The idea of collecting notable Japanese cars is something pretty unusual here in Australia; most people gravitate toward old-school traditional Oz muscle cars or tasty European pieces. Tom Lee - partner in Sydney's BD4s Service Centre - however, is one of the few enthusiasts into filling his garage with Japanese thoroughbreds - namely the Nissan Skyline GT-R series.
The vehicle you see here is Tom's most recent acquisition - a 1999 R34 V-spec GT-R. "I already had a R33 GT-R and I was keen to get into the latest and greatest model - the last one to have the RB26 engine". After importing the immaculate 27,000 kilometre one-owner vehicle from Japan - not particularly cheaply either, due to demand - the job of compliancing was handed to a company called Shogun. Once all the necessary changes had been carried out, Tom could - at last - jump in behind the wheel of his $120,000-odd investment. "The car was certainly more comfortable, quieter and easier to drive than the R33 - and the 6-speed 'box was great. It also handled better with its more sophisticated ATTESA Pro system and active rear LSD." Note that the R34 is also 75mm shorter and considerably more rigid than the R33.
To a certain extent, grunt is not an issue in a GT-R - well, not unless you drive modified cars every day like Tom! Apparently the R34 felt relatively slow because it was more refined than the previous models - this despite the car being fitted with a Mines computer and high-flow exhaust while in Japan.
One of the first changes made locally was to the wheels and tyres department. Tom hit the nail on the head when he whacked on those Volk 18 x 9.5-inch rims; don't they make it look
fast? Keen on hitting the racetrack from time to time, Tom's choice of tyre is pretty serious - sticky 265/35 Bridgestone RE711s.
As mentioned, the R34 handled a lot better than the R33 but the suspension set-up was a little too pillow-like for Tom. Out came the stockie struts in favour of some beautiful HKS HyperMax coil-overs featuring adjustable bump, rebound and ride height; these are intended for use with high grip tyres, such as the big RE711s. You may notice the car sits a little lower than standard, but not enough to screw-up the ground clearance needed for day-to-day driving.
For now, the standard 4/2-pot braking system remains in service except the rotors have been grooved and Ferodo DS2500 pads bite into 'em.
One of the big trends in Japan at the moment is having a carbon fibre bonnet. While the GT-R's aluminium bonnet is certainly lighter than conventional sheet metal, the fitment of a Nizmo replica lid has shed a further handful of kilograms. Another benefit is reduced underbonnet temps, thanks to some tough looking cooling louvres. Note that - for all you R34 owners with cash burning a hole in your pocket - BD4s have these bonnets available to the public.
Despite the cutting-edge nature of the car, a slightly retro styling theme has been adopted; a pair of blue stripes run over the top of the car, just like the ol' Cobra bruisers of yesteryear. As Tom says, these stripes have kinda become a BD4s trademark since they were painted on their turbocharged MX-5 (Miata).
Note the front and rear aerodynamic diffusers and adjustable rear wing that are all part of the standard R34 V-spec kit.
Inside, the cabin is all pretty much standard V-spec fare - which, according to Tom, is virtually the same as the standard GT-R except with a couple more functions on the centre LCD display. The display shows boost pressure, water temperature, oil temperature, battery voltage, throttle opening, fuel injector opening and front toque split, plus - in the V-spec - intake air temperature and EGT. This particular vehicle had also been fitted with a 320 km/h speedo and a Nizmo gear knob.
A Sony head unit has been wired to the standard speaker system, but Tom tells us the car will be used as a Sony demo car so we can expect to see a mega sound system fitted fairly soon.
Having racked up nearly 10,000 kilometres since arriving in Australia Tom is very pleased with the car but, running its standard ball-bearing ceramic turbos to a maximum of 1.0 Bar, the need for more power is building rapidly. As seen here, Tom has devised a power up kit that should see the car generating in the vicinity of 750 - 800 horsepower without leaning on it too heavily; it still has to be practical as a daily streeter/promo car/circuit car. The components so-far collected include a 2.8-litre stroker kit, forged pistons, a T51 turbo/manifold kit, cams, oil cooler multi-plate clutch and more; it's all very much on-track.
Despite shooting for 800-odd ponies, Tom says the R33 he bought several years ago will probably end up with more power. This project didn't start off too well, however, with various parts of the car being swiped at some stage during importation. Since then, the car has been made to haul butt with an exhaust, intake kit, upgrade 'cooler, piggyback HKS ECU, oil cooler and some suspension and brake work. It is also a carbon copy of the R32 - white with a raw carbon fibre bonnet.
The final piece to Tom's GT-R collection - an R32 - is surrounded by a fair bit of uncertainty at the moment. You see, once imported from Japan, it was found to have some unexpected major problems; Tom is probably going to return this R32 for another one.
One thing is for sure - now that Nissan has stopped building the GT-R, a collection of R32, 33 and 34 'Rs is gonna prove a tidy little investment in the Lee garage. See - collectable classics don't have to be decaying relics from the past!
Contact:
BD4s Service Centre
+61 2 9879 3322
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