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