The latest episode of Motor Trend’s Ignition series takes a look at the Nissan GT-R lineage. The segment features glorious engine sounds from the R35, R32 and Hakosuka Skyline GT-R. All cars were driven hard by host Jason Cammisa on the curvy roads of the Santa Cruz Mountains. I am especially excited about this short film because the R32 shown was built at Z Car Garage and currently owned by customer and friend Alex M. If you have not seen the video yet click on the YouTube link below, and continue reading for a behind-the-scenes look:

https://youtu.be/1DkGNPz89FA?list=PLEFAC5D656286E89B

 

When Motor Trend reached out to us for a GT-R feature we happily obliged by providing the R32 GT-R. I had the wonderful opportunity of delivering the R32 to the set and spending a day with the filming crew. So what was it like to be on the set of production? It started in the morning on a weekday in May when I picked up a freshly detailed R32 from the shop. After a splash of 100 octane I proceeded to drive the Skyline on (what else?) Skyline Blvd:

 

It was a thrill driving the R32 GT-R up HWY 9 and 35, and I finally arrived at my destination. I met up with Jason and director Anthony Esposito at Alice’s Restaurant, a popular hub for gearheads enjoying the surrounding twisty roads. We had breakfast with the crew and I couldn’t believe I was eating blueberry pancakes next to Jason Cammisa! My hero from Head2Head, which I recommend as the chemistry between him and Jonny Lieberman is highly entertaining!

 

We hopped in the GT-Rs and headed out to the first shooting location to acquire “beauty” shots before the action footage. This, dear zcarblog readers, was an epic moment as I was treated to the simply orgasmic sounds emanating from the S20-powered Hakosuka GT-R.  The 3 GT-Rs:

 

The 1971 Hakosuka Skyline GT-R

  

The authentic, KPGC10 Skyline is owned by enthusiast Tom Knudsen. Learn more about Tom’s passion for vintage J-Tin from our friends at Japanese Nostalgic Car.  It’s hard not to shoot endless pictures of this rare, iconic beauty:

 

The 2017 R35 GT-R:

 
The 1992 R32 Skyline GT-R

 

Jason and I took the R32 out for test drive before filming. Again I was a little star struck sitting shotgun. When I drove it up Skyline Blvd earlier that morning I had not given it the full throttle but Jason on the other hand didn’t hold back. We were both pretty giddy driving it on boost. He’s a carnut like the rest of us and enjoys his track days and building/working on cars. He’s seriously funny too, follow him on Instagram

 

  

While the crew was setting up, I had an enlightening chat with Tom about vintage Japanese cars and historic racing. He raced back to his garage to bring a vanity plate for the Hako and returned in his 1973 Porsche 911E. Then a random yellow NSX showed up.  All of this combined with sweeping views of the Bay Area would make any gearhead happy:

 

  

In addition to the NSX and numerous hikers/cyclists that stopped by, traffic on Skyline was getting heavier throughout the day. This would clearly impede filming, but I learned an interesting (apparently common) solution: hiring off-duty CHP officers to shut down the road for 15 minutes at a time:

 

That 15 minute window was frantic to me but the entire team was calm and collected with each cycle, accomplishing all desired footage.  I was thoroughly impressed.  On the other hand, after traffic was released by the CHP the passing drivers were either visibly frustrated or genuinely in awe of the triple Skylines that were holding them up!

  

Weather conditions were not favorable for recording sound. It was extremely windy and cold and though I wasn’t dressed for the chill I managed to find warmth and solace in the heated seats of the R35. Kudos to Dennis the sound guy and camera crew for making the best of the conditions. I even witnessed Anthony do some wild acrobatic filming hanging out the back of a Tahoe while driving in reverse!

  

Simon, Wiley and Anthony adorn the R32 with a myriad of camera/sound recording devices:

 

By 6pm the session was called and with the fog rolling in, our R32’s role was completed. The team would continue filming the KPGC10 and R35 the rest of the week.

 

All good things must come to an end and I drove the Skyline back to the shop and relinquished the keys:

   

Thank you MotorTrend crew for the hospitality! It was a memorable experience and the video turned out great. We are sad to report that Jason left Motor Trend after this episode but I was fortunate to watch him and Anthony work their magic in person. I wish them the best!  More pictures in the gallery below
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We last heard from Carlos when he picked up his 2015 Nissan GT-R and began modifying it to the tune of over 600whp on E85. He immediately put the R35 through its paces at the Wednesday Night Drags running a strong  1/4 mile of 10.7 @129mph. As anyone with an addiction to boost will tell you, one can never have enough power! So, Carlos came back to ZCG for more upgrades starting with new USM turbos from SIR, a SpecialtyZ speed density kit and 4-bar MAP sensor.

 

New USM turbos compared to OEM. Stock manifolds are still utilized:

On the dyno The GT-R put down 611hp/520tq on 91 octane and 703hp/621tq to the wheels on E85:

 

Next, Carlos wanted to improve aesthetics while adding wider tires for traction. He chose the ADVAN Racing GT in 20×10 (F) and 20×12 (R) with a 335-width Pilot Super Sport tire:

 

A KW coil-over sleeve kit allows use of factory Bilstein struts:

 

   

We really dig the the new, aggressive look! Here are a few before/after shots:

 
Will 700whp be enough for Carlos? Stay tuned!

 

Carlos S visited Z Car Garage to supercharge his 2014 Nismo 370z.  At his request, we installed a Stillen supercharger kit with the larger intercooler (frozenboost) and full PLX Devices gauge package. After driving the Z for some time Carlos came back yearning for more power and inquired about a new air-to-air intercooler setup that was all the rage on the forums at the time. Keeping forced-induction limits and CARB status in mind with the 370z we started discussing the prospect of GT-Rs.

 

Within days Carlos was actively searching for R35s. After our buddy Lou S came down to the shop and demo’d his black 2014 GT-R Track Edition…Carlos knew he had to have one and became the owner of a 2015 R35 in Vibrant Red. In addition to being a cool dude Carlos also has a very supportive girlfriend, Amy, and two French bulldogs. And we all know that frenchies are the bee’s knees 🙂

 

Carlos couldn’t wait to start modifying the car and to keep him happy we installed a Boost Logic cat-back exhaust system and 90mm Quadzilla mid-pipe:

 
Our plan for more power included a complete flex-fuel setup for E85 tuning. Shown below are 1300cc Injector Dynamics injectors, DW300 drop-in fuel pumps,  SpecialtyZ 3″ Intakes,  SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel Set up and AMS Downpipes

 

When increasing boost levels it is wise to upgrade the factory, non-adjustable by-pass or blow-off valve (BOV). Here we used new, adjustable BOVs from Turbosmart:

 

Before/after shots of the new intakes and BOVs:

  

 

Installing the SpecialtyZ Flex-Fuel sensor kit. This key component monitors the ethanol content of fuel for running different octane gas/ethanol blends. Also shown are the ID 1300cc injectors and dual DW300 fuel pumps:

 

Using EcuTek software and help from our good friend Sebastian at SpecialtyZ we tuned the GT-R on 91 octane and ethanol/E85.  On 91 octane we saw gains of 50hp and 62tq above stock for a total of 542hp/507tq at the wheels:

On E85, the GT-R made 632hp/612tq to the wheels. This is a significant increase of 94hp/105tq over the 91 octane tune and a whopping 144hp/167tq at the wheels over stock output!

 

Carlos is extremely happy with his 600whp Nissan GT-R and he has already ordered a Stage 2 kit from Spray Racing with upgraded turbos…to be continued but for now Enjoy The Ride!

 

 

The Nissan R35 GT-R like any high performance vehicle, requires regular maintenance to ensure the car is performing its best and is well protected. Here at Z Car Garage we are not only interested in carrying out performance conversions, but can take care of all your Nissan R35 GT-R routine servicing. Enrique G came to us for 36k services on his Solid Red 2012 GT-R. He loves driving and you might recognize his car from our last fun run to Canepa Cars & Coffee:

 

While servicing the Nissan GT-R we only use genuine Nissan parts and oil that is recommended or exceeds the manufacturers standards. For example, the GT-R’s VR38 engine with its plasma-sprayed bores has been developed to run on Mobil 1 (0W-40) fully synthetic high performance engine oil.  As such ZCG carries this oil specifically for GT-R servicing.

  

For those doing track days, we can tailor your service to include any extras you may need such as additional transmission fluid changes, alignment and dyno tuning. Give us a call to discuss your next pre or post track day service.

Enjoy The Ride, Enrique!

 

 

 

 

Dan J is the owner of this gorgeous 2015 GT-R. The numbers are impressive: Zero to 60 mph in under three seconds; a top speed of 196 mph; 545 horsepower courtesy of a hand-built 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 assembled in a clean room so high-tech that those fleeing scientists on the silver screen would kill to have one. This beast has also been finished in premium Regal Red paint embedded with 24-karat gold flakes! We think it is mesmerizing under varying light conditions:

 

Combined with an Ivory interior this R35 exudes a level of refinement and luxury not typically seen on earlier models:

 

Sidenote: I met Dan in December ’14 while helping his neighbor with a Datsun Roadster. Dan kindly let me park the 510 next his GT-R and I might have mentioned how we love them at ZCG 🙂

 

So what does one do with such a beautiful sportscar? Add more power, of course! Dan came to us for a full AMS Alpha 7 package installation.

 

The package includes:

• ALPHA front mount intercooler
• COBB big SF intake pipe
• Alpha 90mm Mid-pipe
• Alpha 90mm Downpipes
• HKS Legamax Exhaust System
• Injector Dynamics 1000CC Injectors
• Cobb AccessPORT V3

Let’s start with the exhaust and a closer look at the new mid-pipes and down pipes:

 

OEM vs Alpha downpipes:

 

Mid-pipe:

 

Completing the system is the HKS Legamax exhaust. Fresh from the box, compared to the OEM system:

 

Great, OEM-like fit with factory underbody Aero:

 

Looks fantastic here and sounds even better!

 

Underhood, better breathing is achieved through larger intakes and K&N air filters. Stealth black tubing is nice touch:

 

Rounding out intake mods is a larger Alpha front mount intercooler. It boasts 75% more internal flow area over stock and direct bolt-in/no cutting fitment! It doesn’t hurt to have the “Alpha” logo peeking through the front bumper too:

 

Fueling demands are met by larger 1000cc injectors:

 

How do all these mods add up to increase power? To find out we strapped the red beauty to the dyno:

 

Utilizing the CobbAccessPORT V3 for tuning we saw peak gains of 80hp/86tq for a total of 577hp/562tq to the wheels. The dyno plot reveals tremendous gains from 2500rpm to redline. For example at 4000rpm the GT-R is now making 560tq vs 460tq stock!

 

Dan’s GT-R was already blindingly quick from the factory and now it has even more power to enjoy while maintaining its Regal composure. Thank you for bringing your R35 to Z Car Garage! More pictures to enjoy in the gallery below.

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