Sweetened Skyline
Keng Boon Peng (aka Ben Keng) is the owner of this sweet R33 Nissan Skyline, which can be found prowling the twisting blacktops of New Zealand.
Ben bought his '93 GTS25T in July 1998, attracted by its 2.5-litre DOHC, 24-valve turbo intercooled engine factory rated at 187kW. Its well-sorted independent suspension also meant it was a comfortable day-to-day machine - that and the fact it's an easy-drive 4-speed automatic...
Ben's done a few mods to give his R33 the squirt to ease away from lesser cars, but not affect driveability or reliability. All that needed doing was a little intake and exhaust free-ing - a K&N filter kit, and a 3-inch turbo-back exhaust with a RS-R muffler. Oh, and the standard turbo is also spun a tad quicker - an A'PEXi AVC-R allows up to 0.8 Bar boost pressure.
Ben says these mods created a much freer revving engine and a noticeable acceleration improvement - stop-watch timed 0 - 100s are achieved in around 7-seconds in standard form, but the aforementioned mods cut about half to a full second off that.
No doubt a manually shifted version would be quicker, but - unfortunately - the only R33 in Ben's price range at the time was this particular auto. As he says though, the self-shifter kinda suits it because it's "more of a cruisy GT car".
Still, it's not all cruise and no bruise. With its basic mods, the car has run a best quarter mile time of 14.15 seconds.
Not bad for such a lightly modified car, eh? With just a slightly revised (cut away) front bumper giving extra intercooler airflow and 17-inch Enkeis wearing 235/45 Toyo Proxes T1-S rubbers, you'd never pick it. Just a bit more boost and this stealthy car will be in the 13s!
Check it out at
http://homepages.kcbbs.gen.nz/~benk/
C5 < Z06
If you think we Aussies have things breezy with the LS1-powered Commodores, feast your eyes on some of the Chev V8 powered beasts in the States!
Tony 'Ram Air' Barker has previously owed this sensational looking 1999 Corvette C5 Hardtop. Under the bonnet throbbed the big LS1 5.7 V8; as Tony say, "I did a few mods to it, but it really doesn't need many, it was really fast bone stock".
First came a Vortex ram-air airbox, filter and scoop - claimed good for 22hp when travelling at over 60 mph. Incidentally, Tony's taken her up to 160 mph and it was still pulling hard with 1500 rpm left to go in top gear...
Next came a B&B Tri Flo SS Sport cat-back exhaust system, which gave a reported 9hp over stock; the big drawcard, however, was the look of those awesome tips!
Following this came a home ported and polished MAF (with the screens removed). Tony says this leans the mixture a bit and yields a 5 - 10hp gain. No other mechanical mods were needed except for a B&M Ripper Shifter and flaming knob.
It was enough for a measured 316RWHP - running on 87-octane "bad gas".
Cosmetically, you'll see the windows were tinted, Euro taillights, a BPP back plate (covering the original block box between the exhaust tips) and the factory-option magnesium rims (which weigh 2lb less than the normal alloys). These were clad in run-flat Michelin MXX3 SX Pilots weighing 3-6lb less than the factory Goodyears. The ride height was also brought down.
Despite all this power and prowess, Tony traded his C5 on a 2001 Z06 'vette in yellow. This vehicle received a B&B PRT exhaust and a modified torch red interior. Unfortunately, though, it had a large coming together with a tree and Tony now owns a replacement 2001 Z06 - again in yellow...
The current vehicle is said to be making 500hp. It uses Motorsport Inc Stage II heads, a Hammer camshaft, B&B shorty Z06 headers, B&B PRT cat-back exhaust, Vortex Rammer and Vortex Power Duct, 172 degrees (Fahrenheit) thermostat and custom PCM programming. The under-bonnet view is glamour'd by an AutoBuff engine detailing kit.
Those 500hp are driven through the standard 6-speed 'box, with a B&M Ripper Shifter and Flameball knob. The standard Z06 rims have been powder coated black but the outer lip is polished (similar to the 1996 Grand Sport look). Other features are GT rotors and a custom interior partition (which separates the cockpit from the boot) and quality Lloyds mats.
When you see monsters like this, you realise the American market is running on another level!
For more, visit http://members.aol.com/kantexok/Main.htm
Mad Mazda
Caspar Ryan of Melbourne has converted his 1986 Mazda 323 Limited Edition into a genuine XR8, WRX and Lancer GSR killer. How? With a B6 twin-cam turbo transplant.
A full front-cut was purchased and Caspar - with the help of a friend - transferred the engine, 'box, driveshafts into the locally-delivered shell. It was quite a straightforward transplant, as the car came factory EFI'd - that meant the fuel return line, etc was already there. The only stressful bit was the wiring, but a factory service manual made things easier.
In addition to the factory power of the B6, Caspar also upgraded the intercooler to a Supra unit (the plumbing was done by ProMaz). An AutoSpeed water spray controller has also been fitted. The exhaust is now a 3-inch mandrel job from the turbo back, using a high-flow cat converter, resonator and muffler. A pyrometer was also installed to keep an eye on EGTs. The air intake uses an 02 Rush element with a 3-inch cold-air duct leading into the airbox. A high-flow turbo has a switch adjustable to 15 psi.
The fuel system uses an adjustable Malpassi regulator with a Goss high-flow pump, while ignition is advanced 3 degrees and uses 1-range colder plugs. Caspar has also done some creative mixture mods, with Shell Optimax (98-octane) the only fuel brew used. A Centerforce clutch channels torque to the 'box.
Matched to this level of performance are Falken Azenis ST-115 195/60 14s on the standard alloys, a set of Koni reds (re-valved to be stiffer) and 30mm lowered GT springs. A Whiteline strut brace keeps the front-end nice and tight, while brakes are slotted DBA discs using Bendix Ultimate pads.
Oh, and not only is this machine quick - it's also pretty cosy. Standard features of the 323 Limited Edition are power windows, sunroof and mirrors, central locking, cruise control, air-con and an electronic dash with electronic heater controls. Indoor mods are limited to a Pricol boost and oil pressure gauge and a Jaycar mixture meter (running a bar graph display). There are also Sabelt harnesses and a fairly major sound system.
Future plans include improved alloys, bonnet vents (and maybe GT-R Familia style front-end), larger injectors (with interceptor or aftermarket ECU), cage, copper head gasket, remove AFM, remove the distributor and replace it with a cam angle sensor and twin-coil waste spark.
See how things unfold at
http://goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au/~caspar/
MR2 With Much Mumbo
Trevor Nelson of the US owns a MR2 with a truly awesome power-to-weight ratio.
Sure, it weighs nearly the standard amount, but- as you might expect - it's got an awful lot more power than standard. 301 RWHP to be exact; good for a proven 12.7 ET with full trim and street tyres...
Trevor picked up this '91 Toyota MR2 Turbo in December 2000; it had a poor body, no stereo and a below-par engine rebuild. Today, however, its bodywork has been revitalised, there's a Tom's body kit, '95 taillights, clear side markers, a new coat of paint and - yep - the 3S-GTE engine was pulled apart again for a 'proper' build...
The bores are stuffed with 2-thou oversized JE pistons, there are ARP head studs and a Blitz metal gasket. Onto this is bolted a GReddy TD06 20B turbo, GReddy Power Extreme exhaust, ZEN blow-off valve, SPAL intercooler fan and RMS ram-air intake. Controlling the show is a G-Force modified ECU, working with a Supra TT in-tank fuel pump.
Driving the rear wheels are a RPS Turbo clutch, and a 1995-spec LSD transaxle equipped with a TRD short shifter.
The brakes and suspension have also come in for a big serving. A Tokiko Illumina strut hides under each guard, there are Eibach Sportline springs and TRD swaybars. Add to that TRD strut braces and grippy rubbers on 17-inch Volk Racing rims and you've got a hare of an MR2. Keeping it on a leash are '93 KVR cross-drilled rotors with TRD stainless lines.
There also a stereo these days. A Kenwood Excelon deck, a Pheonix Gold 4-channel amp, a JL Audio 8-inch MicroSub and Boston Acoustic splits. A sensational sounding yet compact system. The interior also features an A'PEXi El-series boost gauge, NR white-faced gauges, PIAA dash bulbs and Recaro SRD seats.
Trevor also has plans for an A'PEXi EL EGT gauge, TRD thermostat, top feed fuel rail, RC Engineering 660cc injectors, a custom water-to-air intercooler, oil cooler and a TEC II ECS.
Visit http://home.europa.com/~trevor/mr2/index.html to keep up to date.
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