Recently, Wooley and I got the chance to drive a new NSX for the weekend. While shooting a video on that car, we realized how it’s impossible to grasp the real feelings behind the car’s unreal numbers… until you’ve had 1st-hand seat time. And frankly, for a lot of us, it’s just hard to muster up the proper amount of ‘care’ when something’s so unattainable/untouchable. It may as well be a Formula 1 car. So we put it in the back of our minds & move on with real life.
The GT-R is the same way. Well… was.
Now that the R35 has started to age a little bit, their prices have begun to slide down. If you play your cards right & have patience, you can pick up an earlier model R35 for around 45k or even less depending on the mileage. Meaning, for the price of a new STI or Camaro SS, you could essentially own Godzilla… a JDM supercar with endless aftermarket support and ridiculous street cred. Not only that, but because you can get them at more reasonable prices these days, you’re not as afraid to beat & bash on them as much.
See – there’s something beautiful that happens during 2nd and/or 3rd ownership. At that point, the car’s taken the big depreciation hit… and the gloves come off! And all the people who’ve had 5-10 years to save & dream about what they’d do with that car… finally get their chance. Haha – and that’s pretty much exactly where this magazine lives. Bottom line – the R35 GT-R price-to-performance ratio cannot be ignored anymore. And if you pushed the car out of your head 8 years ago, it might be time to let it creep back in a little bit.
Shaz (out of the UK) realized the opportunity, and took advantage of it. He waited… and hunted the used listings until he found EXACTLY the specs he was looking for: A 2011 R35 GT-R in Vibrant Red, at the right price, with a few aftermarket goodies already on it. The adrenaline of GT-R ownership took over… and things escalated pretty quickly. Be like Shaz.
BODY
Top Racing style vented carbon bonnet
Varis wide full carbon vented fins
Wald full carbon front bumper
Zele carbon sideskirts
Full carbon oem bumper
Zele carbon rear diffuser
Revozport JCR carbon trunk & rear wing
Smoked headlights
Valenti smoked taillights
Litchfield stripes
Custom wrapped graphics & roof
Carbon wing trims
Tinted windows
WHEELS / SUSPENSION / BRAKES
TSW Nurburgring wheels – Rotary Forged 20”
-275/35 Michelin Pilot Sport front
-305/30 Michelin Pilot Sport rear
Litchfield race suspension – lowered 10mm
Litchfield anti roll bars
HKS lower strut bars
HKS poly bushings
Forged Racing red lightweight lugs
Brembo upgraded pads and rotors – front & rear
ENGINE – 900hp
Deck plate honed & bored
Line honed block & cradle
Litchfield GTR custom forged Capricorn piston & rings set
Internally machined piston crown design
Upgraded Capricorn gudgeon pins
Litchfield GTR custom forged connecting rods
Upgraded connecting rod bolts
ARP main stud bolt kit
Balanced engine internals & crank
Dodson upgraded engine seal plates
Modified combustion chamber & squish angles
Valve seats recut & lapped
Modified water pump
Modified oil pump & oil pick-up pipe
NGK spark plugs
Steel head gasket
Upgraded crankshaft bearings
HKS gt900 twin turbos
HKS manifolds
Litchfield hard pipe intakes
Litchfield filters
Litchfield race intercooler
HKS large diameter intercooler pipes
Litchfield high flow Bosch injectors
Twin high flow fuel pumps
Milltek race exhaust – downpipe, de-catted, y-pipe, full system
Syvecs ECU with built-in launch control, rolling launch, reduce-power mode with interchangeable maps
Top Secret carbon slam panel
Mine’s carbon engine cover
TRANSMISSION
Forged 1-6 gear set
16 plate clutch
Billet baskets A and B
3 mechanical c-clips
Upgraded bell housing
Text by Hunter Rollins Photos by Habib Mohammed
