Countless hours on the rollers revealed to Forge’s technical team that the most efficient core design consisted of a dual tube and fin design. This, combined with a considerable increase in overall dimensions offering measurably improved cooling ability, whilst simultaneously reducing pressure loss across the ‘cooler, when compared to the stock item.

The Forge unit is more than twice the size of the OEM cooler, offering much greater efficiencies in maintaining lower charge temperatures. All tests were carried out using uprated cars, running mappable ECUs. Across the board, every run showed both a reduction in inlet temperature and a sizeable increase in horsepower and torque, whilst managing to avoid the issue most commonly incurred when running a larger intercooler, namely, increased turbo lag. The GTR intercooler kit is supplied complete with all parts required, including mandrel bent 70mm pipework to both throttle bodies, silicon hoses, all clips, bolts, and nuts – and of course, comprehensive colour fitting instructions.

The efficiency of the latest Forge design has been proven by its fitment on the current UK GTR ¼ mile record holder, so not only is it a highly durable piece of equipment for road use, but also, more than up to the job in the competition environment. Whichever your preference, it is an essential modification for any tuned GTR.

Both front and rear coilovers follow a conventional shock absorber design, but that’s pretty much where all similarities end. With single bleed and preload adjustment, the Öhlins units have inbuilt height adjustment and are pre-assembled with 90/80 N/mm springs front and rear respectively. Build quality is exceptional, with carbon-steel bodies and flawlessly anodised detailing. Öhlins’ pioneering dual-flow valve technology means that despite their light weight and slim-line profile, the Road and Track kit responds to road undulations in exactly the same manner as a traditional Macpherson strut set-up. The use of needle valves in the damping unit also means that even when the oil gets hot after a hard session on the circuit or ‘B’ road, the damping rate is kept absolutely consistent, even when the viscosity of the damping fluid changes.

Height adjustment is achieved by simple adjustment of the precision-machined threaded body and damping and rebound are tweaked simultaneously in one simple twist of the easily accessible knurled knob; allowing the daily commute to be clicked off with limo-style smoothness, but, after a few seconds of adjustment, track days to be dispatched with racecar precision. Both front and rear units feature a machined alloy top mount and full dust and weather protection, making them the ideal upgrade for cars that are used in all seasons.

This unparalleled quality helps to explain Öhlins 2 year warranty and thanks to their racing heritage, each unit is fully serviceable and even upgradeable, should requirements or car specs change.

Samcosport’s new coolant and turbo kits have been designed as a simple and direct replacement to the entire brace of factory hoses, not only adding an instant visual kick to the underbonnet area, but more importantly, giving a much wider margin of pressure and temperature tolerance for anyone looking to tune the standard car.. which will be just about everybody, then!

Available in no less than 15 different colour ways, including bespoke camouflage and flame finishes, the hose kits can also be ordered with Samcosport’s own stainless steel clamp kits to create show-winning perfection, as well and ensuring the highest possible clamping forces without damaging the hose.

The 3 piece coolant kit is £74.92 + Vat and the 12 piece turbo kit is £338.22+ VAT. If you’re building a true ‘Godzilla’. Make this your first mod!

For more information please visit www.samcosport.com

Cobra’s engineering led solution uses pre-fatigued and shot peened springs to lower the car by around 30mm. Not only does this do wonders for the stance of the geometric Nissan, but also adds a significant dynamic improvement to the whole driving experience. Turn-in and general handling are greatly improved without ruining the Nissan’s compliant factory ride quality and best of all, the springs are designed to work perfectly with the factory dampers.

With a thick protective powder coat and numerous anti-corrosive treatments, it comes as little surprise that all Cobra kits come with full TUV approval and a class-leading 5 year warranty. Prices are as yet unconfirmed, but expected to be in line with the rest of the Cobra range.

For more see the list please visit www.cobra-suspension.com

Aero parts:
- Königseder Side
- Königseder front spoiler + diffuser

Exhaust:
- Akrapovic exhaust system from cat (Titan)

Power:
- Performance to 580PS by
Engine Electronics – Air filter – exhaust
0-200 9.8 sec

Wheels:
- HRE 595R black glossy (11kg/Felge)
VA: 9,5 x21 “ET29
Rear: 11×21 “ET15

Tires:
- Yokohama Advan Sport
Front: 245/35/21
Rear: 285/30/21

Chassis:
- KW Suspension

“New cars” built in 1999

It is no wonder that JAPO Motorsport GmbH selected this vehicle as the demo object to start a new field of activity: with the specialised restoration of Japanese super sports cars the performance specialists from Essen are opening up new markets – with used vehicles in good condition which, after extensive restoration, almost have the feel of new cars. The individual concept of each project enables the construction of absolute rarities.

Let’s get back the vehicle: JAPO Motorsport bought a used Nissan R34 GT-R (constructed in 1999, chassis no. BNR34000500), took it apart down to its basic structure, followed by an extremely complex rebuilding – closely based on the legendary Z-tune model in terms of technology and appearance. The 100 percent restoration of the high performance coupés took 3.5 months, the result being truly breathtaking.

Original Z-tune

Without laying it on thick, original NISMO Z-tune components (front aprons, front mudguards and rear wheel housing) provide the skyline with impressive racing optics. NISMO also offers red rear lights. The expression “Technology made visible” could not be more fitting for anything but the ARC rear diffuser which purists are especially thrilled about due to its edges and naked metal.
Apropos naked metal: the bodywork was completely stripped of paint in the immersion bath, subsequently sealed and painted in the original silver “KY0″, formerly reserved for the Z-tune.

HKS-Bi-Turbo-Power

Without exception, JAPO Motorsport refined the legendary RB26DETT straight six cylinder engine bi-turbo motor with a cylinder capacity of 2.5 litres cylinder capacity using the finest HKS components. To name but a few, two GT RS turbo chargers are now blowing into the cylinders with powerful 1.5 bar boost, sparking off a true hell fire. The intercooler, elbows, half pipe, racing suction and chamber kit, injectors, ignition plugs and cylinder head gaskets are also made by HKS. An HKS Fcon Pro standalone engine management system is responsible for the combustion process. Due to its ARC-4 inch titanium exhaust system, you will already hear the JAPO-Skyline from far. Performance measurement resulted in powerful 523 PS and 597 Nm – on the wheel!

Traction with the gearbox is enabled due to a considerably resilient HKS clutch. JAPO Motorsport treated the switch box as well as the rear axle differential with additional coolers by ARC for optimised stability.

There is no doubt about the HKS Hipermax thread chassis – it has absolute cult status among experts. It is supplemented by an ARC strut mounted between the two front strut pillars, which makes the handling of the coupé even more reliable.

Semi slicks and classy interior

Real NISMO Z-tune 9.5×18 inch five spoke wheels are rotating in the GT-R wheel housing. Once they are heated, the Toyo Proxes R888 semi slicks in 265/35R18 offer an extremely high level of grip which should however not be tested to the limits by inexperienced drivers. The serial braking system of the R34 GT-R is often scolded. However, after the installation of a stoptech brake with 355/35 millimetre discs and four-piston callipers in front as well as 355/32 millimetre discs and two-piston callipers on the rear axle, JAPOS’s “new vehicle” now offers deceleration values to make the passengers’ eyeballs bulge.

The interior is sporty, classy and not purist at all. JAPO Motorsport installed leather/alcantara fittings for the front and back seats, the dashboard, the centre console, door and side panels, the columns, the roof liner as well as the rim of the Sparco steering wheel. The NISMO tachometer unit is scaled up to 320 km/h, the large multifunctional display above the centre console was extensively updated and now even includes a lap timer.

By the way: the vehicle shown, the no. 1 of an edition limited to 20 pieces (just like the grand original) is for sale. For EUR 89,900, which is quite appropriate given the elaborate, new construction, the exclusive Skyline could be yours.

The Eibach Pro-Kit lowers the car by approximately 30mm, bringing the roadster’s centre of gravity closer to terra firma, reducing roll under cornering and endowing the Nissan with an aggressive stance. The Pro-Kit’s trump card is its progressive winding technology that uses a softer part of the spring for everyday driving, yet utilises a much stiffer section under hard cornering, meaning true precision in the turns, balanced with real comfort on the straights.

The springs are pre-fatigued to eliminate sagging before undergoing Eibach’s OEM-quality surface and paint preparation which is backed by a full 5 year warranty and full TUV approval, The kit is priced at £173.04 + VAT.

Owners looking for the ultimate turn-in can also opt for the Pro-Spacer kit, which uses precision machined hub-centring spacers to effect a track increase. Available in a variety of widths to work with both OEM and aftermarket wheels, they make a tangible difference to the car’s point-to-point ability. These are priced from £81.74 + VAT for the 10mm versions.

Of course, there are some enthusiasts who will always want more – and when one of these enthusiasts contacted Switzer about pushing the P800 GTR to the limit, the crew at Switzer Performance got to work developing the car you see here.

“The P800 is already at the limit of what we feel comfortable for the stock GTR transmission,” explains Switzer. “So to go further we really needed to beef up the transmission. We contacted Dodson Motorsports in New Zealand and explained what our goals were with the car – 900 hp, more clutch area, ad smooth shifting at every speed. The new transmission is the product of several months’ co-development between Switzer and Dodson, and is exactly what we needed in order to start pushing the GTR forward beyond 800 hp.”

The next thing Switzer needed to address to keep “pushing the GTR forward” was fuel. “We didn’t want to just deliver a race-gas package that tethered the client to a fuel drum in his garage, but we wanted to be able to turn up the boost, also.” The solution? Readily-available E85.

“In a way, the solution was all around us,” offers Switzer, whose shop is located deep in Ohio’s farm country, surrounded – literally! – by cornfields. “E85 isn’t without its trade-offs. We had to modify the fuel system to handle the fuel and significantly increase the size of the injectors, also, but in the end we had a fuel that gave us everything we needed to crank up the boost on this car and deliver over 900 hp.” The E85 delivered other benefits as well: it is significantly “greener” than the pump-gas and race-gas versions of the GTR. “With most high-horsepower cars, you can barely breathe after just a few dyno runs. With the E85, we were able to run pull after pull to dial in the tune without feeling any effects of the usual emissions. It’s hardly scientific, but there was a noticeable improvement in the air quality in the shop compared to race gas.”

The final product – dubbed the E900 for “Ethanol fuel, 900 hp” – is a fast, capable package that offers linear power delivery and massive midrange torque with superior transient response compared to larger-turbo/race-fuel combinations, while maintaining a bit of environmental responsibility along with its blistering sub-6-second 60-130 mph acceleration.

This first P800 also sports an Amuse carbon fiber aero package, 3-way adjustable suspension, and 20″ BBS wheels that are an inch wider than stock at all four corners. Switzer’s new E85-fueled E900 PKG is available now. Contact Switzer Performance for more.

Click here to view the embedded video.

His rocket from the Land of the Rising Sun represents real tuning martial arts. Despite the extensive body kit and a massive spoiler on the boot lid, the subtle grey paintwork gives the Nissan also a noble appeal. The Shaft model is distinguished from the regular Dotz Tupac rims by its white paintwork. The contrast with the dark rubber of the giant 255 and 275 Toyo Proxes makes the wheels a real eye-catcher. Additional design stripes and Dotz logo stickers from the Dotz Custom Finish Program make these rims really unique.

Considering the Nissan Silvia, even the basic model is rare in most European countries. In Germany the model was previously distributed under the alternative name 200 SX, but this does not apply to the S15 generation, which was built in Japan only from 1999 to 2002. Therefore, Mehyar had to transport his car from Nippon himself. Although the newer Silvia models are rare, they quickly became “it-cars” in the professional drift scene. Connoisseurs of the alternative way of drive rely on Dotz rims, of course; after all, the brand is doing its best to support the drift scene. Numerous Team Riders have been successful in this sport. Mehyar Daneshmand might also fancy giving it a try in the near future, sliding sideways on his Tupac Shaft. After all, the Silvia has enough power – the turbo version reaches standard values of 250 hp. We guess: Mehyar’s career will soon be on the move – but not on a straight-line!

Despite setting the expectation bar high, the cars didn’t disappoint their new owners on the track – but as their comfort levels with the GTR grew, some of the GTR’s new owners started to realize something that Lotus buyers had known for years: on a racetrack, mass is the enemy.

Mass affects the way a car stops, turns, and accelerates. Less mass is good. Less mass means a driver can get more grip in the corners, more stopping power from the brakes, and – with a superior power/weight ratio – more miles per hour in the straights. More mass, however, is bad. More mass means the tires get overworked, the brakes fade early, and – with more pounds to motivate – fewer miles per hour in the straights. Even fuel economy suffers!

At a portly 3800 lbs., even the most die-hard Skyline fans admit that the R35 GTR has a lot of mass to carry around a track – which motivated one New England GTR owner to contact Ohio-based tuning firm Switzer Performance, and see what Tym Switzer and his crew could do to help Godzilla zig.

“The client had some pretty clear goals with this car.” explains Tym, “This GTR couldn’t be trackday special that would deafen you out on public roads. The client was looking for a car that he and his wife could drive out 2 or 3 hours to the track in reasonable comfort, fill it up with pump gas, set killer times lap after lap after lap, and drive to a nice dinner afterwards without issue. Basically, it’s a race car with climate and cruise controls, and that’s kind of a lot to ask!”

The Switzer crew set to work on the Super Silver 2010 GTR, starting with the company’s proven P800 kit, which replaces the car’s intercoolers, intakes, and turbochargers with Switzer components that bump the GTR-engine to 800 hp and almost 700 lb-ft of torque … but didn’t stop there. “Adding 300 more horsepower the car obviously helped its power-to-weight,” Tym adds, “but more importantly none of the components in our P800 package and our new cooling package, which this car also has, are any heavier than stock. When we built the kit originally we didn’t want to make the car any heavier than it already was, and with this car in particular we wanted to reduce the weight as much as we could, without sacrificing the ‘GT’ aspect of the GTR.”

To that end, Switzer fitted featherweight carbon rotors from AP, which cut a significant amount of unsprung weight (the enemy of handling) and rotating mass (the enemy of acceleration) from each corner of the GTR, while improving fade resistance. Application-specific pads, high-temperature brake fluid (AP), and stainless steel braided brake lines round out the brake package with improved pedal feel and increase stopping power.

Weight was also cut with the addition of a lightweight (ceramic-coated) titanium exhaust system, dry-carbon decklid, and lightweight sports seats from Bride. “We chose these seats because of their adjustability. You can be comfortable, still get to the back seat, and it’s not an extreme one-piece seat that’s not comfortable on the highway. They fit the project goal perfectly.”

Up on the scales, this weekend warrior weighed in at a much-improved 3600 lbs, which is enough to make a significant impact on handling, braking, and straight-line speed.

Further enhancing handling is a fully-adjustable JRZ suspension system, complemented by stiffer adjustable swaybars, an underbody diffuser, and an active-aero wing from Aeromotions, which supplements braking and cornering by constantly varying the wing’s angle of attack.

“This car is really an amazing collaborative effort,” offers Tym. “Everyone involved really came through on this build, and the data we got from JRZ and the brake guys at Stillen who import the AP rotors helped us tie it all together into a coherent package that is at home on the track and in town, too. All we need to do now is get it on the track with the client behind the wheel, and dial it in to his driving style – that’s what’s really important here, that we get it right for him and deliver the ‘track animal’ he ordered. Once he’s comfortable in the car, we’ve got a list of GTR ‘track records’ that we’d like to beat. I think this is the car to do it.”

Switzer’s P800 and upgraded cooling packages are available through Switzer dealers. Contact Switzer Performance for more information.