breather, coolant lines etc.
To top this off, a Custom Plenum Creations carbon/billet runner intake manifold and CNC’d valve covers were added. These items are masterfully crafted. The valve covers are a simple but effective touch, and are more in line to how many feel Nissan should have designed them.
Feeding the RB26 is a single Precision Turbo Gen2 6466 turbocharger. Not seen in the photos, a number of other modifications were made, including Tomei 262-degree cams, an ARC front-mount intercooler, TiAL 38mm wastegate, Nismo Super Copper twin-disc clutch, and a Haltech 2500 engine management system with a host of Haltech sensors. While all of this work was being done, and with the engine out, full maintenance was addressed to keep this R34 leak- and trouble-free for years to come.
Another major change to the car was the addition of Fortune 500 coilovers with Swift springs and air cups, the latter allowing Brad to raise the car for better clearance. I can attest to the fact that this car is low, but with the cup feature you can put the fear of speed bumps and sharp incline/decline angles behind you.
With the modifications and in-house tune from Driver, the Skyline makes 505rwhp and 378ft-lbs on 17.5psi (1.2bar) boost pressure, but feels even faster. It has tons of power but doesn’t suffer from major lag.
When I started writing this, Brad had yet to even receive and experience the R34. It was surreal to be shooting and riding in his car before he was able to see it in person. He has since taken delivery and had the chance to enjoy the car a bit, so I asked for initial thoughts. “I bought the car in October [2020], and had it shipped straight to Driver Motorsports to do all the modifications that Chris and I had talked about. I thought it would take a couple of months, but thanks to some global pandemic that you may not have heard of, getting parts became very challenging. It ended up taking about eight months to have the build finished.”
“If I’m being honest, with the value of these cars going up like they are, I thought I might sell it when it becomes too valuable, but when I saw the car for the first time in person, I knew that I would never be selling it. It was incredible. I had been worried that I wouldn’t be as excited as I would’ve been if I hadn’t had eight months of build-up, but it was better than I could’ve ever imagined. Devin, Dan, Ed, and Chris really knocked it out of the park. My first drive in the car was about two hours after taking delivery, to a Cars & Coffee event about 10 miles from my house. My R33 feels like a car from the ’90s and I love it, but the R34 honestly feels like a new car. It drives so well.”
I had to inquire as to which GT-R is Brad’s favorite. “Looks-wise, my white R34 that I have in storage at Top Rank Japan [until it becomes 25 years old and can be sent to the US], probably because of the Mine’s R34 I talked about earlier. There’s just something about a white R34 GT-R; they’re stunning. However, my favorite to drive is my R33, and because the value hasn’t gone up too much I don’t feel guilty driving it like Ricky Bobby. The Midnight Purple II Skyline is kind of nerve-wracking to drive down the street because they are so sought after and the value on them is so high.”
I was also curious about Brad’s first experience of GT-R ownership in general. “It was a strange experience. When you buy one from Japan it takes a couple of months to get them to the states. It’s a lot of waiting. I flew to Virginia and was picked up at the airport by Chris from Driver Motorsports in a JDM import FD3S RX-7. That was my first time being in a right-hand drive car. We got there and I toured the shop, and we took the R32 for a drive. Driving right-hand drive isn’t all that difficult – you are used to it within minutes – but the things that are strange are really strange. Like the rear-view mirror being on your left side, and the blinker being on the right side. I just remember being really disoriented but so excited with the way it felt.”
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In wrapping up the interview, I also had to ask, if there would be any other cars added to his collection, particularly, Hakosuka and Kenmeri GT-Rs. “Honestly, when it comes to a Hako or a Kenmeri, I don’t think I will ever own them. I love speed and power, so if I bought either of the older models, I think I would probably do something to make them fast. However, if I find a Hako that is in really bad shape, I would love to build one with a rotary. Imagine a Hako with an naturally-aspirated three-rotor with semi-peripheral ports… Aside from that, I will build my collection. I need to get some non-JDM cars eventually. For instance, I currently own an NSX that is being imported. I will own a Porsche or two. I really have the itch for a V12 Ferrari, but I don’t know that I will ever own one. I probably will.”
I plan to feature Brad’s extensive R32 GT-R build in the future, but until then, make sure you check out the video above to see and hear his Midnight Purple II R34 GT-R V-spec in action.
Anything Is Possible At Daddy Motor Works – Speedhunters
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Welcome to Daddy Motor Works where your wildest engine swap dreams can become reality.
As you probably recall, we met up with Oto-san a while back when he showed us his soon-to-be-GR-Yaris-powered AE86 Levin drift car. As I touched in that story, engine swaps aren’t something Oto-san simply dabbles in – they’re what he does day in and day out, and it’s pretty much been that way right back to the time he was a mechanic at C&Y Sports.
Oto-san is the sort of fabricator that Japan needs more of. Most modifying here revolves around bolt-on parts and kits ordered out of a catalogue, all fitted via an instruction booklet.
A lot of it comes down to people only wanting aftermarket upgrades that been proven and tested countless times before, perhaps so that if it all goes wrong there’s a warranty or they can just complain to the tuner that did the fitting. That’s understandable I guess, especially when you’re talking about late-model or brand new cars, but it really does stifle creativity.
Oto-san’s customers are different. They want something unique, and Daddy Motor Works is a company that can take all these ‘what ifs’ and make them come true.
Not that every car that passes through the shop leaves with a motor swap; Oto-san will take care of any request. Take this SR311 Datsun Fairlady 2000 for example….
It runs the stock – albeit now worked – 2.0L four-cylinder.
In was in for a little modern touch in the form of an electric power steering conversion. Oto-san does quite a lot of these, using compact steering systems from modern kei cars. They’re easily integrated to all sorts of Japanese classics, making them far more easy to live with.
The Swaps
It didn’t take me long to notice the RPS13 in the corner of the shop.
The eight aggressively-angled, shiny velocity stacks protruding from the center of the engine bay was instant confirmation that the Nissan’s original four-cylinder is gone.
If you’re the type that doesn’t like cross-brand engine swaps, then this one’s probably not for you. But is there really anything wrong with a Toyota 1UZ-FE in a 180SX? This won’t be the most powerful S13 out there, but that wasn’t the goal.
The goal was reliability, smoothness and sound. That’s three boxes checked in my book!
A 1UZ would probably go quite well in this Toyota Crown Super Deluxe, but that’s not happening.
And neither is this 2JZ sitting close by – such a swap is far too predictable for Oto-san.
The Crown is getting a VQ25DET (that engine wrapped in plastic), the 2.5L single turbo V6 that originally powered the M35 Nissan Stagea. How’s that for unique? The DET version of the VQ was a strong motor that on paper had 280PS, but in reality made over 300 horsepower and bucketloads of torque. Mated to an automatic transmission, this old Toyota will soon be a real pleasure to drive.
On the other lift were two more engine-less cars ready for heart transplants.
First up, the BMW 2002. Can you guess what it’s getting? That subframe is a modified AE86 unit…
No, not a Toyota engine, but a Honda F20C from an S2000. When I think of a modified or race-ready 2002 I picture a high-revving four-banger, so this is a very cool swap in my opinion.
Oto-san reassured me that the Hakosuka was only in for an engine refresh, so will continue to run the stroked L-series that’s been powering it for a while now.
On the floor next to the Skyline were the headers, exhaust system and intake setup.
The SSR MKIIIs get a big thumbs up from me; the gold centers are a great look against the Skyline’s glossy red paint.
The Machine Shop
There is very little that Oto-san orders from a catalogue – other than sheet metal and steel tubing that is. All fabrication is done in-house, and there’s enough machinery on the far side of the shop to bring all his ideas to life.
From the lathe and drill bench to multi-axis drill machine and pipe bender – Oto-san has pretty much every tool he needs.
He’s even modified this sheet metal bender with a Nardi steering wheel. He uses the bender so much that he figured it might as well look and feel special.
The main workbench is where components are laid out and cleaned up when rebuilding or upgrading engines, transmissions, differentials, or anything else that needs attention.
Like any shop that specializes in this sort of work, there is a seemingly endless array of parts laying around. From bits and pieces to be used on current projects….
…To stuff that will be stocked up and used another time on future builds.
Whatever it was, it was just fun finding out from Oto-san what things were.
On each side of the workshop is a mezzanine level. One side is reserved for storage, and that includes a BBQ grille for those important shop cook-outs.
The other side is where Daddy Motor Work’s air-conditioned office is located. Check out the old Speedhunters stickers I gave Oto-san when I first met him back in the day.
This is where Oto-san meets his clients and sits down to talk ideas.
The setup really does maximize the available space.
The large paved yard in front of the shop is where Oto-san’s donor cars are stored. They’re constantly giving up bits and pieces so that new projects can be completed and made functional.
If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you can’t wait for Oto-san to finish the G16E-powered AE86. Hopefully we’ll get to see it before the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon in January next year.
Time is always the enemy of any motorsport project.
From grassroots to the very top of the game, there isn’t an engineer or car builder anywhere in the world that wouldn’t appreciate just a little bit more time. I don’t believe there’s a motorsport (which I’ve encountered anyway) where builds have not come down right to the wire.
This isn’t a reflection on poor time management (although sometimes it is), but rather trying to make the most of every last available day, hour, minute and second.
When James Deane received his invitation to compete in the 2021 Russian Drift Series (RDS) late last year, it was known from the get-go that time most certainly wouldn’t be on his side. James would have just 10 weeks in total to build a car from the ground up before shipping it to Mother Russia to compete alongside his new Aimol teammates, Daigo Saito and Charles Ng.
Unlike other pro drivers, this wouldn’t be a case of sending a bank transfer or a briefcase full of cash to a workshop and picking a new car up at some stage in the future. James, his family and his team are hands-on with all of his cars, and with the exception of the paint, roll cage and wiring, this build was completed at home.
Ultimately, James only needed nine weeks to create his interpretation of the ultimate S-chassis pro drift car.
Delivery of a standard S14 shell was taken in late December, but work didn’t commence on the car until January 4th, 70 days from when it was due to be loaded into a container.
Progress began with removing the sound deadening with dry ice before creating the front and rear tubs, stitch-welding the chassis and having a custom cage crafted to suit James’ seat position relative to his height. In addition to this, the seams of the shell were sealed to prevent tyre smoke ingress into the cabin.
By January 24th, 20 days later, the fabrication of the shell was completed and it was sent for paint. With Ireland in a Level 5 lockdown, the one upside is that there was little choice but to stay inside and work on preparing the car.
There’s a reason why an S-chassis was chosen and it’s almost entirely down to James’ familiarity with them and the availability of parts.
“It’s an S-chassis; we know what we want to do. We learned a lot over the years. I’ve had all my ideas that I wanted to change and improve with this car over the other cars, and it definitely makes things a lot faster when you know the plan,” James said.
On February 1st, with 42 days before the Nissan was due to ship, assembly of the car resumed when it returned from paint. Ordinarily, this would be the ‘LEGO’ stage of the build, with the bulk of the hard work completed. However, the combination of a pandemic and Brexit has thrown international shipping to Ireland into complete disarray, with parcels which would normally arrive the same week taking much, much longer, if they turned up at all.
While waiting for parts to arrive, the team took to creating a spares package for the car along with installing the parts they did have to hand.
As you can probably guess (or if you were following the build on James’ YouTube channel) , the car did come together in time, even with a few days to spare. Just about enough for a single shakedown and test session at an eerily quiet Mondello Park, where I caught up with guys for the first time in nearly a year.
That the car was built from the ground up in just 64 days is impressive, particularly when you’re dealing with drifting’s more relaxed rulebook and regulations. Because there’s always going to be the temptation to try and seek out more performance, or exploit a loophole somewhere in order to find whatever competitive advantage that can be found.
The risk with this is introducing unnecessary complication, which might require further development at the expense of competitive edge. There’s no guarantee that said risk will provide a reward, either.
The (not so) secret with this car – and something which is common to James’ builds – is the relative simplicity of it all. It has been a similar story with his Europe and Middle East-dominating S14A, and the Worthouse S15s also shared this mantra.
That this photograph was captured on James’ very first run in this car should tell you everything you need to know about the benefits of a proven package and keeping things simple.
Straight off the trailer, fluids warmed, and backwards into the hairpin on Mondello’s school course – a feat that James would repeat again and again throughout the afternoon of what turned out to be a flawless test.
But what exactly does ‘simplicity’ mean in this case? I’m sure that anyone with even a passing interest in drifting could probably take an accurate enough stab at the car’s specification: 2JZ, sequential, Wisefab and a quick-change rear end.
It’s a bit reductionist to reduce the car down to just those terms, but while they’re not inaccurate, they do sell the car short. Contemporary pro drift cars are impressive machines, even to non-drift enthusiasts.
The motor is a DeaneMSPORT stock-stroke 3.0-litre 2JZ-GTE with a BorgWarner EFR 9275. At 1.0bar (14.7psi) of boost, the engine made 650hp on early runs, and by the time it was tuned to its potential, it made significantly more. This is currently without nitrous oxide, although James has said that they will consider adding the power-making gas if required later in the season.
Suspension-wise, the car is fitted with BC Racing ER Series coilovers with external reservoirs (3-way adjustable in the rear, 2-way adjustable up front) along with the updated Wisefab front and rear kit which sees improvements in strength and trackside adjustment, and new rear compression arms which have been designed to absorb any crash impacts.
For a modern drift car, it sits so well. Remember the early days of extra lock kits and the comedy levels of front poke?
Fitment and ride height were not insignificant factors for the build, as James wanted the car to sit just right. Suspension, wheel sizes and ride height are part of this, but the bodywork which covers the wheels is just as important.
Having experienced the luxury of carbon-Kevlar on his Eurofighter, this was the first certainty of the build. In fact, this carbon-Kevlar S15 conversion bodykit for the S14 by Mspek Performance in the US decided the chassis for the whole build. The original plan was to use an S15, but there’s currently no suitable carbon-Kevlar kits available. I think there’s something authentically Japanese about front and rear conversions on an S-chassis.
The benefits to carbon-Kevlar are significant. Weight is one part of the equation, with the front bumper and two front fenders weighing half that of a normal fibreglass S14 bumper alone (3kg versus 6kg). The other is the material’s proven resilience against impacts and abrasions. As a perfect example, James’ Eurofighter is still wearing its original HGK kit, despite having had a 50mph impact with a wall at the Drift Masters European Championship finale in 2019.
With the RDS having a tyre size limit of 265-section, minimising weight and prioritising its distribution played a key role in the car’s development. In a right-hand drive Silvia, you have the weight of the driver, steering, turbo, exhaust manifold and wastegates on the same side of the car.
To try and counteract this, the quick-fill Radium fuel cell with its integrated swirl pit, lift pump and two main pumps, along with the radiator, water pump and coolant header tank are located at the rear and rear-left side of the car where possible.
This meant that the custom titanium exhaust system had to dump on the driver’s side. Because fire and fuel don’t work all that well together.
From a transmission perspective, James is using the new Samsonas RS90 sequential gearbox, rated to 2,000hp with 4mm wider gears, 2mm wider dog rings, and an internal oil pump for improved lubrication.
The axles are Wisefab’s 1,500hp-rated Dynamic Axles which can twist to 90-degrees and feature CV joints with 45-degrees of deflection; ideal for low drift cars that squat and jump.
The interior is as expected – no frills and all business. A lone carbon fibre Corbeau Revenge seat with matching 6-point HANS-compatible harnesses, sequential lever, a D-MAC handbrake, PT Motorsport switch panel, and an ECUMaster display.
Beneath the custom carbon fibre S15 dashboard lies one of two ECUMaster PMU-16AS, with the other located behind the passenger side B-pillar along with the plumbed-in fire extinguisher.
It might be a drift car as you know it, but it doesn’t make it any less impressive. Especially for a car which has come together in such short time.
The Silvia has already been loaded into its container, along with its spares and 280 tyres for the entire RDS season. When it arrives in Russia, it will be wrapped in its team colours for the season, before taking on the unknown of a new championship along with the first FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup to take place outside of Japan.
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If anything, it’s exciting to see James Deane take on new opponents in a new region. In typically understated fashion, he’s just excited to go somewhere he’s never been before, and compete against drivers he might never have met. All I know is that he’s won a championship in every region he has competed in. Time to add another to the list?
Engine: Toyota 2JZ-GTE, ARP main studs, Titan Motorsports billet main caps, ACL Race Series bearings, stock Toyota crankshaft, ATI Damper pulley, BC connecting rods, JE Pistons (10:1 compression ratio), stock Toyota head gasket, BC valves +1mm, BC springs & retainers, BC 276 camshafts, BC adjustable cam pullies, Hypertune intake, G-Garage exhaust manifold, BorgWarner EFR 9274 turbo, Turbosmart external wastegates, FMIC intercooler, K&N air filter, Vibrant Performance custom titanium exhaust, Inovfit PTFE pipe & AN fittings throughout, Davies Craig EWP150 alloy water pump, custom radiator & fan shroud, twin Spal fans, Radium Engineering fuel cell surge tank (FSCT), Turbosmart fuel pressure regulator, Hypertune fuel rail, Injector Dynamics ID1700, Ecumaster EMU Black engine control unit, 2x Ecumaster PMU AS power management unit x2, Ecumaster ADU advanced display unit, DC Power 2JZ 240amp alternator, PT Motorsport Electrics custom wiring harness
Body & Chassis: Mspek Performance carbon-Kevlar S15 conversion kit, Big Country Labs 1850 carbon wing, BC Racing 3-way adjustable custom coilovers on rear, BC Racing 2-way adjustable custom coilovers on front, Wisefab S-chassis front angle kit & rear drop knuckle kit, Alcon brakes front & rear Rear, Group D hydraulic handbrake
SHARE Why The Z Proto Is The Most Important Car Of 2020
Ladies and gentleman, here is the new Nissan Z Proto, the most important sports car of the year.
Why? It’s simple. As we move into a decade that will be remembered for the automotive industry’s major shift to electric propulsion, the new Z enters the fray thinking it’s 1992.
This is an analogue sports car, an honest 2-seater powered by a twin-turbo V6 which sends drive to the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual gearbox. Sure, it features the latest tech, safety and engineering solutions you’d expect to see on a car produced in 2020, but it takes us enthusiasts back. Way back.
And that’s a good thing.
Nissan knew very well that this was a car they couldn’t possibly mess with. Much like the GT-R, the Fairlady Z moniker – or just ‘Z’ around the world – is a halo model for the brand, and as I touched on in yesterday’s retrospective, its history goes right back to 1969. Even further if you take into account the Datsun Sports.
Halo cars have a direct link to enthusiasts, so what do you do when you want to celebrate an iconic model that has been around for more than 50 years? You give the people what they want.
The Z Proto brings in a heavy dose of retro styling, starting up front with an obvious tip of the hat to the original S30/240Z.
The main headlight bulbs are deeply recessed into their housings, and Alfonso Albaisa, Vice President of Global Design, says the accent semi circles resemble the reflections the 240ZG’s clear light covers gave off under lights.
The scooped-out bumper section in front of the headlights and the gaping center rectangular air dam just scream S30, too. It’s a bold move that dominates the Z’s face, but seems to be naturally in tune with the rest of the front end.
All of the details form a very coherent and elegantly integrated 240Z treatment, and they continue right onto the hood where the crease lines are again S30 in nature.
The Z Proto sits on a set of bronze 19-inch wheels that show off a braking system borrowed from the R35 GT-R – 6-pots up front and 4-pots in the rear.
Nissan have built this new car on Z34 underpinnings, something you can sort of see from the roof line. You have to give it to them for creating such a distinct and fresh profile; the new Z is lower and sleeker and looks sexy from pretty much any angle, much like the S30 it pays homage to.
The rear, however, is pulled straight from the ’90s. Alfonso’s love of the 300ZX is easy to see, and gone are those awkward rumps of the Z33 and Z34. Now there’s a lower, flatter hatch area that meets a dark taillight panel.
The 3D LED backlit oval elements are a modern interpretation of the Z32’s taillights that seemingly float in the darkness of the flat rear section. These oval elements are echoed at the front with the grille inserts as well as inside the cabin on the main central air vents.
The angle of the ‘Fairlady Z’ emblem on the back is straight off the ’69 S30’s blueprints, something enthusiasts will surely approve of.
Further down, the lower portion of the bumper has a very Z32-inspired cutout, finished in carbon fiber, where the dual tail pipes sprout from.
Look carefully and you’ll see the old school ‘Z’ logo has made a comeback, albeit refined for 2020.
The cabin receives an almost complete redesign. There’s a new dash, a massive center multimedia screen, and many cool retro details to lust over.
But the big thing for me is the 12.3-inch digital instrument panel. It’s a great fusion of new and old, and if you look carefully there’s an analogue boost gauge to the left of the big central tachometer – confirmation of forced induction under the hood.
When the Z Proto evolves into a finished production car, it will be powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, which as rumors for the last couple of years have been pointing to, can only be the VR30DDTT. With 400hp and 475Nm on tap, this will be the craziest Z ever, and we all know how easy it is to extract more power from the baby VR.
And all of this is why the Z Proto is the most important car of 2020. The production version can’t come quick enough.
