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."
By Simon Cooke
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