Let me start by putting things into perspective: Takashi Koike never intended to execute a Porsche 935 replica with his Z33 Nissan Fairlady Z. He simply wanted to pay homage to a car that he has huge respect for, and in the process build a Z like no one had ever seen before.
One look at Takashi’s Nissan, and I think you’ll agree that he has pretty much nailed the brief.
View the Z from the rear and you’d not even know that the front end has received such a drastic conversion.
In fact, the nose tuck is so smoothly integrated that you may not even spot the difference from a profile view.
I call it a ‘nose tuck’ because this goes so far beyond bolting on aftermarket aero parts – it’s a true transformation that Takashi executed himself. Of course, it helps that he works in a bodyshop and is a seasoned pro when it comes to these sorts of custom modifications.
Deleting headlights is no simple feat, especially when they extend into the bumper and fenders like the OEM items on a Z33 do. To remove them altogether, substantial work needed to be done around the hood line and where the bumper meets the front fenders. The integration of the large round HID projector lights and LED DRLs was actually the easy part, as they sit beautifully recessed in the custom mounts that Takashi created.
As these build images that Takashi shared with me show, everything was shaped hand. Much care was taken refining the radius for the bumper snout, the new hood line and both the front and rear wheel arches. You can see just how far back the conversion stretches too. In fact, it’s just the doors, roof and rear deck lid that remain stock.
The fenders were cut and molded into the overall new shape of the car, taking that added width and bringing it around and over the arches, right down into the side skirts.
At the time of our shoot, Takashi was running on aftermarket coilovers and a set of 19-inch Work Gnosis GS-1s. Behind the squared-off spokes of the front wheels hide Central 20 6-pot brake calipers biting down on 2-piece slotted Project µ rotors.
The modified side steps brings a nice angular feel across the profile of the car, something that helps counteract the fact that the Z33’s rear is rather bulbous. They meet the massively widened 3/4 fenders which taper inward to almost meet the original width of the rear bumper.
Takashi finished it all off with an integrated lower bumper skirt, large diffuser section and a Battle Aero wing with tall stays that sprout from behind the bumper.
On the back glass, Takashi proudly displays the Raiden logo, a club he belongs to with all his friends.
There is something just so imposing about a slantnose car. The Kremer Racing 935s of the early 1980s took a base 911 and lobbed off the car’s signature bug-eye headlights for that flat-nose look. The main projectors were moved to the corners of the bumper and with that a legendary transformation was born, one that Porsche ended up offering in 1986 with the pricey Flachbau (flatnose/slantnose) option for the 930.
I think Takashi’s headlight conversion has a Garage TBK feel about it, you know, like the 930 from Wangan Midnight.
The hood modifications also include a pair of dummy louvers and a functional center air outlet.
A lot of thought went into the color – a custom-mixed blue/gray – and the contrasting black detailing, and I think it works well.
Takashi has stuck to very minimal upgrades under the hood with an HKS induction kit to give the VQ35 V6 some character on the induction side. The exhaust has also been enhanced with a full Fujitsubo system and the ECU was re-flashed with a custom map.
Takashi may look at some substantial engine mods in the future, but for now he’s enjoying having completed the exterior styling.
With the car oozing 935 vibes, it only seemed right to somehow try and tie the interior in too. Takashi found these Sparco Martini Racing sports seats that hint back at the legendary livery the Kremer-built 935s are most associated with.
It’s always a true pleasure to meet talented young builders. Without guys like Takashi and his Raiden team, the Japan car scene wouldn’t be what it is.
It was so cool that they all made the trek from Nagoya to Tokyo to meet me for this shoot, and I can’t wait to share with you what the rest of the Raiden crew brought along.
Time is always the enemy of any motorsport project.
From grassroots to the very top of the game, there isn’t an engineer or car builder anywhere in the world that wouldn’t appreciate just a little bit more time. I don’t believe there’s a motorsport (which I’ve encountered anyway) where builds have not come down right to the wire.
This isn’t a reflection on poor time management (although sometimes it is), but rather trying to make the most of every last available day, hour, minute and second.
When James Deane received his invitation to compete in the 2021 Russian Drift Series (RDS) late last year, it was known from the get-go that time most certainly wouldn’t be on his side. James would have just 10 weeks in total to build a car from the ground up before shipping it to Mother Russia to compete alongside his new Aimol teammates, Daigo Saito and Charles Ng.
Unlike other pro drivers, this wouldn’t be a case of sending a bank transfer or a briefcase full of cash to a workshop and picking a new car up at some stage in the future. James, his family and his team are hands-on with all of his cars, and with the exception of the paint, roll cage and wiring, this build was completed at home.
Ultimately, James only needed nine weeks to create his interpretation of the ultimate S-chassis pro drift car.
Delivery of a standard S14 shell was taken in late December, but work didn’t commence on the car until January 4th, 70 days from when it was due to be loaded into a container.
Progress began with removing the sound deadening with dry ice before creating the front and rear tubs, stitch-welding the chassis and having a custom cage crafted to suit James’ seat position relative to his height. In addition to this, the seams of the shell were sealed to prevent tyre smoke ingress into the cabin.
By January 24th, 20 days later, the fabrication of the shell was completed and it was sent for paint. With Ireland in a Level 5 lockdown, the one upside is that there was little choice but to stay inside and work on preparing the car.
There’s a reason why an S-chassis was chosen and it’s almost entirely down to James’ familiarity with them and the availability of parts.
“It’s an S-chassis; we know what we want to do. We learned a lot over the years. I’ve had all my ideas that I wanted to change and improve with this car over the other cars, and it definitely makes things a lot faster when you know the plan,” James said.
On February 1st, with 42 days before the Nissan was due to ship, assembly of the car resumed when it returned from paint. Ordinarily, this would be the ‘LEGO’ stage of the build, with the bulk of the hard work completed. However, the combination of a pandemic and Brexit has thrown international shipping to Ireland into complete disarray, with parcels which would normally arrive the same week taking much, much longer, if they turned up at all.
While waiting for parts to arrive, the team took to creating a spares package for the car along with installing the parts they did have to hand.
As you can probably guess (or if you were following the build on James’ YouTube channel) , the car did come together in time, even with a few days to spare. Just about enough for a single shakedown and test session at an eerily quiet Mondello Park, where I caught up with guys for the first time in nearly a year.
That the car was built from the ground up in just 64 days is impressive, particularly when you’re dealing with drifting’s more relaxed rulebook and regulations. Because there’s always going to be the temptation to try and seek out more performance, or exploit a loophole somewhere in order to find whatever competitive advantage that can be found.
The risk with this is introducing unnecessary complication, which might require further development at the expense of competitive edge. There’s no guarantee that said risk will provide a reward, either.
The (not so) secret with this car – and something which is common to James’ builds – is the relative simplicity of it all. It has been a similar story with his Europe and Middle East-dominating S14A, and the Worthouse S15s also shared this mantra.
That this photograph was captured on James’ very first run in this car should tell you everything you need to know about the benefits of a proven package and keeping things simple.
Straight off the trailer, fluids warmed, and backwards into the hairpin on Mondello’s school course – a feat that James would repeat again and again throughout the afternoon of what turned out to be a flawless test.
But what exactly does ‘simplicity’ mean in this case? I’m sure that anyone with even a passing interest in drifting could probably take an accurate enough stab at the car’s specification: 2JZ, sequential, Wisefab and a quick-change rear end.
It’s a bit reductionist to reduce the car down to just those terms, but while they’re not inaccurate, they do sell the car short. Contemporary pro drift cars are impressive machines, even to non-drift enthusiasts.
The motor is a DeaneMSPORT stock-stroke 3.0-litre 2JZ-GTE with a BorgWarner EFR 9275. At 1.0bar (14.7psi) of boost, the engine made 650hp on early runs, and by the time it was tuned to its potential, it made significantly more. This is currently without nitrous oxide, although James has said that they will consider adding the power-making gas if required later in the season.
Suspension-wise, the car is fitted with BC Racing ER Series coilovers with external reservoirs (3-way adjustable in the rear, 2-way adjustable up front) along with the updated Wisefab front and rear kit which sees improvements in strength and trackside adjustment, and new rear compression arms which have been designed to absorb any crash impacts.
For a modern drift car, it sits so well. Remember the early days of extra lock kits and the comedy levels of front poke?
Fitment and ride height were not insignificant factors for the build, as James wanted the car to sit just right. Suspension, wheel sizes and ride height are part of this, but the bodywork which covers the wheels is just as important.
Having experienced the luxury of carbon-Kevlar on his Eurofighter, this was the first certainty of the build. In fact, this carbon-Kevlar S15 conversion bodykit for the S14 by Mspek Performance in the US decided the chassis for the whole build. The original plan was to use an S15, but there’s currently no suitable carbon-Kevlar kits available. I think there’s something authentically Japanese about front and rear conversions on an S-chassis.
The benefits to carbon-Kevlar are significant. Weight is one part of the equation, with the front bumper and two front fenders weighing half that of a normal fibreglass S14 bumper alone (3kg versus 6kg). The other is the material’s proven resilience against impacts and abrasions. As a perfect example, James’ Eurofighter is still wearing its original HGK kit, despite having had a 50mph impact with a wall at the Drift Masters European Championship finale in 2019.
With the RDS having a tyre size limit of 265-section, minimising weight and prioritising its distribution played a key role in the car’s development. In a right-hand drive Silvia, you have the weight of the driver, steering, turbo, exhaust manifold and wastegates on the same side of the car.
To try and counteract this, the quick-fill Radium fuel cell with its integrated swirl pit, lift pump and two main pumps, along with the radiator, water pump and coolant header tank are located at the rear and rear-left side of the car where possible.
This meant that the custom titanium exhaust system had to dump on the driver’s side. Because fire and fuel don’t work all that well together.
From a transmission perspective, James is using the new Samsonas RS90 sequential gearbox, rated to 2,000hp with 4mm wider gears, 2mm wider dog rings, and an internal oil pump for improved lubrication.
The axles are Wisefab’s 1,500hp-rated Dynamic Axles which can twist to 90-degrees and feature CV joints with 45-degrees of deflection; ideal for low drift cars that squat and jump.
The interior is as expected – no frills and all business. A lone carbon fibre Corbeau Revenge seat with matching 6-point HANS-compatible harnesses, sequential lever, a D-MAC handbrake, PT Motorsport switch panel, and an ECUMaster display.
Beneath the custom carbon fibre S15 dashboard lies one of two ECUMaster PMU-16AS, with the other located behind the passenger side B-pillar along with the plumbed-in fire extinguisher.
It might be a drift car as you know it, but it doesn’t make it any less impressive. Especially for a car which has come together in such short time.
The Silvia has already been loaded into its container, along with its spares and 280 tyres for the entire RDS season. When it arrives in Russia, it will be wrapped in its team colours for the season, before taking on the unknown of a new championship along with the first FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup to take place outside of Japan.
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If anything, it’s exciting to see James Deane take on new opponents in a new region. In typically understated fashion, he’s just excited to go somewhere he’s never been before, and compete against drivers he might never have met. All I know is that he’s won a championship in every region he has competed in. Time to add another to the list?
Engine: Toyota 2JZ-GTE, ARP main studs, Titan Motorsports billet main caps, ACL Race Series bearings, stock Toyota crankshaft, ATI Damper pulley, BC connecting rods, JE Pistons (10:1 compression ratio), stock Toyota head gasket, BC valves +1mm, BC springs & retainers, BC 276 camshafts, BC adjustable cam pullies, Hypertune intake, G-Garage exhaust manifold, BorgWarner EFR 9274 turbo, Turbosmart external wastegates, FMIC intercooler, K&N air filter, Vibrant Performance custom titanium exhaust, Inovfit PTFE pipe & AN fittings throughout, Davies Craig EWP150 alloy water pump, custom radiator & fan shroud, twin Spal fans, Radium Engineering fuel cell surge tank (FSCT), Turbosmart fuel pressure regulator, Hypertune fuel rail, Injector Dynamics ID1700, Ecumaster EMU Black engine control unit, 2x Ecumaster PMU AS power management unit x2, Ecumaster ADU advanced display unit, DC Power 2JZ 240amp alternator, PT Motorsport Electrics custom wiring harness
Body & Chassis: Mspek Performance carbon-Kevlar S15 conversion kit, Big Country Labs 1850 carbon wing, BC Racing 3-way adjustable custom coilovers on rear, BC Racing 2-way adjustable custom coilovers on front, Wisefab S-chassis front angle kit & rear drop knuckle kit, Alcon brakes front & rear Rear, Group D hydraulic handbrake
I put together this GT-R-centric feature not only because there were some seriously cool big-power builds among the RB and VR-powered Nissans competing, but also to reflect on how the numbers of these cars in Japanese time attack have dwindled over the years.
Once upon a time, half the cars in the Tsukuba paddock would have been GT-Rs at a time attack event like this one. These days, however, there is certainly more variety. Thanks to more know-how and the growth of the industry to support it all, people are going fast with a wider range of platforms.
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If you need proof, here’s in-car video of the Mo-FAC Daihatsu Copen– as featured in my Attack kei car story – running back-to-back 59-second laps. That’s just nuts!
For me though, it’s still hard beat a high-power GT-R track build – they’re what got me into these cars in the first place. I have fond memories of visiting Tsukuba Circuit in the early 2000s and watching RB26-powered beasts shoot down the main straight, wastegates screaming and fireballs being shot out of their exhausts on downshifts.
It was all about brute power, mechanical grip and ballsy driving. It’s still very much like this too, albeit now with the addition of aero and other refinements born out of the last 20 years.
Back to the present day, let’s start with the Anshin Jidousha BNR32, which instantly stood out as it was running a pair of Trust TD06 top-mounted turbos – complete with vertical dump and exhaust pipes – rather than the more common big single.
While working on the engine in the pits, the mechanics added a nifty exhaust extension to divert the hot gasses away from their faces.
This is easily one of the busiest GT-R interiors I’ve ever seen.
A quick chat to one of the mechanics revealed that the dry-sumped and stroked RB delivers an almighty 1,100hp punch.
All that brute force quickly spelled trouble for the team when they had a major drive shaft issue early on in the day.
It was a real mess underneath, too. They spent the whole day getting it fixed, but by then it was too warm to try and attempt a fast lap time.
This could very well be the biggest wing ever fitted to a BNR32. What do you guys think?
When it comes to the R35 GT-R and time attack, there are two thoughts that always come to mind. One is just how fast these cars can be with some well thought out tuning. The Auto Gallery Yokohama-built Nismo version is a good example; it ran a solid 57.257-second lap.
Visually, how much better does the VR38 look with an aftermarket plenum?!
The second thought I have is about Fire Ando. He actually started an R35 time attack build before he commissioned Escort to build his Evo, and there are rumors that once he achieves the 49-second Tsukuba lap he’s gunning for in his Mitsubishi, development of the GT-R will resume.
I’d love to see how far the R35 chassis can be pushed when taken to the extreme, something I feel no one has done well yet. Incidentally, in the picture above you will see the Rush Factory GT-R, which managed a 59.394-second lap on the day.
The TF Blind R32 Skyline Type-M might not be an actual GT-R, but it’s more than halfway there.
Powered by an RB26 and running a generously-sized BorgWarner EFR turbo, it was just behind the R35 above with a 59.939-second lap. It sounded amazing out on track, too.
The fastest GT-R on the day was this wild build, a collaborative effort between Admix and Tanamans, and sponsored by Sunoco. With carbon fiber body panels and aero additions from Benetec (the company that makes carbon goodies for Mine’s) it has certainly evolved a lot from the first few Attack events we saw it at. Thanks to some awesome driving by its owner, the R35 managed a solid 55.200-second lap.
The R34 I opened this post with was another GT-R running a single turbo conversion, and fast enough for a solid 1-minute flat lap.
I didn’t even realize there was a second R34 at the event until this Midnight Purple III example on Enkei NT03RR wheels drove past, on its way to the paddock to enter the pit lane for one of its sessions.
The Autech Tsukada-tuned GT-R is no time attack monster, but rather a fast road car with upgraded turbos good for about 600hp. Its best lap was a 1’02″225.
Seeing GT-Rs at the track is always a pleasure, but just having the chance to get out and cover an event was so refreshing.
I’m back at Tsukuba this weekend for an idlers event, so more Japanese track content is on its way. We’re also teaming up with the guys from Hardcore and doing a small gathering in the back paddock. Hopefully there’ll be some awesome cars turning up for that, too.
Mini Truckin’ Lives On: A Drift-Spec Nissan Hardbody – Speedhunters
SHARE Mini Truckin’ Lives On: A Drift-Spec Nissan Hardbody
Are there any ice hockey fans among us? If so, then the term ‘sucker’ pass is probably somewhat familiar. A sucker is a pass that puts the receiver in high risk of being checked off the puck, rather violently, upon receipt. The passer doesn’t intentionally wish harm toward the recipient of course; the pass simply becomes a sucker pass as a result of the play changing quickly in the opposing team’s favor.
When Kerion sent through a folder full of the various vehicles he shot during his recent trip to Ocean City, I couldn’t help but feel, at least slightly, that he sent me a sucker pass. At this point, some of you are confused, fed up, and even somewhat angry with our ‘not H2Oi 2020‘ coverage, so you might be wondering why Speedhunters continues to send anyone to Maryland for this ‘event’ at all.
Vehicles like this are why.
The variety of vehicles tucked in the alleys of Ocean City in early October are hard to rival, practically anywhere. Despite what it may look like from the outside, and amidst all the tickets, walking bananas, misguided youth and pandering for Instagram likes, the H2Oi weekend can still be a place where like automotive minds are able to converge relatively unbothered.
So, if you can, put aside your situational bias and enjoy the first of many treasures Keiron dredged up on his latest trip to the city called Ocean.
How Cool Could That Be?
It’s a bit funny how many builds start from the simple thought: ‘How cool could that be?’. Chris Miller said that to a friend about a passing Nissan Hardbody truck shortly after he sent the motor of his Mazda 6 to an early grave.
In stock form the Nissan D21 Hardbody truck was right up there with the Mazda B2200 and Toyota Tacoma as a competitor to Ford’s Ranger and Chevrolet’s S-truck offerings. During the heyday of mini truckin’ it was an extremely popular platform to customize with small, wide wheels and a hefty drop.
But in 2020 we’re a long way removed from mini truckin’s peak, and about eight years from the last time a proper mini (single cab, short bed) truck was released in North America.
As I mentioned, a wide variety of slammed Hardbodies have been built across the globe, but a much smaller percentage have made their way onto the track. Fewer still have been properly built to go sideways.
Chris’s inspiration for his Hardbody came from an appreciation for the factory styling, coupled with the peer pressure of friends who found themselves getting further and further involved in drifting.
While not a traditional drifting platform, thinking of a Hardbody sliding through corners flanked by a pair of S-chassis had Chris wondering how cool it would be.
Ground Work
Making a truck work well as a drift/street vehicle isn’t a task for the faint of heart. A simple coil spring, shock and spindle swap, coupled with lowering blocks and de-arched leafs in the rear wouldn’t do the trick.
Chris can attest to this – he tried.
After attempting to live with the horrendous axle wrap that came with a traditional mini truck-style drop, he was forced to get creative. The rear suspension is now four-linked, using a universal kit originally designed for air bags.
The provisions for bags were cut off and replaced with coilover brackets, resulting in a true coilover setup for the rear. All of the aforementioned is now covered with a Rohde Fabrication bead-rolled notch cover.
To assist with vehicle balance, Chris has placed the new fuel cell considerably further rearward than the factory tank.
To match the rear, the front end was brought down on QA1 coilovers fitted with Swift springs. The steering knuckles have been shortened, and the lower control arms extended to allow for an overall suspension geometry that is better suited for drifting. Read: more angle.
Behind Work Meister wheels a Nissan 300ZX has given up its brakes both front and rear, and that includes the additional hydraulic OEM 300ZX caliper-based handbrake.
Poppin’ In the Hood
If you were wondering whether this truck has some extra ponies to back up its looks, it most certainly does. Nissan D21s share the same block as KA24-powered Nissan Silvias, but they differ in regards to intake and exhaust manifold setup. Using the truck parts in a turbo application would have been a right pain, so Chris instead used an S13 manifold to handle the intake side of the equation and a Rev9 cast manifold for the exhaust side. Mounted to the log-style manifold is a polished CX Racing T35R turbo.
The necessary fueling requirements are provided by a Walbro 255lph pump and regulated by an Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator.
Inside the block are Wiseco 8:1 forged pistons, a Brian Crower cam, and Eagle rods. A freshly rebuilt OEM head is bolted to the balanced short block via ARP head studs, while a Megasquirt standalone ECU tells the motor setup what to do and when to do it.
Out back, a subtle turn-down pipe terminates the 3-inch v-band exhaust system from the turbo back.
To get the tires turning, a refreshed stock transmission kicks power to a welded stock differential.
Of Course It Looks Good Too
The truck has seen a few visual revisions in Chris’s ownership, but its latest cleanly blends ’80s-inspired graphics with ’90s-inspired drift styling.
Grey Avery vinyl covers the entire truck, including the widened front fenders and rear bedsides. The quality of the vehicle’s new finish works as a rolling promotional item for Chris’s own shop, CJ Motoring.
The bumpers are from a Toyota and all of the LED lighting – including the clear tail lights, which are completely awesome – are also from CJ. The lighting package includes under-glow, because at this point, why wouldn’t it?
Inside, the interior is reminiscent of most tracked street cars with all creature comforts like carpet, sound deadening, and a radio retained. Corbeau buckets are affixed to the floor with Planted seat brackets, and a horizontal bar runs behind the seats to provide a safe anchor point for the Sparco harnesses.
A Grip Royal steering wheel replaces the large factory item, and the handbrake is a Twisted Images 6060 aluminum unit built for Wilwood master cylinders. The shift knob comes from We Are Likewise, while the gauge pod was handmade by Chris himself.
In its current form the truck has proven quite sorted at events, and it’s still quite capable on the street too.
While Chris did do much of the work to this truck with his own two hands, he’d like to shout out Beebani Customs, Alchemy Stdio 320, Rhode Fabrication, RZT Performance and Bavwerkshop for contributing with parts and wrench time when needed.
To bring things full circle with the intro, had Keiron not waded through the turbulent waves of Oceans City this year, then we’d likely never had the chance to feature this fine piece of automotive creativity. As a fan of both trucks and drifting I feel that would have been a shame.
