In Northern Europe-more specifically in Scandinavia-there is a little country called Norway, and among its high mountains, deep fjords, and twisty roads lives 28-year old Kim Haphi. Much like enthusiasts all over the world, Kim would get chills down his spine at the mere mention of the Nissan Skyline GT-R. With its stunning looks, powerful engine, and outstanding handling this car is seen by many as the "perfect" street car. It has triumphed in motorsports, been cast in famous car movies, and is every tuner's dream project. The GT-R was only produced as a right-hand drive, as the car was only produced for the Asian market, and other countries where they drive on the "wrong" side of the road.
When the Norwegian Kim, who is originally from Vietnam, was finally able to import his own Japanese beast it came from an owner in Dubai in the autumn of '03, and it was black and in original condition. But before the car was shipped to Norway, it was converted to left-hand drive by a firm that specializes in adapting "import cars" for the European market.
As soon as the car was home in his garage, the proud new owner and his pals started to strip it down. Kim wanted a Skyline the likes of which nobody had ever seen-at least not in Scandinavia. The goal was to make it a street car, but also a real show car as well as a killer on the track and quarter mile.
The tuning of the stock 2.6-liter inline six was the first item on the agenda. Originally the RB26DETT delivers 280 hp, and with basic performance upgrades it can be easily tuned for about 500. Kim wanted almost twiceas much power, and his good friend Rune Haldorsen got the job of building the engine. The engine was stripped down and almost every part was changed or modified. The block was replaced with a new and stronger one from Nismo (Nissan Motorsport), and with a JUN stroker kit consisting of a crank, rods andpistons increased the displacement to 2.7 liters. The 24-valve head was sent to JensspeedEngineering, one of Scandinavia's top engine tuners. There it was ported, milled and given bigger valves and firmer springs. Jensspeed also knife-edged the JUN crank.
The original twin-turbo setup was replaced with a muscular GReddy T88 unit with a separate HKS wastegate and a larger intercooler to handle the extra heat. The original injection system also had to be upgraded. A VeilSide intake manifold with a 100mm throttle body, 1000cc injectors, SM2 engine management and CDI ignition was more than enough to achieve the desired power. To establish a reliable and stable fuel supply two big fuel pumps, new hoses, and a catch tank were also mounted on the R34.
Once the newly fortified Skyline engine was dropped into the car it was carefully tuned and dynoed. On ordinary unleaded petrol (pump gas) with the turbo set at 1.75 bar (25psi) the result was 790 hp and 988 nm (729 lb-ft) of torque (It should be noted that Norway's "ordinary" petrol is 98 octane. Bastards! - JN). With race fuel and 2 bar of boost (29psi) they squeezed out 951 hp and 1027 nm (757 lb-ft) of torque. And Kim can easily add another 200 hp with his NOS kit if this number is not enough.
An OS Giken four-disc racing clutch was mounted to transfer all of this brutal force to the drivetrain. For now Kim is using theoriginal Skyline six-speed gearbox from Getrag. Together with Nissan's own praised and patented electronic four-wheel drive and steeringsystem, it's proven to function very well.
The chassis has also received a few carefully chosen upgrades. Despite the fact that the GT-R is known for its outstanding handling, Kim went even further with HKS adjustable coilovers and replaced all the bushings with stiffer ones. The original brakes were left in place, as Kim feels the 322mm rotors and four-piston Brembo calipers work very well.
A real show car-especially a Scandinavian one-must possess an alluring physical beauty. In addition to the Lambo doors, the car has been fitted with pleasing mix of Bomex, JUN, and VeilSide aero pieces, including a new front bumper with bigger air inlets, a carbon fiber hood, new front fenders, side skirts, side mirrors, bigger rear wing, and a carbon fiber rear undertray diffuser. The whole package was painted in a three-layer pearlescent light blue.
Kim was very unsure which rims would give the best look to his GT-R. They had to be "bling-bling" for high show cred, but at the same time they had to have a real race look and be strong as well. He finally chose three-piece forged 19-inch Work Meister S1s, fitted with Toyo Proxes tires. For the track he uses 18-inch Volk Racing GT-Cs matched with Bridgestone RE540 R-compound rubber. On the street the tranquil light blue paint is a good contrast to the intense body work and the aggressive chrome Work rims.