When it comes to the drag strip and the big Skylines from the likes of Top Secret, HKS, JUN Auto, and Sumo Power they all have one thing in common-apart from being blindingly fast-they are all based on big dog GT-R model.
But there's a new kid on the block-the RB25 block that is-as found in the rear-wheel drive Skyline GTST. Those 4WD drag beasties had better keep an eye on their tiny carbon fiber mirrors because this Skyline means business. As of press time, the car has only competed at two drag events and already it's shattered a world record. And yet it all started out very innocently.
"At the end of 2004 my company car came up for renewal and I'd always liked Skylines," explained John Bradshaw, the owner of this unique creation. But why not go for the more popular GT-Rversion? "I'd had a test drive in a GT-R and a GTS and the rear-wheel drive car I found to be a lot more enjoyable," he replied.
So that's what he bought, a totally standard GTST from a local dealer. Initially it was just going to be his everyday company car although by the spring, the factory rated 280hp had been upped to 385. And then he went to a track day at Brands Hatch (very famous UK circuit with better curves than Keira Knightley) which was to shape the entire future of his car and start it on its journey to the record-breaking monster it is today.
"There were about 20 cars at the track day, of which most were GT-Rs," he remembered. "My car was fantastic, apart from when I was trying to keep up with a certain GT-R. It had about 520hp and I just couldn't believe the difference in power it had over me in a straight line."
With brake fluid-not to mention his blood-boiling, putting his car in the gravel trap did nothing to improve John's mood, and he left the circuit knowing that his need for power was far from satisfied.
"I thought about changing to a GT-R and actually had a couple of test drives in them," revealed John. "But I just couldn't get over the fact it was too clinical and didn't have enough character. It's all down to personal preference: the GTS certainly has a lot more bite if you get it wrong-it's more of a drivers car, especially in the wet."
Long and numerous discussions then took place with Gary Passingham, the boss at GT-Art, one of the UK's leading Skyline tuners. "I said that I wanted 500hp at the wheels," John recalled. "Gary explained that it would be difficult to still use the car as a daily driver and he also suggested an RB26 GT-R engine would be easier to run that sort of power, but I wanted to keep the original GTS block. He said that although he'd not pushed a GTS to those sorts of levels he was confident that he would be able to do it."
Initially John's plan was to use the car as a dedicated track car, and with that intention he dropped the car off at GT-Art towards the end of 2005. However, before Gary actually started on the car John had spoken to a few other people about getting involved in the car, and had moved the goalpost: time to start going seriously OTT. "That's when things changed from going from 500hp to trying to get the maximum we could out of it," said John with a glint in his eye.
Although neither John nor Gary knew exactly how much they could achieve, they at least had a target to aim for: the UK record for a GTS was 11.2 seconds for a quarter-mile and that was with around 600hp. Mind you that although John had now decided he was going to take on the drag strips by storm, he'd never actually driven a car down the drag strip in his life. Luckily he likes to be different and relishes a challenge so was looking forward to being the first person to successfully take a competitive GTS down the drag strip in the UK. "We wanted to create a car that would break all the rules and take on the AWD cars," John stated. It was a heady mission.
The car was stripped to the bare shell and work on the six-month creation began in earnest. "To date in the UK nobody has really looked at a Skyline as a complete package: All they have gone for is pure horsepower figures," pointed out John. "I also wanted to include aerodynamics and suspension as well."
So while Gary was busy doing what he does best-building powerful Skyline engines-John concentrated on other key aspects of the project including the severe diet that the car had been put on, enforced with carbon fiber dashboard, doors, bonnet, boots and seats. He also called in the services of a top aerodynamics specialist from the world of F1 to give the car a professional evaluation. His report was the basis for the fabrication of the car's unique one-off carbon fiber front splitter, rear diffuser and adjustable rear wing. A session in the wind tunnel is scheduled for the near future to carry out fine bodywork tuning. British suspension super tuner, Leda, joined the party and produced some custom-built footwork pieces. This should tell you how seriously John was taking this project.
The first time on the rollers with the car running only 1.7bar (25 psi) of boost generated 580hp at the wheels. Further development and mapping under Gary's watchful and experienced eye has seen that figure leap up to 808hp at 2.7bar (39 psi), with the potential to run at 3bar which equals 900hp. And that's without even squeezing nitrous which should provide a further 200hp.
Although the in-house rollers at GT-Art have the ability to simulate quarter-mile drag runs, there's no substitute for the real thing, so drag strip virgin John and his newly finished Skyline set out for the real world to put it to the test.
"We pre-set the rev limiter and had worked out what revs to launch and change gears," said John. "I dropped the clutch at 8000 rpm and my first ever run up the drag strip took 13.7 seconds, on road-legal tires. The car got wheelspin in every gear-it was absolutely petrifying-even in fourth at over 100 mph the back was still trying to overtake the front. The power kicks in at 5,700 rpm and then the turbo is on full boost: it is absolutely brutal-almost like riding a motorbike." From the outside the sound was like a jet fighter being launched from an aircraft carrier and it probably accelerated just as fast.
The car's best time of the weekend was an 11.6-second run, but it was hampered by the suspension set-up, which just didn't provide enough weight transfer, and the tires, which struggled for traction. The crew tested at Millbrook test track the following week where Leda addressed and cured the suspension problem. From here it was off to Santa Pod Raceway with high hopes as well as softer Mickey Thompson tires bolted to the rear axle.
With the suspension working as it should and the tires providing the traction, the Skyline stormed down the strip to record an 11.9-second quarter with no problems to report at all. This impressive time was followed in quick succession by a 10.9-second run, then 10.2, then 10.1, then 10.02. Then both driveshafts decided that they had had enough. Bear in mind the GTS is currently running with a standard gearbox and shafts, although a new sequential box and up-rated shafts will be installed soon. With two new shafts fitted, the car reached new heights for its last run of the day stopping the clocks in 9.93 seconds at 140 mph. According to John, that time is a new world record for a GTS fitted with an RB25 engine, although an RB30-equipped GTS in Australia (with a live axle swap no less) has recorded a 9.4-second quarter.
Setting a new world record on only the car's second outing left the team with huge smiles over their faces, albeit somewhat shocked that so much had been achieved in so little time. And ominously, the car was only running at around 1.9bar (27 psi)-some 300 hp down on its full power and the NOS button has yet to be pushed. The potential for this car is almost beyond belief. Reaching the low 9s by the end of the season doesn't seem unrealistic at all.
And yet John and Gary are not resting on their laurels and are already thinking ahead to the 2007 season when they plan to fit an even more powerful engine under the bonnet. Lookout drag GT-R owners, John has his eye on you.
Gt Art
Hidden in the hills above Brighton on the South coast of England, about an hour's drive south of London, GT-Art was set up by Nissan enthusiast Gary Passingham about four years ago and he does exactly what the shop name implies. A big fan of HKS and JUN tuning products, Gary is no stranger himself to success on the drag strip-and that experience is obviously a factor in why John chose GT-Art to build and run his car for him. Gary's own Skyline currently kicks out 780hp at the wheels (at one time it was the most powerful in the UK), which in the past has been enough to set an unofficial top speed of 211 mph, backed up by quarter-mile times as low as 10.07 seconds. The next time you find yourself in the UK with a Skyline and no one to tune it (hey, it could happen) look up GT-Art at www.gtart.co.uk.
Fast Facts
Nissan skyline gtst
Owner
John Bradshaw
Hometown
Jolly Olde England
Daily Grind
He puts the bang in bangers and mash
Power
900 hp with 3bar (43 psi) of boost (on race fuel but without NOS)
Under The Hood
24-valve RB25 (bored, honed, and balanced to 2650 cc); Nismo engine mounts; Drag Flow cylinder head; JUN super piston kit (Coated), Super connecting rod kit, camshafts, oil pump, Racing head bolt kit, and Racing main stud kit; HKS T51 SPLBB turbo, modified turbo manifold, waste gate, intercooler, head gasket kit, 1200cc injectors, fuel rail, knock sensors; GT-R injector resistor pack, injector wiring, GT-Art oil catch tank, water pump special oil sump; Mocal differential and fuel cooler; GReddy intake plenum, extra large throttle body, oil cooler, water pipe carriers, thermostat housing; Race Spec radiator; various ceramic coated parts; Wizards of NOS 200+ hp special direct port system; Goodridge hose connection kit; ATL fuel tanks, fuel tank sender units; twin fuel pump kit, custom exhaust system
Drivetrain
Ats carbon triple-plate clutch and metal LSD; Xtrac gearbox kit; Nismo gearbox mount
Brains
Hks F-Con V Pro management system and EVC 5 boost controller
Stiff Stuff
Leda/GT-Art Drag Special suspension; rear drag solid crossmember; Cusco front and rear drag adjusters; front strut tower brace; nylon differential bushings
Rollers
17-inch Team Dynamics Motorsport wheels with 215/45R17 Federal Super Steel S95 tires (front); 15x8 drag wheels with 275/40R17 Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial tires (rear)
Stoppers
Brembo GT-R R34 brake kit
Outside
prepreg carbon fiber doors, hood, trunk lid, splitter, rear diffuser, rear spoiler; Lexan windows;GT-Art graphics
Inside
GT-Art roll cage; carbon fiber seats; Sabelt harnesses; prepreg carbon fiber dashboard with digital display and data logger; Race Logic launch/traction control; MOMO steering wheel, alloy parking brake lever, shift knob; fire extinguisher
Props
Gary Passingham; Vesper Lynd
WWW gtart.co.uk; hksusa.com; greddy.com; carbonetic.net; wizardsofnos.com; teamdynamicsracing.com; federaltire.com; xtrac.com; leda.com