As if the last 2 posts about GT-Rs didn’t get your juices flowing…This silver beauty belongs to Jay E. He found out about ZCarGarage through one of the most popular GT-R forums on the web: The North American GT-R Owners Club, or “nagtroc”. This is the place to be for all things R35-related!
Jay made the trip to ZCG from SF to have some new, aggressively sized wheels/tires and springs installed. Here are a few shots with the OEM rolling stock:

Jay chose wheels from ADV.1, specifically their ADV5.1 model. This is a lightweight forged monoblock wheel with a simple, yet clean look. You can find more info on ADV.1 wheels HERE

The thin-spoke design really let’s those gigantic rotors and Brembos pop. Wheels are 20×11 up front with a 295/30 tire and 20×12 in back with a massive 335/30 tire! The rear wheel also has a subtle concave spoke design that looks killer from a rear 3/4 view. ZCG’s Fred M installed the Eibach Pro-Kit springs to complement the larger wheel/tire package.


With the 2012 GT-R just coming out we are seeing more and more R35 owners modifying and driving their cars!
Plenty more shots in the gallery, enjoy!
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It’s raining GT-Rs at ZCarGarage! Owner Kevin K had a blast driving his GT-R at Thunderhill recently. You might remember seeing his car at ZCG for several mods including an exhaust system, wheels/springs and a few other items. Kevin also displayed the GT-R at the SJ Auto Show in January. These awesome on-track pictures are from Gotbluemilk.

How cool does this R35 look at speed?

Kevin had an impressive list of parts installed including:
-Deatschwerks 750cc injectors
-Cobb AccessPORT, Custom tuned by HorsePower Logic
-Clear Bra by Premier Protective Films
-Downforce Carbon Fiber body kit by none other than Williams Auto Body
-Go Fast Bits blow-off valves:

Check out the AMS Catted Downpipes, compared to the OEM units:

The stock rear section of the exhaust was replaced by this beautiful HKS Legamax Exhaust:

The center section leading up to the downpipes was replaced by a GTM Challenge Race Spec non-resonated midpipe:

It looks and sounds amazing!

Kevin has great taste and chose some very sharp Volk Racing TE37 G2 wheels finished in Flat Black: 20 x 10 F, 20 x 11 R. Combined with Swift Springs and carbon fiber lower trim this GT-R looks sinister on the street and on the track!

Incredible. Amazing. Sensational. My limited vocabulary seems to be fading and my legs are trembling as I exit the driver’s seat after driving a 2012 Nissan GT-R. This car blows my mind, and that’s only from a brief stint driving on the street! No, it’s not my new car 🙁
This GT-R belongs to Walt P, a long time customer and friend of ZCG. He also worked at Nissan for a few years and owns a beastly 300zx Twin-Turbo with ~700hp that will be featured on the blog soon. Walt was in the market for a fast, do-it-all sportscar that could be driven on the track wet/dry and feel equally at home on the street. He drove several cars like the BMW M3(E92) and Audi R8, but the GT-R won his heart. We think he made the right choice 🙂

With only 6 miles on the clock Walt immediately set out to familiarize himself with his new acquaintance. Minding the break-in period he drove hard and fast through Bay Area back roads, racking up 150miles+ within hours of getting the keys!  Unlike most GT-Rs this one is and will be DRIVEN! 12hrs after purchase check the sidewall out! Look for it at the upcoming track day at Laguna Seca in April.

Walt chose an exterior/interior combo that exudes an understated classiness. The paint color is Aurora Flare Pearl and it’s gorgeous under varying light. It’s a color that looks just right on the GT-R and is less ubiquitous than Gun Metal or Silver.

The 2012 has a host of improvements to the interior and exterior.  The menacing front end is even more pronounced with LED lighting:

It’s in the details: New wheels, CF strut bar (I thought it was trim!), red accented intake and vents on the rear trim:

We took the GT-R to the weigh scale and it was 3900lbs with a full tank of gas. It is a large car that feels quite the opposite when behind the wheel. Walt was kind enough to let me take the GT-R for a spin and I was very impressed. First, the interior feels and looks much better than the previous models I’ve seen.

The dual-clutch transmission is phenomenal. Shifts that are so crisp and instant it could probably make the most diehard 3-pedal fans envious (and I’m all for saving the stick!). One’s perception of time and space gets seriously skewed behind the wheel of this car. The surge of torque and accompanying sounds of the exhaust and turbos make roll-on acceleration a  “prepare for hyperdrive” experience. I did not explore the limits of the GT-R or it’s adjustable suspension, diff, and throttle settings. Walt, however showed me how incredible the GT-R is accelerating out of corners. In “Race” mode he could drift the tail out, and sure enough the car would magically hook up the front wheels and rocket out of the turn. AWD traction and RWD handling. Brilliant.
Here are few videos we took just having fun. It is truly a sight to see when a supercar owner actually drives the car instead of putting in a garage to admire(which I’m sure he will do tonight):

Check out the current issue of Motor Trend magazine for a comparo between the GT-R, Z06 ‘Vette, and Shelby Mustang:
TrackRace
DragRace
Congratulations Walt and thanks for making my day!
Long Live the GT-R!

You can see more photos of the GT-R in the gallery:
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This R35 GT-R runs the 1/4 mile in 9.33 seconds at 153mph AND promises total streetability!!!

The video is pretty impressive, I love watching the tach/speedo sweep as the car simply timewarps through the gears:

This “street” action video the same, 9-second GT-R is fun to watch as well. I like the reaction seen on the driver’s face under acceleration 🙂

The Concours event was an amazing experience. Big thanks to David Swig for the invitation and giving Japanese classic cars a presence at the show and in people’s hearts!

We left ZCarGarage at 7am with three 240z cars, a ‘67.5 roadster and one sinister-looking s/c’d 350z.

This was my first time at a Concours event, and I was really impressed with how the venue was organized. As we drove  past the registration and onto the lawn area each car received a bottle of wine!  Flag wavers at every turn directed us to our staging area, where I immediately saw a sea of Ferrari’s and other exotics. I kept wondering, “A bunch of Datsuns get their own display in this show? ” Yes indeed. Not only Datsuns, but Hondas and Toyotas deserve their moment in the spotlight as well 🙂

The Japanese classic car display included a Toyota ’67 2000GT,  Toyota Sports 800, ’68 Honda S800, ’71 Skyline GT-R.   3 Datsun 240zs,  Datsun roadster, and a 1973 Toyota Corolla.   9 lovely Japanese cars in between gangster-era Cadillac’s and bright red Ferrari’s.
 
 

 

 
People were smitten with the display. I could hear memories being conjured, stories being swapped. It was great exposure for our cars, and quite endearing to see this happen amongst all of the high dollar iron surrounding us 🙂

                    
Rob told me that the Skyline was real, with the S20 drivetrain. My jaw dropped and I got very giddy as I have never seen a real Skyline GT-R in person. When the owner opened the hood the mighty S20 gleamed in all its twin-cam glory. Check out the pictures below for more detailed shots…from the underbody to the interior, it was a treat.
                  

The arrival of summer came late to the Bay Area but it was definitely felt with 95 degree + temps. Multiple tents and water stations were available to the attendees. Our invitation included snacks, drinks and lunch in a pavillion with a perfect view of the car display ramp. We were fortunate to have a chat with David Swig about seeing more folks getting into vintage racing and increasing Japanese car representation.
    

Here is a sight that was new to me: Concours judges scrutinizing cars. Maybe one day these gentlemen will be judging your Nissan/Datsun at a Concours event! Why not?

After lunch it was time to check out more of the cars, and I can’t describe or include all of the wonderful machines so I will  list a few favorites. Make sure to click after the “read more” to see all of the pictures!

Mercedes Benz 300SLs, and Gullwings galore! The new SLS was there too.

This Alfa Romeo Guiletta Sprint had just the right proportions:

Chrome everywhere, huge grilles, hood ornaments, and interiors that are so huge and luxurious that they belong on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

           

The event was truly an incredible experience and hopefully we can have an even greater display of Japanese cars for the collector car world to appreciate. Enjoy the pictures!

Click on the “continue reading” link below for the full picture album (315 pics)
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