auto engine

his, the insane rear camber, as Terry tells us, is purely just to freak people out when they see the car as the adjustable rear suspension arms that Terry has fitted allow him to make many alterations to the rear wheel alignment specs. For times when he wants to drive the car hard, the camber comes back in to a saner -1.5-degrees of camber.

These adjustable rear suspension arms set the standard for the rest of the car’s modifications. The fact that this, a street car, features adjustable suspension arms is an example of how far the scene has progressed. They are, after all, race-derived components, but such is the present climate within our scene the lines between street and track are no longer emboldened for all to see. However, the set of fully adjustable K-Sport coil overs blurs the lines between race and street, meaning the car has all the gear needed to mix it up on the race track while still being perfectly liveable on the road.

One of the main reasons for the use of adjustable suspension arms in this case is the car’s insane widebody conversion. Thanks to Jerry Wang and the crew at J-Racing down in Canberra, this R32 has become what is quite possibly the fattest GT-R in the country. Using completely bespoke front and rear guards, the car’s profile has been pushed out dramatically on either side of the car, with enough space in the rear to actually fit 13-inch-wide wheels.

The design, construction and painting of the car’s exterior took about three months, but considering the kit had to be completed from scratch, is not actually a great deal of time. With new front guards, rear guards, a front bar, rear bar and sideskirts having been fitted, the amount of work gone into this area is comprehensive to say the least. The yellow hue was selected from the Honda paint chart, however was customised with a bit of a pearl before its application. 

The braking system on the car is made up of mostly aftermarket parts: K-Sport eight-piston front calipers and six-piston rear calipers deliver considerable clamping force, with K-Sport slotted two-piece rotors reinforcing the package. These are the kind of brakes you might select if you wanted to strengthen your car for a 12-hour endurance race, yet with the right pads can also remain perfectly capable on the street.

For the moment Terry has specified engine modifications and a corresponding tune to realise somewhere in the region of 300kW at the wheels. Rather than shooting for outright peak-power bragging rights Terry was realistic about the useability of the car on the road, and he has to be commended for this. The twin HKS 2530 turbocharger set-up delivers a balance of power and response for use on the street.

Jake’s Performance was the shop responsible for building the engine and they have put together a package capable of extreme horsepower levels, should that be what Terry desires. With Arias forged pistons, Carillo rods, an R34 RB26DETT crankshaft and an eight-litre sump from Hi Octane Racing the engine could in all feasibility be coaxed to pump out in excess of 400kW. Leaving a safety buffer, rather than pushing the car to its limit should ensure Terrry can enjoy the car for a long time to come.

The engine is managed by an A’PEXi Power FC, which makes use of a cabin-mounted Power FC Commander hand controller. Other electronics filling up the car’s interior include an A’PEXi AVC-R boost controller, a host of GReddy gauges, and the aftermarket 320km/h Nismo instrument cluster. The race theme from the exterior is continued inside with a pair of Sparco race buckets, a MOMO steering wheel with quick removal boss kit and a Safety 21 roll cage.

The stereo system is the work of Audio Tech, based in Canberra, and makes a big impression upon hearing it. We were seriously surprised to hear such a good sound coming from a coupe such as the Skyline because these are usually not the friendliest of cars to install quality music gear into. Terry has completely done away with the rear seats though, so some of the space issues have been overcome, and the subs can now blast away in the main cabin rather than the boot.

The system is made up entirely mostly Rockford Fosgate gear, with the only exception to this very capable brand being an Alpine DVD player. Four 12-inch subwoofers, a handful of amplifiers and Rockford Fosgate’s component speakers have all been superbly and stylishly integrated into the cabin of the car by Audio Tech.

As we continue to shoot the car, I get thinking. To make a mark on the scene you need to know your cars; you need to know how to modify them. In this game experience counts for a lot and if you were to look at any of the top cars within the scene, the guys behind them have been studying this game since they were kids. They lap up information from car magazines and internet sites, accumulating a pool of knowledge that will help them understand the concepts behind modifying.

Think about that for a second though. If you complete a University degree, you spend three years of your life learning, researching and studying in your particular field. If you take a look at an average modifier, they have been doing their study on cars for many years. I know myself it has probably been more than ten years that I have been reading and learning about this stuff and I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. I can only imagine what sort of insane changes we will see within the scene in another 50 issues time.