Gary opened what would normally be the passenger side door-the right side-and unlatched the swing-arm door bar before dropping himself into the modified Konig racing seat. He re-latched the door bar and closed the door behind him, struggling to reach deep into his Hobie "Daisy Dukes" shorts to find the keys to the silver car that now enveloped him. He had a history of bad luck with silver cars, but he hoped that this one would be different, at least for this trip.
He put the key in the ignition. A series of electronic chirps confirmed the startup of the factory eye-level engine monitoring screen, while the slight humming sound from the trunk confirmed that the Bosch 1200-hp fuel pump was primed and ready to go. He turned over the starter and, after a few cranks, the 890 hp RB26DET motor roared to life. Gary feathered the accelerator a few times, hoping to warm the engine up faster than usual. While doing so, he turned on the A/C for what he knew was going to be a warm trip to the Las Vegas desert. A minor adjustment on the radio-Gary was looking for his favorite band, the Dixie Chicks-and he started his journey. The e-brake handle, wrapped in custom Blitz-embroidered silver material to match the shift boot, was let down and the first of six forward-moving gears was engaged. The prototype triple-plate Blitz clutch eased the car forward and out of Gary's garage.
He drove cautiously through the surface streets of Huntington Beach, careful not to damage the 18x10-in. Blitz TechnoSpeed Z1 wheels wrapped in Dunlop SP Sport 9000 rubbers. The area was notorious for overzealous policemen and oversized potholes. While the Blitz/Sachs suspension was height adjustable, it was currently set for high-speed travel on the refined Autobahn highway, not the pothole-laden streets of Orange County. Still, the factory Nissan/Brembo brake setup, enhanced by the Blitz prototype brake pads, were enough to help Gary avoid the monster crevices on the streets until he made his full-tilt sprint onto Interstate 15.
The R34 Skyline was truly a sight to behold. A relatively stock-looking right-hand drive Skyline on the streets of California would be enough to turn a head or two, but this particular Blitz specialized model-the R348-was outfitted with specially designed and wind-tunnel tested aero components from Blitz; the front half-spoiler with air diffuser, the wheel well fender enhancements, side skirts, and custom low-profile rear spoiler. All of these were designed and installed in the name of top speed at a time when wind-tunnel testing of body components specifically for top-speed jaunts was virtually unheard of. The bold splatter graphics that adorned the graphite silver paint job called attention to a car that hardly needs an introduction-and that is what eventually got Gary in trouble.
With the 91 and 10 freeways long behind him, Gary had the proverbial pedal to the metal, cruising Interstate 15. The suspension components, along with the Shelby-modified seven-point roll cage and the Blitz carbon-Kevlar composite tower bar, gave the car the precision handling of a classic '80s video game. Contributing to this simple and straightforward design were the lack of visible interior components, outside of the Blitz 80mm boost gauge, SBC I-D Boost controller, and Power Meter I-D; everything else was showroom stock. This might have saved Gary from any run-ins with the Highway Patrol, but the car was just too outspoken in its subtlety.
"How fast was I going, officer?" Gary asked as he rolled down his window.
The highway patrolman was visibly shocked and took a few steps back, even going so far as to put his hand on his holster. "What inna hell're you doin' drivin' on the wrong side of the car, boy?" He ducked down and stole a quick glance at the empty passenger seat on the left side of the vehicle.
"Sorry, officer. It's a right-hand drive Japanese model. I have the papers for it, if you want to see them," Gary replied nervously.
"Is this one of them newfangled Fast and Furious Hondas?"
"No, sir. Actually, it's a Nissan Skyline."
"Say what? Did you just ask me if I wear eyeliner?"
"No, I said-never mind. Was I speeding?"
"Were you speeding? Boy, do you know how many traffic planes they had to send out to find you? You were doing more than 300 mph!"
"That's not possible, sir," Gary replied. "You see, this car was built to run on the Autobahn and the maximum speed it reached was only 213.34 mph."
"Only 213? Boy, you can't use 'only' and '213 mph' in the same sentence! And anyway, that was prolly before you done all this crazy stuff to the car. We're pretty sure that you were going more than 300 mph."
"Actually, that test was run exactly how the car is set up now-with the air conditioning, factory radio, and these same wheels and tires."
"Don't back talk me, boy," snapped the patrolman. "Just you wait until the CARB boys get here and take a look at all the illegal stuff you have."
The CARB man walked over to the back of the patrol car where Gary was sitting. He pulled out his list and started reading. "RB26DETT twin-turbocharged Nissan motor, modified to fit a single KKK/Blitz modified K5-850R turbocharger. You know that's a smog violation, don't you?"
Gary replied, "I know, but it's not my car. It's a demo vehicle."
"And all of the Blitz fortified internals-K/S forged 87mm pistons, H-beam connecting rods, billet crankshaft, 280-degree intake and exhaust cams, 1.2mm head gasket? Are you telling me that all of these parts inside the engine, where you can't see them, are for demonstration purposes only?"
"Well, like I was telling the other guy, the car is a top speed car. I'm just driving it to the SEMA convention in Las Vegas. I know you know about SEMA-you guys are actively involved with them, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. What type of intercooler and oil cooler are those?" asked the air policeman.
"Oh-the intercooler is a Blitz Type-H and the oil cooler is a Blitz Type-A. And in case you're wondering, the air filters are Blitz SUS-Power Type C4s and the injectors are 1000cc units, also made by Blitz," Gary added. "Can I just get my ticket so I can go?"
"Go? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Well," Gary explained, "I was racing my friend and if I stay here too long, he's going to beat me."
"So, ya'll admit to illegal street racing?" asked the highway patrolman.
"Not exactly. We both started from Huntington Beach, California, and I'm supposed to meet him in Las Vegas before he gets there."
"Well, this big ol' coffee can muffler you got back here says nothing but illegal drag racing to me!" said the patrolman.
"Actually, that's a custom Blitz NUR-spec exhaust-100mm piping all the way to the hand-made stainless steel exhaust manifold," said the CARB man. "All that exhaust system says is 'Back off-here comes some crazy top speed.'"
Gary looked at the CARB inspector, puzzled. "How do you know so much about this car?"
The CARB inspector nudged Gary and winked, "I read Import Tuner, too." Then, he walked over to the patrolman. "OK, this guy is clean. Just write him his speeding ticket and he's free to go."
"Speedin' ticket? I done told you we couldn't tell how fast he was goin' because our radar guns don't go that high!"
Gary looked up. "So, technically, you can't really bust me for anything?"
The patrolman shrugged his shoulders. "Not unless bein' ugly is a crime. Har-har!" The CARB official and the patrolman laughed together while Gary locked himself in with the Simpson five-point harness and drove off.
"Did you have any problems with the car?" Gary's friend Mike Liao, the Blitz representative who was foolish enough to give Gary the keys, asked later. "No, just a little incident with the Highway Patrol and the CARB guys. But I still beat you here," Gary said. "So you owe me a hundred bucks."
"That's not fair," Mike replied, "my flight was delayed for half an hour, so it wasn't an even race."
"But you were flying and I was driving. How is that fair?"
"Well," Mike replied, "your car and my plane were going the same speed, but you didn't have to go through any security checkpoints."
"Well, that's no excuse," Gary said, "so pay up."
Mike reached into his back pocket and came up empty. "Oh shit-I forgot my wallet at home."
Gary's eyes lit up. "That's OK-we'll just drive back really quick and get it."