Mazda recently put out a press release discussing its plans for electrification over the next few years. It gave some more specifics to its plans, but was generally pretty dry, with one strange exception. Among the accompanying photos were two renderings of something simply referred to as the Vision Study Model, and it’s an incredibly pretty sports car design that we haven’t seen from Mazda before.
Bizarrely, there isn’t even a hint of information about the design. There’s nothing about a more specific name, what could power it, or if it’s a preview of anything for the future. It sure is pretty, though.
The design looks like a blend of ND Miata and FD RX-7. The overall size is very Miata, as is the front grille and some of the more crisp lines. But the coupe shape, smooth, organic body panels and especially those pop-up or psuedo-pop-up headlights are totally RX-7.
With no other information, we’re left to speculate what could power it, and with Mazda’s slow adoption of full EVs, that leaves options pretty wide open. It could hypothetically be powered by a variant of the Miata four-cylinder or one of the recent turbo engines. It could use the rotary-range-extended electric platform that Mazda of Europe’s version of the release noted is still slated for 2023 in the MX-30. Or maybe it could be a fully electric car.
All we know is that it’s pretty, and we want it. Please tell us more, Mazda, and please build it.
Something For Everyone: Model Shopping At The NEC Classic – Speedhunters
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Automotive scale models have existed for as long as the full-size vehicles they’re based on have. These diminutive replicas can range massively in both price and detail, with the two largely proportionate. Hundreds of pounds for a model with incredible amounts of detail is not uncommon, right down to Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars costing pocket change.
A distinction needs to be made between toys and models: Toys are for playing with and models are for collecting and display. But that doesn’t mean toys can’t be collected. Hot Wheels are some of the most collectible automotive memorabilia around.
The Autojumble at the 2022 NEC Classic Motor Show last weekend had an incredible array of both of both model types. Let’s take a quick look…
With insurance, maintenance and fuel requirements, cars can quickly become a costly endeavour. And that’s if you can even buy one in the first place; with most competition or historic cars it’s out of the question. While you can’t drive these models (RC cars are another story entirely), a huge part of what attracts an individual to a car is its outward appearance. This is where scale models come in. You have something you can admire, and being so small you can fit quite a few on a shelf.
I was surprised not only by the age of model cars on display at the Classic Motor Show, with some Dinky and Corgi models many decades old, but also the variety.
The older model cars generally lacked detail, which can be attributed to the manufacturing processes of their time. All these models were hand modelled for a mould before being cast in zamac zinc alloy, then painted by hand.
As technology has advanced and allowed for automation and mass production, so have the models. Most modern releases have incredible detail, such as spoked wheels with period-correct tyre treads. Some even feature wear and tear, as if they have just finished a race or rally stage.
New manufacturing processes have also allowed for highly-detailed, smaller-scale models to be produced, down to 1:64 and even less in some cases.
I could almost guarantee that if you’re into some weird, obscure car, at some point a company has made a model of it.
Citroën DS car transporter with an Austin Healy Bugeye Sprite onboard? Check.
Alpina E30 B3 2.7? Right here. What about a late-’90s British ice cream truck? I can almost hear the music playing now…
A rise in tuner car culture has meant scale models have shifted to follow the latest trends too.
More and more cars are not only modified, they’re done well. Arch gap, tyre and wheel sizes, all accurate.
If you prefer the do-it-yourself approach, some Classic Motor Show vendors offered a huge selection of kits, again ranging from totally obscure to all the popular models.
Unless your tastes lean more towards bigger and more detailed models, you don’t necessarily need deep pockets to start collecting. That’s the great thing about the hobby; it’s incredibly inclusive and there’s something for everyone at all price points.
Be warned though, scale model collecting is a very slippery slope and another automotive rabbit hole that’s all too easy to go down. So I’ll close off with the following: I don’t know anyone with just a single model in their collection…
Feel free to share your most prized model – or perhaps the size of your entire collection – in the comments below.
LOS ANGELES — If you follow enough automotive-themed Instagram feeds, there’s a very good chance you’ve come across a 911 Safari. They are delightfully incongruous verging on the oxymoronic: one of the world’s most capable and famous sports cars jacked up, fitted with off-road tires, extra driving lights and a large roof rack probably holding a tire. Possibly a roof tent. Believe us, it’s a whole thing and it goes back decades with a rich rally history.
And now it’s an official factory thing thanks the 2023 Porsche 911 Dakar. Yes, this is a real car that Porsche will produce 2,500 units globally of starting next spring, joining the ever-expanding pantheon of 911 models. As much as a 911 GT3 painted eye-searing blue sticks out in a crowd, we’re guessing the new 911 Dakar might trump them all when it comes to attracting eyeballs.
It all starts with that height. It rides 50 mm taller than a 911 Carrera or nearly 2 inches thanks to stretched springs, dampers and suspension links (the track is wider, too). The standard hydraulic, height-adjustable suspension basically takes the front-axle lift system available on other 911s and doubles up with a second pump at the rear. It can raise the Dakar another 30 mm for a grand-total lift of 3.15 inches to 7.5 inches (the car is set to this “High Level” in the above photos). Both that figure and the ramp-over angle are comparable to a typical crossover SUV, and actually quite a bit higher than off-roadish wagons like the Audi A6 Allroad and Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain. And unlike that pair, plus most other vehicles with high-mode off-road suspension settings that automatically lower around 20 mph, the Dakar’s High Level can be used up to 105 mph “for spirited off-road driving.” Or just looking bomb in Santa Monica.
Stuffed in those flared fender arches are specially designed Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus Tires measuring 245/45 ZR 19 at the front and 295/40 ZR 20 at the rear. They have 9 mm of tread depth plus reinforced sidewall with two carcass layers for damage resilience. Summer and snow Pirelli P Zero tires are optional and also feature the reinforced layers.
All-wheel drive is not surprisingly standard and is enhanced with modified diffs and a pair of Dakar-specific driving modes intended for the off-road arenas in which this 911 is intended to excel: sand and loose gravel. Rallye Mode biases power to the rear axle for loose and uneven surfaces and sure sounds like the makings of one helluva good time. Off-Road Mode maximizes traction in sand and rougher terrain, and automatically engages suspension’s High Level. There’s also a Rallye Launch Control that can be used with either off-road mode specifically engineered to operate on loose surfaces. I think that calls for a “yee-haw!”
Power comes from the GTS, or three rungs up the 911 model ladder. Its 3.0-liter twin-turbo boxer-six engine produces 473 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, and with its obligatory eight-speed PDK automated manual transmission, can hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. Top speed is limited to 150 mph due to those all-terrain Pirellis. Oh darn.
Now, for those keeping track at home, that 3.2-second 0-60 time is only 0.1-second slower than an all-wheel-drive 911 Carrera 4 GTS despite the height-adjustable suspension, giant tires and other tacked-on bits. The reason: Its curb weight of 3,552 pounds is only 16 pounds more. Weight was cut by utilizing the GT3’s carbon-fiber-reinforced-plastic (CFRP) hood and lightweight glass used in various places throughout the 911 lineup, including the 911 Carrera T that you can read about next week here on Autoblog. Other weight-saving items can be found inside where Porsche’s carbon fiber fixed-rake Full Bucket seats are standard (18-way power-adjustable ones are thankfully optional) along with an obligatory back seat delete. Besides the weight savings, removing the back seat was necessary to fit the added rear axle hydraulic pump.
The Dakar also picks up from the 911 parts rack engine mounts from the GT3, the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control system that mitigates body roll (probably a good idea for a 911 with 7.5 inches of ground clearance) and standard rear-axle steering that was modified for the all-terrain tires. The spring rates are of course different and the dampers more robust, while the brakes are from the Carrera S, since the larger brakes on the GTS aren’t really needed given the Dakar’s lower maximum speed. They’re also lighter. The cooling system from the 911 Turbo S was used since the design of its center intercooler is less likely to be damaged off-road than the one found in other 911s.
Despite the off-road intentions, the 911 Dakar’s on-road capability surprised even Porsche’s engineers. For instance, the reinforced Pirellis were originally developed as summer tires, but when the all-terrains proved to do so well in terms of on-road grip and noise, they were made standard equipment. Also, Porsche says that the Dakar’s lap time around the Nürburgring Nordschleife is the same as the 996-generation GT3 from 20 years ago. Not bad.
Visually, the 911 Dakar gets a fixed rear spoiler, red forged aluminum tow hooks and those exaggerated fender arches and rocker panels, plus various stainless steel body elements. Among those are stainless steel mesh grilles and underbody guards in the nose, which was shortened for improved approach angles. Up top, an optional roof basket can hold as much as 92 pounds of equipment and can be fitted with headlights running off a standard 12-volt socket located within the shark fin antenna housing. A roof tent is also available, though the 911 Carrera has long been able to accommodate one of those thanks to strong mounting points in the roof.
Besides the standard fixed buckets and no back seat, the interior gets standard Race-Tex upholstery with Shade Green stitching. The car pictured above wears the matching exterior paint color that’s exclusive to the Dakar.
And should driving around in a factory-fresh off-roading 911 not be bold enough, the Rallye Design package gets you a full-fledged homage to the 911 that won the 1984 Paris-to-Dakar rally (hence the name, by the way). You get a combination of white and Gentian Blue metallic paint with gold and red stripes, and both the wheels and wing painted white. Mind you, that Dakar-winning car wore Rothman’s advertisements, which is not only no longer a Porsche sponsor and a separate company, but one that sells cigarettes. Not exactly kosher in 2022. “Roughroads” is therefore put in its place alongside door-mounted numbers of the customers’ choice between 1 and 999. And no, getting 69 would not be funny, Todd.
Pricing starts at $223,450, including destination, but come on, that’s just the subterranean floor upon which dealers will stack their market adjustments. For reference, a Carrera 4 GTS starts at $151,350, and only the 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, 911 GT3 RS and 911 Sport Classic are more expensive. Of course, you have to ask yourself how much one of those aftermarket outfits would charge to transform a Carrera 4 GTS into a safari 911? OK, so even if the answer is “nowhere close to that,” the 911 Dakar is still tremendously cool. With the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato on its way, a charmingly nutty automotive niche is starting to get carved out. We cannot wait to drive this.
Bristol Street Motors (BSM) has struck-up a sponsorship deal with Gallagher Premiership Rugby team Exeter Chiefs as fellow car retail group LSH Auto broadened its support of Macclesfield Town FC.
BSM, part of the AM100’s Vertu Motors PLC, is set to follow-up a series of high-profile sponsorship deals from its parent company with support for the rugby union side throughout its 2022/23 season.
Branding for the group, which operates two locations in Exeter, will feature around the dugouts and on all four corners of the Sandy Park stadium as part of the deal.
Big screen advertising, product placement and the sponsorship of an upcoming match are also included along with the club’s ‘player of the day’ social media vote, which will carry the Bristol Street Motors name.
Vertu Motors chief executive Robert Forrester said: “Bristol Street Motors is passionate about being an integral part of the communities it works in, and our sports partnerships are key to this.
“I am delighted that we have formed our first rugby union partnership with Exeter Chiefs, a club that is at the heart of the community.”
Bristol Street Motors and Macklin Motors already list Channel 4’s Formula One coverage, W Series and British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) teams, the Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Durham cricket teams and Burnley Football Club among its key sponsorships.
Vertu Motors’ partnerships, meanwhile, include Sunderland Football Club, Middlesbrough Football Club, the Newcastle Eagles basketball team and naming rights for the Eagles’ Vertu Motors Arena in Gateshead.
Mercedes-Benz franchisee LSH Auto’s new deal with Macclesfield Town has seen it become the exclusive sponsor of the club’s new VIP lounge as part of a new deal which also extends its existing support of the club’s men’s and women’s teams to shirt sponsorship of the BTEC Academy Kit and U7s, U8s, U10s, U11s, U15s and U16s.
Martyn Webb, Managing Director of LSH Auto, said: “It’s important to us to support the younger players as well as the first teams. Last season, the Under 15s and Under 16s won the league championship, and the Under 16s won the Cheshire County Cup, the Primary Cup and the Manchester FC County Cup, so the youth programme at Macclesfield FC is clearly working well.”
A Mercedes AMG G63 12V kids’ electric car that was donated to the club by LSH Auto, continues to be used at Macclesfield FC home fixtures by match ball carriers who travel onto the pitch in style.
Macclesfield FC’s director of Football, Robbie Savage said: “I’m delighted that a company as prestigious as LSH Auto has chosen to extend its presence here at the Leasing.com stadium, with the sponsorship of the VIP lounge, Junior and BTEC academy kits.
“As one of our most valued partners, I look forward to building a long-standing relationship with LSH Auto and I’m excited to see some of our plans come to life over the next few weeks and months.”
Rygor Commercials is preparing for a new era of ownership after sales director John Keogh and head of truck sales Rish Channa completed a management buy-out (MBO) of the business.
The Wiltshire-based commercial vehicle operation, which represents Mercedes-Benz at nine locations and recently launched a Rygor Maxus operation in Newbury, officially changed hands on Wednesday (October 9) this week.
With the change, Keogh becomes Rygor’s managing director, with Channa being named commercial director.
Keogh described this week’s completed takeover as “a really special moment for us”, adding: “We have learnt a lot over the years from Tim Stacey, Paul Reed and Graham Drake who have been incredible owners of the Rygor business.
“We feel privileged to take the reins from them and look forward to following in their footsteps as people who drive the company forward.”
RWK Goodman and Deloitte UK advised on the MBO of the business, which achieved revenues up 11.4% at £263 million and pre-tax profits up 94.5% at £2.8m in its latest published annual results, to the end of April 2021.
Keogh said: “We have a fantastic team here at Rygor – an award-winning team – and our focus over the past few years has continued to centre on their progression, wellbeing and building a positive company culture.
“It is our team members who make us strong and successful, and we are greatly looking forward to working with them as Rygor continues to lead the way.”
Channa said that 2022 was “a big year for the Rygor business”. He added: “Our new Reading branch, which is conveniently located just a mile down the road from our existing Reading site, comprises nearly 44,000 square feet of space.
“It will allow us to offer enhanced services to our customers in the area, and our brilliant team at our current site will be moving over to the new dealership, so our customers can rely on the exceptional service they know and depend on.”
BMW applied the name “Neue Klasse” to a range of cars from 1962 to 1977, starting with the BMW 1500 that broke open a sport sedan segment and began to establish BMW as that segment’s leader. The Munich automaker resurrected the term for what it hopes will be another revolution, this time christening its new EV-focused platform the Neue Klasse (NKL). The brand has opened up about the NKL’s technical aspects over the past few weeks, Car magazine providing a summary of what Chief Technical Officer Frank Weber had to say. Starting with the battery, BMW’s tied up with cell makers CATL, EVE, and Northvolt on circular cells that will be 1.8 inches in diameter and either 3.7 inches high for use in cars or 4.7 inches high for use in crossovers. That makes them the same diameter but taller than the 3.1-inch Tesla 4680 cells.
Different cell chemistries have been developed depending on the use case, prioritizing power for M cars, low cost for entry level models, long range, or low degradation. In ideal configurations, the new cells are up to 20% more energy dense than BMW’s current packs and increase packaging efficiency by 30%, return up to 30% more range and 30% faster charging. On top of that, they’re said to be 20% lighter, cost roughly 50% less to produce, and emit an estimated 60% less CO2 emissions during production. Weber said owners will see 30 miles of range added per minute at peak fast-charging rates, up to 375 miles. The company told Autocar previously that EV range will max at 1,000 kilometers, or 621 miles.
Batteries will come in capacities ranging from 75 kWh to 150 kWh, juicing one-, two-, and four-motor powertrains ranging from outputs of 268 horsepower to 1,341 hp. Car said the M division is testing an electric prototype now, we’ll guess it’s pushing the four-figure mark.
As for longevity, worst case is expected to be at least 80% capacity and performance after ten years of use. Engineers have developed the system with various types of recycling in mind, including a “rethink of how recycled parts can be used in new models, and how recyclable those cars can be at the end of their life cycle.” The aim is to better the stat that just 9% of materials used in making batteries get reused.
BMW board member Nicolas Peter said we’d get our first look at what the NKL wants to make possible with a Vision Vehicle Concept coming to the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in January. Mum’s the word on styling, but we should expect the “breakthrough efforts” to be edgy. The automaker’s head of Efficient Dynamics was more forthcoming about aerodynamic goals. NKL refinements are anticipated to yield a 25% gain in aerodynamic efficiency, on top of new low-rolling-resistance tires that will be 7% more efficient. An Autobahn mode when traveling above 70 miles per hour cuts drag even more.
Roadgoing versions of the NKL are due in 2025 with the debut of the new i3, the electric 3 Series, and the next-gen iX3. That same year, BMW plans to show a prototype solid-state battery, which will one day deliver another tech leap.
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If you have a dog or any pet for that matter, you know how important they are to you and your family.
So if you’re like US, you want to give them a healthy and happy life.
Manufacturers like Subaru and Nissan even market their vehicles as ideal for dog owners.
Our ACE Agent.
But what makes THEIR vehicles ideal for man’s best friend other than they market to pet owners?
Well seeing it’s the weekend, lets have some fun and open up the discussion.
If you have a dog or thinking of get one tell us which models attract you due to their dog friendliness?
In other words, what do you think are the BEST DUV’S (Dog Utility Vehicles)? And what about them SPECIFICALLY makes them your choice or choices?
I’ll start with one.
I really like the Jeep Wrangler’s back seat fold flat floor. Our current head of security and ACE Agent specifically enjoyed the Jeeps roomy, flat space for his travel naps.
And lots of the K9 units like the Explorer.
Let us know which you like and enjoy the tribute below to the Auto Spies inaugural mascot Miss Bailey (RIP Dec. 2020).
Enough OEMs tallied double-digit volume improvements in October, tipping the balance of a still-struggling sector into the black after a flat Q3. This has been a catch-up year for the industry, and while reports from early on suggested easing of supply constraints and improvements in volume, many automakers are only now starting to claw back volume lost since supply shortages kneecapped the industry shortly after the onset of COVID.
That said, full-year sales figures still don’t paint a very rosy picture:
— Ford, which showed signs of recovery earlier in the year, remains down 2.2% from a supply-ravaged 2021. The Blue Oval’s volumes slipped more than 10% in October but the company hopes to regain ground in the remainder of Q4.
— Honda’s results show the opposite trend. The company’s YTD sales are down more than 35%, but October was only off by 16%. Both are still bad, but Honda’s trend line is at least headed in the right direction.
— The same is true of Hyundai (down 8% for the year but up nearly 7% in October) …
— Kia (down 5.1% for the year but up nearly 12% in October) …
— Mazda (down nearly 18% so far in 2022 but up nearly 30% over the same month last year …
— And Subaru (down 10% in 2022 but up more than 30% in October).
— Toyota really knocked it out of the park in October, with volumes up nearly 28% (representing more than 40,000 units) for the month. Toyota’s down just over 12% YTD, but it’s likely still the leader in U.S. sales volumes, as it was at the end of Q3 when its lead over General Motors was just over 91,000 units. (GM only reports sales quarterly.)
A video featuring a very blond blonde and a very red Ferrari? That’s certainly one way to attract some attention.
We don’t have the skinny on the lady, but the Testarossa Spider is straight out of the annals of wretched excess. It goes on the auction block in London next Saturday with opening bids at $1.6 million. The video is a teaser tweet for the event.
According to documentation offered by the auction house of RM Sotheby’s, this 1990 stunner, a “Special Production” Pininfarina-engineered convertible, was part of a custom lot of Ferraris commissioned by a high-roller in the Brunei royalty household. In 2021, when, according to Sotheby’s, it was “revived from its life-long state of static display,” the car was shuttled to two factories in Italy for “restoration.” The cost was 94,300 Euros to repair the top’s latch and repaint the machine. Another 83,170 Euros was budgeted to fiddle with a new clutch and “refresh” the interior. Lay those numbers on your local garage.
It’s believed, the press release goes on to say, that, in the end, Pininfarina made seven almost identical but ultimately unique “Spider” adaptations, “each finished in a different exterior and interior color combination.” And, in addition to these Brunei cars, a very small number of Testarossa Spiders, like the one to go on auction, were built for important clients, including the current consignor, who ordered his (or hers) in 1989. There are a reported 413 kilometers on the clock.
But wait: apparently maestro Pininfarina — perhaps in the throes of an eccentric mood — rebelled back in the Eighties against the convention of assigning just a common 17-digit vehicle identification numbers to his creations, and so identified the car described above with the VIN of “EFG092.” Go figure.
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Picture this, it’s 2005 and the factory warranty on your BNR34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nür has just run out. What do you do?
I dare say, V-spec II Nür owners at this time would be split down the middle. Those who would feel liberated at the loss of warranty and start modifying to their hearts’ content, and those with either a little more restrain, or a crystal ball to see into the future.
The latter would have, foreseeing the model’s future value, locked their GT-Rs away in a safety deposit box at their local investment bank. V-spec II Nür values are either sickening or a blessing depending on whether you currently own one or not. If you are unfortunate enough to not own a Nür – or even a ‘regular’ R34 GT-R – you better get yourself a paper bag or a bucket now.
Back in 1999, you could buy a new GT-R V-spec for around US$70,000 in today’s money. Today, the cheapest V-spec I can find on Goo-Net (a used car platform here in Japan) is being offered at US$102,000.
It gets a little more nauseating when you look at the more desirable models like the GT-R V-spec II Nür, which had a Nissan dealership price of around US$79,328 in today’s money. Today, low-mileage examples are fetching well over US$400,000.
Now that I have well and truly filled my paper bag, a cup of tea, a Digestive biscuit and a little perspective is needed.
These cars were, and still are in some ways,Mr. Emperor Penguin. They deserve to be up there with the Ferraris and Porsches, although the most expensive Porsche of the same vintage I could find on Goo-Net (a Freisinger 993 GT2) was just over US$300,000. It’s apples and oranges, but some sobering perspective nonetheless.
When the R34 GT-R was new it was considered a complex, technologically-advanced machine straight from the minds of crazy Japanese boffins. But today, despite its all-wheel drive system, all-wheel steering and twin-turbo setup, it seems a lot more simple and analogue. It seems more like it’s just a car. No longer is it seen as some advanced alien life form from the Planet of the Rising Sun.
Still, the model commands some of the highest used car prices on the planet. Which is why most sane people aren’t really modifying R34 GT-Rs anymore. And that brings us to the point of this story.
If you want to build the ultimate customised R34 GT-R like this one owned by Koichiro Yamashita, you need to start with an ER34 Skyline 25GT Turbo coupe. Even better if you can find one already in Bayside Blue.
Koichiro-san has fully transformed the grandpa-spec 25GT Turbo using original GT-R front and rear bumpers, front and rear fenders (the later being OEM panels welded onto the original body shell) plus all the other GT-R-spec trimmings.
If someone did all the excellent things that Koichiro-san has done here to a bonafide GT-R, they could probably kiss that holiday home goodbye.
If you ask me, this is the better option.
I don’t think the GT-R was ever intended to be a collector car. It was never designed to sit in a gallery, or worse still, in someone’s garage, and not be driven. The BNR34 was meant to be a driver’s car from the minute designer Kozo Watanabe was given the green light from Nissan’s top-floor execs.
Not only was the R34 GT-R meant to be driven, it was meant to be driven hard. The drivetrain in stock form was built to withstand well over double what the stock engine could muster, which in turn means it was always meant to be tuned up to 11.
Koichiro-san’s 25GT has been turned up to 11, and then some. Pushing over 700PS to the wheels from a fully-built RB26 with a single turbo hanging off its side, this car can be driven like the GT-R was supposed to be, not pampered and protected like some endangered animal on the brink of extinction.
Having the liberty to modify as he likes has also allowed Koichiro-san to choose a configuration which suits his driving style perfectly.
He believes that FR (front-engined, rear-wheel drive) is the purest form of motoring, especially on the circuit. While the GT-R may offer monster grip in all weather conditions thanks to its all-wheel drive, the FR configuration in the 25GT Turbo demands a little more engagement to keep thing in check. Koichiro-san has swapped almost everything else from a GT-R, but by sticking with rear-wheel drive it’s a little more tail-happy and not as heavy.
The full-custom suede interior is another modification that GT-R owners today might think twice about executing in their garage-stricken investment. That’s a bit of a shame, because, let’s face it, apart from the computer-game-esque multi-function display, the interior of a stock GT-R is pretty dull. Like most similar Japanese cars from this period, you’re paying for performance not plush trim.
Speaking of performance, this is one area that Koichiro has elevated the humble 25GT Turbo to the god-tier standards of a hard-tuned GT-R. While it might not run the N1 block used in the Nür of which this car is badged as (Koichiro-san confesses without remorse as it’s purely a fashion accessory) this is an almighty RB26 bored out to 2.7L and built from the ground up.
I’ll drop the full spec list at the bottom of the page, but some of the interesting features include the OEM GT-R35 fender ducts grafted just behind the front wheel arches. There’s also the massive Brembo brakes from a late-model R35 GT-R, which sit behind some custom-painted 19-inch Nismo LMGT4 wheels.
Sitting at the 7-Eleven, the car idled like a delirious elephant thanks to the 272-degree HKS cams. I think this Skyline would rather be at the race track than posing for photos in the city.
The price tag of Koichiro-san’s 25GT Turbo may not be as obscene as a real GT-R V-spec II Nür , but I say it has as much, if not more, of the same spirit.
It’s driven on the track (which is where the GT-R smashed records at the Nürburgring) regularly. It’s making ridiculous amounts of power for a street car. And most importantly, it’s fulfilling its destiny as a driver’s car, customised for its intended use and used well.
It’s also given Koichiro-san the experience of building his ultimate GT-R, and that is priceless.
Martyn Webb, Managing Director of LSH Auto, said: “It’s important to us to support the younger players as well as the first teams. Last season, the Under 15s and Under 16s won the league championship, and the Under 16s won the Cheshire County Cup, the Primary Cup and the Manchester FC County Cup, so the youth programme at Macclesfield FC is clearly working well.”
In June, Rygor announced that development was underway of a 
