It's fair to say AutoSpeed readers are the sort of people who'd sell their grandparents to get their car seriously hauling butt. Once you've saved up the cash (or you got a good price for the oldies!) it's like ecstasy transforming your ride into that unbeatable sexy street demon you'd always dreamt of. The cold hard truth, though, is things frequently go wrong along the way. Parts take months to arrive, engines blow up during development and, in general, things often run off the tracks.
A much easier option is to buy a wicked machine that someone else has had to grieve over. Not only do you have less stress to endure, you can nearly always save yourself some money - as we all know, you rarely get back what you spend on modifying a car. Gerry Kolaitis' ground trembling Japanese-import GT-R is a perfect example; it was an unload-it-off-the-boat-and-drive proposition. Kind of a ready to roll 10-second car...
Don't get the wrong idea - not every family in Japan has their own 10-second GT-R. They are still very much a rare sight. This particular R32 example (one of the late '94 models) was tracked down by one of Autostyle's 'scouts' in Japan who roam streeter hangouts ready to snap up equipment whenever the owner gets cold feet. The owner of this GT-R had simply stopped using it and, with a bit of persuasion, decided to sell it. A couple of months later, Autostyle had arranged for it to be shipped to Australia and had arranged all of the paperwork so that, once complied, it was a legit streetcar.
Built by Japanese tuning house 'Garage Saurus', this car's RB26DETT is typical of what you'll find powering many Japanese GT-Rs into the 10s. The main ingredients are a custom exhaust manifold, monster single turbo, high-flow exhaust and intake, big intercooler and upgrade fuelling system teamed with - in Australian terms - a somewhat fudged management system.
Gerry's car, specifically, had been equipped with a Trust stainless steel extractor manifold, a Trust TD08 turbocharger and a Trust (52mm?) external wastegate; we can only assume this gear all came as part of a kit. The massive quantities of induction air is inhaled through a HKS pod filter and is blown through a Trust 3-core 'Drag' air-to-air intercooler. On the way to the standard six-throttle intake manifold there are no blow-off valves to be found.
Internally, this donk is a rung above the many engines with just bolt-ons. Domenic from Autostyle says - as best as he can determine - the pistons have been swapped for more durable forged items, while the DOHC 24-valve head has been ported and stuffed with 272-degree camshafts with adjustable sprockets.
Of course, more fuel needs to be injected to keep mixtures acceptable so the Japanese tuners had whacked in a set of 680cc injectors suckling from a custom rail with an adjustable pressure regulator. Since the vehicle's arrival in Australia, a 800hp Bosch Motorsport fuel pump has also been fitted. Interestingly, the factory ECU remains in service - albeit loaded with an aftermarket set of maps - while an airflow meter interceptor had been also wired in.
It soon became obvious that the tuning side of things needed some tweaking locally - this was a job for Croydon Racing Developments. The airflow meter interceptor needed adjustment, as did fuel pressure and camshaft timing; this improved drivability and helped the big TD08 to spool up much earlier. With mixtures satisfactory and no detonation present (running 98RON Optimax), the GT-R has clawed at the dyno rollers with 410kW on a relatively mild 24 psi boost. Domenic claims it could probably touch 450kW with a less restrictive exhaust system; although a substantial 3 ½-inches in diameter, the existing system incorporates three large mufflers that are suspected of strangling flow. The upshot, though, is this is a 10-second car that can idle up alongside poor unsuspecting victims without drawing a second glance. And then the lights change...
The GT-R's ATESSA active AWD system and some serious 265 rubber ensure plenty of traction, and those killer launches are sustained by an OS Gikken triple plate clutch driving through an aftermarket synchro gearset. The remainder of the driveline is standard.
At time of our photo shoot the car was riding on the Bilstein aftermarket struts that had been fitted in Japan, but - impressed by the performance of HKS SuperDrag adjustable coil-overs in his own GT-R - Domenic advised Gerry to follow suit. HKS suspension is now employed.
While the R32 GT-R (non V-spec) came factory fitted with ABS and drilled discs, Gerry's car now runs slotted aftermarket rotors in a 294mm diameter. EBC pads are slipped into the colour-coded front and rear calipers. It's not a massive braking improvement, but at least it's a step in the right direction!
Like a large portion of serious modified streetcars, the GT-R looks relatively stock - it seems sleepers are well and truly in vogue. Aside from being the worshiped Skyline GT-R, extra attention comes Gerry's way thanks to a large Autostyle sticker across the windscreen, the polished exhaust outlet and the shining Trust intercooler that parades the vehicle's testicular fortitude. Domenic has also slid on a set of 18 x 10 Nizmo rims, which have been painted gold for a high contrast.
When it comes to colour the usually sombre R32 GT-R interior now has plenty. Autostyle retrimmed the entire factory GT-R trim with the same red fabric as used in Recaro race seats. This was a great way of revamping the original trim without costing an exorbitant amount of money. Other interior appointments include an Alpine mini-disc player, a Trust gear knob and an array of aftermarket gauges. The factory DIN-size triple gauge cluster now contains new gauges for water temperature, oil pressure and temperature. You'll also find white-faced GReddy boost and exhaust gas temp gauges mounted at other easy-to-view locations.
Although having only been in Australia a few months, Gerry has had absolutely no problems with the car - except that it had to be retuned when it arrived (which is fair enough given it is now in a different climate and running on lower grade fuel). Aside from the obvious ability to provide some serious excitement on the street, Gerry's GT-R has some circuit work lined up in the immediate future and it will eventually tackle the 400m dash. As Domenic says, "with over 400kW at the wheels it should be easily running in the high 10s." With perhaps future changes to the exhaust and, maybe, fitment of an A'PEXi Power FC for more precise tuning, we can expect the ground to tremble even more.
Even as it is, though, this vehicle stands out as the easiest to attain 10-second vehicle we've ever run. Ain't it just too easy for some people?
Contact:
Autostyle
0414 444 930
Croydon Racing Developments
+61 2 9648 4264
www.croydonautosports.com.au
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