The 1990 Nissan Pulsar GTi-R we recently listed For Sale has found a new home! We are excited to see this Baby Godzilla go to Leo J, a hardcore Pulsar enthusiast!  This just in from Leo:

“I was looking for another Pulsar for about 3 years since I left my old GTiR in Germany (2014) where I was stationed last (USAF retired). And yes, sure thing…when I called Rob to inquire about the car, he answered my questions with a very polite and professional tone. Told him that I was interested in buying the car (gave him a little history about me that I was former military, in search of a Pulsar GTiR and that I had owned 2 GTiRs, 1st one a rust bucket, and the 2nd in a little better shape, both Okinawa island cars…then brought the 2nd to Korea and then to Germany).”

 

“I asked Rob if I could check it out in person, so we set up a day and both agreed with it. A few days later…saw the car in person and I was in awe as this was 100 times much better shape and in very good condition compare to the ones I’ve seen in the US for sale!”

  

“So Rob took me for a test drive and the car’s acceleration and handling were amazing and on point (this was the feeling I’ve been missing for three years)!  He drove it like he stole it, lol. I took it for a test drive and fell in love with that feeling again! Right there and then, I was sold! I knew then that Z Car Garage is a competent and a more than capable shop that you can trust and count on.  All in all, it was a very pleasant and worry free buying experience and wouldn’t hesitate one second to recommend Rob and ZCG to anyone!”

We were also pleased to find out that Leo drove the Pulsar all the way home from the Bay Area to Reno, through ice and snow!

Beginning the trip in Sunnyvale, and a masking tape check at a rest stop:

 

Cruising on the freeway:

  

A quick stop at Travis AFB:

 

Donner Pass, and finally at home, masking tape job still intact:

  

Enjoy The Ride Leo! Find your next Nissan/Infiniti/Datsun on Z Car Garage’s For Sale page. We will have new listings beginning next week!

 

Gary’s Pulsar GTi-R is for sale. This all-wheel drive, turbocharged “Baby GT-R” has been maintained by Z Car Garage and it is in pristine condition, ready to be enjoyed. For more information please visit our For Sale page HERE

 

 

If you tuned in last time to Gary’s Pulsar GTi-R we increased the power with a downpipe and several bolt-on parts:

  

Gary has been commuting and enjoying the newfound power in the Pulsar, but now he wanted to take the “cush” out of the ride. After some research he located BC Racing coil-overs for the RNN14 stateside and visited us for the installation:

 

Here are the coil-overs installed, before/after for the front/rear:

   

A full alignment followed the coil-over installation and we set the ride height so it looked good and handled well. Gary is super stoked!

 

 

 

 

Remember when Nissan built cool cars in 90’s?  They gave us the Skyline GT-R, 300zx Twin Turbo, Silvia/240sx and this rare little pocket-rocket: the Pulsar GTi-R. Based on a standard 3-door Pulsar, the GTi-R variant was built solely for Nissan to enter the World Rally Championship series.  With all-wheel drive and SR20DET power, it followed in the footsteps of the Skyline GT-R and earned the nickname “Baby Godzilla”.

 

This particular example, shown above with Alex’s R32 GT-R in the background, belongs to Gary S. It has just over 22,000 miles on the odometer and it is mint. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting design features of this little beastie.

Up front: A huge hood bulge with intakes dominates the frontal view and feeds a factory top-mounted intercooler. In back: a large roof spoiler and tail lights almost reminiscent of VW Golf GTi (MK2) units:

    

The interior is Nissan-simple. Note the factory auxiliary gauge set in center stack:

   

The Pulsar caught the eye of Mike Garrett and Speedhunters earlier this year, find the article
HERE

Here is a short video of some the neat details like the power folding mirrors, hidden umbrella holder and some driving:

 

A few years ago Gary discussed how cool it would be to have one of these stateside and eventually it made its way from Japan to ZCG. His plans: make it the perfect little commuter with a few bolt-ons!

From the factory the GTi-R was a potent performer combining lightweight (2700 lbs) and 227hp, enabling low 5-sec 0 to 60 and 13-sec 1/4 mile times. The SR20DET  has almost endless potential but also responds well to simple bolt-ons.

 

Gary didn’t want something too crazy…he’s already got the OS Giken TC24 Datsun 240z and a 500hp Z32 (featured soon) to soothe his power cravings. Our first order of business was to change the Japanese-spec battery with a US-spec unit. Next, we installed the AM Performance downpipe and midpipe, APEXi air filter, z32 MAF, Aeromotive 340lph fuel pump and Nistune ECU upgrade.

Factory downpipe and new AM parts:

   

Downpipe and midpipe installed:

 

APEXi air filter and Z32 MAF:

  

 

Next we installed a gearbox strengthening unit from Stracher Motorsports

  

The main problem with high powered GTi-R is that the gearbox internals and the case are subject to great forces and can fail under heavy use (above, left). The SM solution uses a strengthening collar to prevent the gearbox from cracking. Installation pics below:

 

   

The Pulsar was treated to a new set of chunky and sticky Falken Azenis 14″ tires. Coil-over suspension is next on the short list of future mods. For now, Gary has been Enjoy The Ride with a major grin while piloting Baby Godzilla around town!