When I'm not banging on the keyboard meeting deadlines for an upcoming issue, I take joy relaxing in front of the boob tube for hours at a time in a total state of vegetation. Decisions, decisions... what to watch? Should I choose to see Tony Soprano on HBO whack off another mob boss or tune in to the mating rituals of herbivores on the Discovery channel? Surfing through the channels one night I was stopped dead in my tracks as CNN News ran a completely useless but intriguing poll on men and their cars. Surveying 1000 random women, polls showed men who owned BMW's are 37-percent more likely to have sex. Think about that folks. A chance of performing some horizontal dancing with the opposite sex. So where does that leave us Importtuner guys? For many of us, it means using hand lotion 37-percent more often than European car lovers, but imagine what would happen if these poll-sitting women came across the coveted "jewel" from the land of the rising sun--a Nissan BNR34 Skyline GT-R? It's a good assumption these prada-toting females would have a revelation. Their eyes would become dilated with passion, skin would become flushed and their panties would drop in a heartbeat, perhaps never again to set eyes on another metrosexual sporting those overpriced European models.
In a small suburb of Ikeda City in Osaka, Japan, Nagisa Auto, otherwise known as NAMS [Nagisa Auto Motor Sports], has taken a potential chick magnet--their 2000 BNR34 Skyline--to a new level. Sky's the limit for NAMS. They have become a top contender in Circuit Racing and Time Attack in the past two years. In a short one year period and with a $200,000 investment in their car, NAMS has taken their factory Skyline and conceptualized it into a formidable race car.
The RB26DETT twin turbo motor is nothing short of a marvel in automotive engineering. With potential horsepower just waiting to be unleashed, Nagisa Auto's owner and chief mechanic, Naoya Sugihara, performed a complete teardown of the engine, replacing the factory components with a full array of HKS products. The connecting rods, pistons and piston rings, are all under the HKS branding. Using a 2.8-liter HKS stroker kit (full counter balancing), the engine has been punched out from the factory 2568cc liters, bored 86.96mm and stroked 77.7 mm, obtaining the new 2768cc displacement. With the engine apart it was no surprise Nagisa took the factory head and increased its overall horsepower potential with a full port and polish job done in house. Naplex oversized valves and Vanadium seat rings are under the orchestration of HKS 272 (Step 2) intake and exhaust camshafts (10.2 duration), and dialed in with a pair of HKS cam gears. Valve float is virtually eliminated thanks in part to the HKS Step 2 valve springs that are on call when the R34 flirts within the 10,000-rpm realm. Intake charge is routed from the massive air-to-air front mount intercooler to the TRUST (GReddy) plentium manifold with six velocity stacks integrated within the system. Ingesting a healthy dose of cold air into the intake is a Naplex race throttle body while an HKS blow off roars to life with every release of the accelerator. On the hot side of the engine, NAMS implemented a Tanabe 4-to-1 exhaust manifold, mated to a monstrous TRUST T88-34D turbine. Spent exhaust fumes are expelled via a Tanabe 100mm stainless steel down pipe and exited out the 100mm rear tail section through a custom titanium Tanabe exhaust.With upgrades to the engine, it's no surprise NAMS put time and effort into addressing the fuel system and engine management. Using six Denso injectors, the four Bosch fuel pumps running in parallel series supply the adequate fuel necessary through an aluminum fuel cell shoehorned in the trunk of the Skyline. Keeping fuel pressure to a consistent level, a NISMO fuel pressure regulator keeps the RB engine content. NAMS leaves all engine functions under the watchful eyes of an A'PEXi AVC-R, to maintain consistent boost levels, and A'PEXi Power FC to ensure fuel tables and ignition timing is running at optimal conditions on the track.
Dubbed as the all-purpose track car and test vehicle on newly developed components for NAMS, special attention was paid to the BNR34's suspension and transmission components. A true testament in race proven products, a Hollanger six-speed sequential transmission and EXEDY triple-plate clutch enable the Skyline to tear through the race circuits without a hitch. Experimenting with numerous limited slip differentials on the vehicle, NAMS dialed in their setup with three-brand combo. On the front of the Skyline resides a CUSCO differential while the center is a NAMS special, and finally the rear implements an OS GIKEN differential. Suspension components consist of special one-off Tanabe Sustec Pro coilovers and NAMS pillar mount bushings. Implementing a slew of NAMS "original" products, the Skyline sports NAMS pillow tension rods, front lower control arms, upper control arms, rear toe rods, rear lower control arms, traction rods, a fender brace and traction rods.
Using their off-the-shelf, track tested products, the Nagisa Team was able to record impressive track times at three very different sanctioned locations. Locking down competitive times for the R34 is nothing new with the Nagisa Team. At the TI Circuit AIDA, which was designed for F1 circuit racing in Okayama, Japan, the BNR34 lapped a best time of one minute, 35.387 seconds on February 18th, 2004. In a mere 20 days, the crew was back at the tracks on March 9, 2004, this time taking place at the Central circuit in the Hyogo Pref. The Skyline stopped the clocks with a time of one minute, 20.537 seconds. The most popular event to take place among manufacturers is the Time Attack at the Tsukuba circuit where the team battled out it out with a blistering 57 seconds. No joke to the competitive world of racing, the NAMS team proved their products are more than just "pretty" products.
Aiding in the traction department, a set of 18x10.5 front and rear RAYS Gram Lights fit snugly over the AP Racing six-pot (390 mm) slotted rotors in the rear. In the rear resides a two-pot (333 mm) N1 Brembo calipers with Seidoya metallic race pads.
Just how serious the teams race mentality is truly evident with a crack of the door. The team removed all unnecessary factory components to make room for a cluster of switches and gauges that now fill the Skylines cockpit. The POWER FC commander is located on the center cluster and helps fine-tune the vehicle's engine management. The original gauge cluster was replaced with a Max Racing digital cluster, displaying engine RPM and speed, among other features deemed important when barreling down the track. To aid in weight reduction, carbon fiber replaces much of the interior--a full carbon-fiber dash, carbon door panels--and the car went through a grueling strip diet. A BRIDE seat with NAMS low profile brackets enables the pilot to obtain a lower center of gravity. Protecting the driver is a 10-point custom cage built by none other than Nagisa Auto.If you know a thing or two about Japan and their racecars, nothing on the exterior of the car stays stock for long. NAMS implemented a NISMO body kit to accentuate the Skyline's natural curves while a fresh coat of custom silver was slathered on the BR34's stout body. In a quest to improve aerodynamics, a carbon-fiber Autoselect spoiler and canards reside up front while a GT-style carbon wing and trunk lid by Daishin keeps the rear firmly planted when reaching high speeds. Adding originality to the vehicle is a set of Nagisa Auto "original" LED taillights. The final touches include Craft Square carbon mirrors and a graphics scheme done by Nagisa Auto Motor Sports.
What's in store for NAMS in the future? Owner Sugihara-san ssays he wants to break the Tsukuba record currently held by HKS and their TBR-02 Evolution: "Our lap times are a few thousands of a second behind the Auto Select's Skyline record so with additional tuning and dialing in the car we are sure we will be able to make our mark in the 2004 season." With a smile Sugihara-san says, " Be sure to keep an eye out for the NAMS Skyline this year." Rest assured boys. You bet we will.