Although the Hakosuka's stance is a one-of-a-kind, that didn't stop Marco from having a littlefun with the suspension. As if finding parts ingeneral wasn't hard enough, we were surprised he was able to find Cusco coilovers with the camber plates for the front end while the rear uses KYB adjustable shocks. A Cusco strut bar does tighten the front of the chassis up quite a bit as does the TBO rollbar that's installed in the passenger compartment. Classics like the Hakosuka should only roll on classic wheels like the RS Watanabes, so there is a set of 15x8 (front) and 15x9.5 (rear) to fill up the wheel wells. Nismo brakes are installed at every wheel hub and stainless brake lines give nice and tight braking pressure when it's needed.
Once inside the GT-X, there are tell-tale signs that the car has seen better days, yet it's still considered pristine as it retains most of the plastic trim and an undamaged dashboard (complete with the signature of Yutaka Katayama-Father of the Z). The driver's seat is a Recaro SRD and the factory steering wheel is replaced with one from Sprint and a horn plate from Lonza. It even rocks the factory radio.
According to Marco, there isn't a single authentic Skyline HT2000 GT-R in the US, although that could be topic for debate depending on who reads this. After all, we were under the impression that we had shot one at the NOPI Nationals back in '02 (read "Back In the Day," January '03). But whether or not that elusive machine exists in this country will be left for debate on another day; Marco's dream still lies within a car that he hopes to make his own GT-R Hakosuka, even if it will never be a real GT-R. He's already collected a bunch of new parts from Japan and plans a full restoration before the year's end. If luck goes his way, you may see an actual S20, and if that happens, Marco's GT-X will be the closest thing to an actual GT-R we may ever see.
OWNER Marco Vargas
HOMETOWN Gardena, CA
DAILY GRIND Owner of SR20Store.com
POWER 170 hp at 5,200 rpm
UNDER THE HOOD '78 Nissan 2.8L L6 engine;Nissan 2.0L L6 head; stainless header; triple Mikuni carburetors; electronic Ignition
DRIVETRAIN R180 Vlsd; Nismo clutch
STIFF STUFF Cusco coilovers with camber plates and strut bar; KYB adjustable rear shocks; TBO rollbar
OUTSIDE Nissan OEM over-fenders; TBO front spoiler and rear wing
INSIDE Recaro SRD seat; Sprint steering wheel and pedals; Lonza horn plate