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!

 

 

 

Talented fabricator and Nissan/Datsun restorer Eric S. is selling his SR-powered Datsun 510. Please see our For Sale page HERE for more details.

 

Gary S. is a guy on a quest…to own each example of Nissan perfection. Lets begin the next chapter in Gary’s 240sx as it gets closer to that vision of exellence!
With the G35TT being what it is, Gary’s back-up car must have the same 3-dimensional qualities of big power, big brakes, and suspension. The to-do list included cleaning up the work done by the previous owner, and improve on an already amazing ride.
When the 240SX arrived from the east coast it already had the SR20DET engine swap, stock MAF, stock turbo, and boost controller. We dyno’d the car in stock configuration: 205hp/193tq at the wheels indicated a clean bill of health. Let the modifying begin.

We made a plan to make nice power on 91 octane with big torque throughout the mid-range to help Gary forget his new ride only has 4 cylinders 🙂 We installed a more “adult” exhaust to replace the loud RS*R muffler. Made by BRM, this exhaust is fairly priced, has perfect fitment, and most of all the twin-tips look very close to the factory outlets!

A call was made to Clark @ JWT and we wired in the Z32 MAF, installed the NISMO 740CC injectors, and plugged in the new ECU upgrade from JWT. We knew the stock turbo would never meet the power and torque requirement…come on it’s Gary…So another call was made, this time to the folks at TOMEI USA:

We decided to run several TOMEI components so off came the valve cover to install the S14 Poncams, rocker stoppers, TOMEI Expreme stainless turbo manifold, and turbo outlet pipe. TOMEI had just released the M7960 turbo and we told them we would give it a try and report back on the performance level. Behold the turbo manifold in all it’s glory….before it gets wrapped with high temp tape:

The stock manifold + turbo vs new Tomei setup….Hey Gary that old T28 is going into Alvin’s roadster, right?

Once the parts were installed we ran the Wideband 02, plugged in our Consult II and went out for a test run. The MAF voltage was higher than I had ever seen on a turbo car at this boost level. Once the boost kicked in…it was enough to put you firmly back in the seat.
On to the dyno…power levels were very nice, but at the top of the rpm range we were having trouble holding steady boost. 338hp and 305tq to the wheels with a great powerband was nice indeed.

We checked all of the usual suspects to sort out the boost issue but no answer. TOMEI USA was contacted and they are willing to help us find a way to get the desired power with a steady boost pressure: To be continued…

…Back to the car…
Big power is a great thing but driving a car that can only go fast can get old very quickly. It is no secret that ZCG loves using Stoptech Big-Brake-Kits…we have tested them on the street and the track with impressive results. It’s about time serious hp power met serious brakes on these cars! When was the last time you saw a set of these on a 240sx 🙂 Larger rotors, stainless lines and appropriately sized master cylinder round out the upgrade. To match the front calipers the rear Z32 calipers were finished in red/white lettering:

The 240 already came with a sweet set of bronze 18″ Nismo LM-GT4 wheels, here is the before/after Stoptechs up front:

Of course the bronze looks great against the white body but Gary wanted a more low-key appearance so the wheels were re-finished in black:

The next steps in the 240SX project will be to sort out our boost issue,  install some suspension upgrades and gauges. Here are a few more pics of the car with the new look:

Long Live the Man With The Most Nissans!
Rob

This gorgeous 1998 Nissan 240sx is getting extensive upgrades at ZCG. Owner Gary S. recently found this car and it is in immaculate condition from the interior/exterior to the clean S14 SR20DET drivetrain swap. Yes, that odometer reads just under 53k. Finding a “kouki” S14 this clean is near impossible!  Besides the SR this 240sx already came with pretty bronze NISMO wheels, Z32 brakes, RS-R exhaust, and some mild suspension upgrades.

If you have seen Gary’s RB-powered 240z, affectionately called Behemoth than you know what’s in store for this 240sx will be both tasteful and impressive.  The modification list includes a host of suspension parts from SPL:
Tension rods
Front inner/outer tie rods
Steering Rack boots/bushings
Front upper and lower arms
Rear toe rods, lower arms, traction rods
Rear knuckle monoball bushings
Progress front and rear sway bars
The SR20 will get Tomei cams, turbo, 3″ downpipe, and JWT will handle the ECU. Stoptech big-brakes on the front will replace the Z32 calipers/rotors.
Stay tuned for more updates!