Let's get right to the point. No fluff, no jokes about Nads' he-breasts, and no props to Roel for being a pimp (although he might certainly argue otherwise; he is far more worthy of such verbal praise than anyone on staff simply because he can pull stories out of his ass with his teeth). This is the HKS Evolution VIII TRB-02 and the Signal Auto Skyline GT-R. Not only are these cars two of the most renowned creations the automotive world has ever seen, but they're also the fastest when it comes to timed racing on a road course. This style of racing, as you'll come to discover elsewhere in this issue, is called the Time Attack. It is a competition that many attempt to conquer but few ever do. This is, in effect, much like a surreptitious penis comparison during junior high physical education, except with finely tuned machines. Win this one and suddenly you've got the biggest junk.
Recently, in both Japan and the good ol' United States, tuners battled on two separate occasions for the coveted Time Attack championships, one at the Tsukuba Circuit in Japan and the other at the Buttonwillow Raceway in California. At the Tsukuba Circuit, HKS once again proved why its racing fortitude is not something to be taken lightly--or even challenged. You may remember a couple of years ago when its highly controversial entry in the form of an all-carbon-fiber-body Altezza took one pass and claimed an unofficial lap record. Well, HKS came back stronger than ever with its Evo VIII TRB-02 and nailed a mind-blowing time of 55.00 seconds during practice sessions. The car was driven by famed D1 driver and HKS' official driver, Nobuteru Taniguchi; the HKS crew took a short break and then embarked on its second session. NOB pushed the Evo to a track record of 54.739, beating its previous records and proving to the world once again why no one's better than HKS.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (or shall we say on a dry, desolate stretch of land somewhere halfway between San Francisco and the City of Angels) was a first of its kind, thrown by yours truly and our sister publication Sport Compact Car: a Time Attack on a US racetrack, more specifically, Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Although it was small, dozens of American and US-based Japanese tuners showed up to not only make a little bit of history but to claim bragging rights of their own, even if it was like an automotive surreptitious penis comparison. The challenge here was probably just as competitive, if not more, and at the end, Eiji "Tarzan" Yamada (read his Interrogation Room elsewhere in this issue) claimed not one but two trophies for Signal Auto and its Skyline GT-R. While most racers took full advantage of each practice session, Tarzan made only a few passes at a track he had never raced on before, yet he managed to complete a lap time nearly a full second faster than anyone else's.
So what makes these cars tick? Could it be that two of the most highly regarded drivers in compact performance are behind the wheel of each car? Well, that's only part of the equation, but maybe it would make more sense if we went for a deeper look behind the technology. Please follow the bouncing white ball.
HKS Evolution VIII TRB-02
Just like the first Time Attack race car HKS built, this is one of those things that makes everyone and their mother wet. And who wouldn't? Designed to emulate the CT9A Evo VIII chassis, there's carbon fiber covering nearly every inch of this thing. Crafted by the R&D team at HKS Japan, the SPL Dry Carbon Body Kit is a one-off and would probably fetch high dollar on the bootleg Taiwan circuit. Its only other cosmetic piece is a set of Square Craft carbon-fiber mirrors. But the chassis is just the beginning.
When dealing with a race of this magnitude, it would've been pointless for HKS to not build the ultimate 4G63. Failure to do so would have resulted in, well, failure to win. The 2.021L-engine spec list reads like a checklist of "Things to buy for my Evo, but only if I had a few extra thousand bucks, and too bad I flip burgers for a living." And get this: every part has been lifted out of the HKS Goods Master catalog. From the cylinder head down to the block, HKS used a pair of its 272-degree camshafts, a strengthened valvesprings, a forged nickel-coated piston kit, a forged counterweighted crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods, and a 1.2mm metal head gasket. Its turbo system currently peaks at 23.2 psi and now houses a GT3037S Turbo and related components, such as a 50mm GT II wastegate and an S-Type intercooler. The exhaust system is comprised of a SUS SPL exhaust manifold, an SPL racing exhaust, and a SUS304 front pipe, while air is ingested via a Super Mega Flow intake filter.
Going down the list of parts (and paragraphs that I just wrote), it's clearly evident that I (1) have no clue what I'm talking about (rather I just pretend I do) and (2) you'll have better luck trying to shag that ugly chick you got teamed up with in bio lab than you will trying to replicate an Evo like this. It's depressing yet enlightening at the same time, kind of like discovering that your best friend is sleeping with your girlfriend, but only to find out that his girlfriend would rather be doing you instead. Besides the rockin' (excuse our use of the word "rockin;" cliche adjectives for car stories wear thin after three years of working here) (Uh, you've been here for six years.--JN) engine internals and turbo components, there are other things that require HKS' expertise, such as fuel delivery and cooling. This is where the 820cc fuel injectors, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, and fuel pump come into play. HKS uses its Super Fire R Pro spark plugs to ignite this thing to life. An HKS SPL radiator and oil cooler help keep engine temperatures down. And just how does all 552 hp make it to the wheels? Simple--with a GD Pro Clutch and flywheel, all controlled through a Ralliart Dog-gear transmission.
The rest of the Evo TRB-02 seems rather bland in comparison to its engine. Though it only uses SPL racing coilovers as its main suspension component and a complete Endless braking system to lock the car down when needed, we don't see anyone else pulling off sub-55-second lap times, and we've seen plenty of cars with the exact said parts. Love wheels? Well, so does HKS, and it went balls out using a prototype set of Advan RG II racing wheels wrapped in 265/35R18 Yokohama A048 tires. For Taniguchi, the interior is all business and custom-suited to his driving style. HKS installed its Circuit Attack Counter, Chrono DB temperature meters (oil and water), Chrono DB oil pressure meter, EVC boost controller, F-CON V Pro engine management, Bride Zeta III carbon-fiber seat, and Takata racing harness.