When Andy of Powervehicles.com moved out to Japan from Scotland, he probably had no idea he would find himself where he is today. Andy suffers from an incurable addiction to drifting, which a few years back forced him to relocate to Nihonmatsu, a small town in Fukushima-ken. Nestled deep in the Tohoku countryside, this little village is the home of Team Orange’s Nobushige Kumakubo, who also happens to be the owner and creator of Ebisu Circuit, or “Drift Heaven”, as it’s locally known. The only way for Andy to quell his obsession and run his business at the same time is with a gold license that allows him to drift any circuit in the massive compound whenever he likes. But it’s his job that will probably make you more jealous: On behalf of Powervehicles.com, Andy scours Japan looking for the best modified machinery he can lay his hands on, and sells them to passionate, well-funded lovers of everything and anything JDM.
Built in 1990 by one Yokomaku Hiranao, nothing can properly prepare you for the visual impact of the perfectly maintained 21-year-old Skyline GT-R seen here. This BNR32 is a one-off Veilside creation that was built the first year Veilside actually opened for business—a testament to Yokomaku-san’s forward-thinking nature. This R32 was one of the first steps in turning already great Japanese sports cars into beasts that resembled fully fledged supercars, which helped fuel the tuning boom Japan enjoyed during the ’90s.
With only 35,000 km (21,750 miles) on the clock today, this Combat R’s deep olive green still exhibits the same glossy finish it did all those years ago. The massively blistered front and rear fenders are hugely responsible for its presence, which when seen from the rear, really lets it known that the car means business. The front bumper remains stock but was modified to incorporate a lower lip section and N1-like square vents to help flow air to the top part of an HKS intercooler. The stock rear bumper remains, but with a low-set spoiler giving that unmistakable Veilside touch. Combat R aero mirrors replace the stock folding items, but it’s the Work Meister S1 wheels that complement the whole look to no end, sized generously to fill out the widened track the car now boasts: 18x10s with 265/35-18 Advan rubber in the front, and 18x12s with 315/30 Advans in the rear, carefully chosen to have the same circumference so as not to create problems with the transfer case.
The Combat R exhibits a very period-correct stance, with the adjustable Bilstein dampers set a little higher than what many GT-R owners would run today, conveying that all-important aggressive look. The Veilside treatment continues in the interior with full two-tone leather and Alcantara upholstery, with dark green stitching and carpeting to match the body color. A few modern gadgets, like the HKS EVC boost controller and a more accurate Blitz boost gauge, join classic color-matched Veilside instrumentation.
Popping the hood reveals the final piece of the puzzle: the fully tuned Veilside Evolution-R RB26DETT engine. At its heart, you will find HKS oversized pistons, H-section connecting rods, and a Brian Cower billet crank, which do the job of dealing with the fierce boost the IHI RX5 twin-turbo setup throws at the engine. The two old-school blowers are controlled by their own Trust external wastegates, while an equally old-style recirculating bypass valve layout is connected by custom aluminum piping, utilizing Trust valves. Two Bosch pumps send the required fuel to feed the six 720cc/min injectors, all handled by the F-Con V Pro ECU. Power is rated at 650 whp.
Out on the winding Higashi course, a circuit used for countless Hot Version battles, the Veilside Combat R certainly didn’t lack performance, but really needed to be worked hard to keep the powerband on the boil. The twin RX5s seem more suited to fast road driving and the occasional drag launch than being put through their paces on the track, with nothing really happening until well over 5,000 rpm—proving their capacity for increased boost and power levels, should the car’s new owner choose to go that path.