The Skyline GT-R is one of
the world’s most commonly modified performance cars. That means it’s a big call
to say that this is one of the very best - but we’re prepared to go out on that
limb. This is a God of
GT-Rs!
Owned by Peter Hopkins of
the Sydney branch of Advan Performance, this R33 GT-R has bagged countless
trophies, numerous magazine cover shoots and, well, more than a few standing
start victims. But let’s clear something up before we go too far - this car is
technically not a GT-R.
Peter tells the
story...
“The car was originally a
R33 GTS4 all-wheel-drive and it ended up being converted to GT-R specifications
after a genuine GT-R that I imported turned out to be a damaged and
unrepairable. So what we did was basically a swap job. You can tell
[this
isn’t a genuine GT-R]
by the factory sunroof, which was never fitted to the
GT-R.”
With bodywork commencing in
1999, the R33 GTS4 was stripped back to bare metal and painstakingly
reassembled using the GT-R’s pumped guards. Dr Bob in New Zealand performed this
task – in fact, the majority of work was performed in New Zealand before Peter
decided to branch Advan Performance into Australia.
With the intention of
creating an all-time great promo vehicle, Peter opted for one of the most
attention-grabbing body kits that can be pieced together. The majority of the
body kit is Trust, but the mirrors are Ganador (from Japan) and the rear
diffuser was custom made in Sydney by Body Form. Peter also has two bonnets to
suit different occasions - the carbon-fibre job seen in our pics was a lucky
purchase in Hong Kong.
The paint is a custom mix
by the eccentric Dr Bob in New Zealand. Peter asked for something different –
and that sure is what he got! Described as “blurple” the paint has been
beautifully applied and is well up to show winning standard. Oh, and you might
notice the odd sticker here and there!
The guards are amply filled
by a rare set of ex-Trust Amkread 18-inch rims, which wear 265/35 Yokohama
rubbers. A suitably low stance is delivered thanks to HKS shocks/springs that
combine with Cusco adjustable front arms, swaybars and front tower brace to
improve handling. Advan also solid-mounted the rear sub-frame and added their
own in-cabin rear tower brace to supplement the GT-R brace. Rear chassis
stiffness is not a problem!
Part of the transformation
into a GT-R included - of course - dropping in the mighty RB26DETT engine. Advan
Performance is the Australasian distributor of Trust/Greddy equipment so there
should be no surprise to learn that the engine boasts almost the entire Trust
catalog of parts.
Ahhh, where to
start?
Almost the only Nissan part
left inside the RB six is the crankshaft - and even that has been
stress-relieved, reshaped and re-drilled. The rest of the hardware comes from
the good people at Trust - rods, pistons (providing a 8.6:1 static compression
ratio), camshafts, cam sprockets, valve guides, retainers and head gasket. A
Trust high-capacity sump, oil cooler with remote filter mounting kit and an
aluminium radiator help ensure there are no embarrassing mishaps. A beautifully
fabricated Trust catch can – which is representative of the overall finish of
the engine bay – is also installed. Note the miles of braided line.
The DOHC, 24-valve head has
been extensively modified - it features enlarged exhaust ports, cleaned-up
intake ports, larger valves (in a revised location) and reshaped combustion
chambers. The latter was performed under the guidance of Trust engineers in
Japan. Take a look at the engine bay and you’ll also see a trick clear belt
cover that is manufactured by - you guessed it - Trust.
The turbo system is an
exclusive. A Trust exhaust manifold is bolted to the side of the head and feeds
a pair of Trust TD06 20G turbochargers, which Peter says deliver their best
above 5200 rpm. A single 45mm Trust external wastegate also feeds exhaust gasses
into a massive 4-inch diameter Trust TR stainless exhaust system. Intake airflow
is equally free-flowing thanks to a pair of Trust filters in a cold air
enclosure.
Charge-air temperature is
slashed by a humungous Trust Drag intercooler with a core measuring some 165mm
thick. Intercooler plumbing is custom fabricated to suit the 20G turbos and
you’ll find a Trust Type R blow-off valve on-route to the throttle bodies.
Interestingly, Peter hasn’t ripped off the factory six-throttle intake to whack
on a big single throttle arrangement.
Peter explains, “I went for
the Trust multi-throttle intake manifold because it offers better response than
a larger single throttle set-up.”
The fuelling and ignition
shooting match is controlled by a one-off Link programmable system that was
designed to suit this specific vehicle. Interestingly, Peter runs a set of six
720cc primary injectors and another six 550cc secondary injectors that feed from
a pair of Trust rails. A Sard race fuel pressure regulator, twin Bosch 044 pumps
and a surge tank rounds out the fuel system - see how nicely the pumps and surge
tank are installed in the boot.
The ignition system
comprises Splitfire coils working off the Link ECU.
Obviously, the factory
Nissan clutch wouldn’t be very useful with such a highly modified engine.
Driveline slip is now eliminated by an OS Giken triple-plate clutch system. The
rest of the driveline remains standard GT-R, except for high-capacity Trust
front and rear diff covers. These are finned to shed as much heat as
possible.
Peter points out that the
build-up was completed before GT-R stroker kits had become relatively common. As
a result, power comes from a considerable number of revs - the engine is limited
at 10,000 rpm (yep, you read it right!). The Profec B electronic boost
controller gives up to 2.5 Bar of boost - but only when running BP race fuel. In
this configuration, the car has muscled out more than 500kW at the wheels on a
Bosch chassis dyno in Auckland. For street duties, boost is kept down to around
1.6 Bar and with 98 RON pump fuel in the tank the car has made a
still-impressive 400kW at the wheels.
Performance? Given the
right conditions, Peter is confident the car could run a 10-second quarter mile
pass.
This kind of acceleration
is despite carrying an interior that is best described as plush. The front seats
were donated from a Subaru WRX and were generously retrimmed in quality leather.
The standard Nissan rear seat was also reshaped and trimmed in matching leather
together with the door trims. Peter keeps tabs on the engine via a GReddy fuel
pressure, oil pressure and oil temp gauge in the center of the dash, an A-pillar
GReddy boost and EGT gauge and a column-mounted GReddy coolant temp gauge. Yep,
there are plenty of gauges! Other interior features include a drift-type
handbrake button, a Nismo Group A steering wheel plus an electronic boost
controller and turbo timer. A steering wheel mounted button allows Peter to
switch to high boost when in the higher gears – this, he says, helps maximize
the life of the driveline. The
audio system comprises a Pioneer double-DIN head unit that feeds a pair of
amplifiers, Fusion front splits and a big-ass Fusion sub that’s mounted in the
boot.
Take a close look at finish
of the interior and you’ll see that it’s another area where this vehicle really
sets itself apart.
With such an impressive
list of features so beautifully integrated Peter is happy to leave the car
largely as it is. But the near-standard brakes are soon to be upgraded to prototype
8-pot Trust/GRex units and an interior revamp is on the cards.
Peter wraps it up; “I have
no immediate plans to sell the car, but if some were to offer me an amount well
into the three-digit territory I’d consider it.”
You get what you pay
for!
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