At the beginning of this month I picked a very special Skyline GT-R to feature for the current Speed theme we are having here on Speedhunters. When Gio, the owner, commissioned Top Secret with creating his ultimate GT-R, speed and monster power were at the top of his agenda. He had envisioned the car as a daily driver with which he could cruise around town in or just as easily take to the drag strip or the wangan, and demolish the opposition.

However after several years of cohabitation, Gio was tragically bitten by the track-day bug. In order to cure this terrible affliction Gio employed the services of world renowned specialist “Dr.” Nagata-san of Top Secret to aid in his recovery. Unfortunately to this day his suffering has not been alleviated, but on the bright side it has helped evolved the Competizione R into the track day beast you see here.

As you can see from the pictures here, the alterations are quite evident! The exterior was the first to get the refresh, with the removal of the Top Secret aero the Competizione R donned before. Replacing it is a full Nismo front end which includes the Z-tune bumper and flared fenders as well as the R-tune dry-carbon hood. The front wet-carbon Top Secret lip has been kept.

Do-Luck side skirts had to be adapted to fit the new fenders, while at the rear the stock spoiler has been lowered on custom Top Secret mounts. A Nismo dry-carbon adjustable lip has been added while the Top Secret diffuser and vortex generators remain. Gio had Top Secret shave the rear trunk of both the third stoplight and the key lock for a very smooth look. Even the GT-R badge has been removed. Sunline Racing LED lights add a very modern feel to the rear end.

As you have noticed one of the main things that Gio wanted to go for was a full color change, something totally custom that nobody out there has ever attempted. The body-works section of Top Secret mixed up a one-off dark gray blue pearl which drastically alters the look of the R34. Depending on how the light hits it, the gray gives off very subtle blue reflections, highlighted by the impossibly shiny “glass” clear coat which makes the paint look like it’s been topped off by 10-coats of clear!

Under the hood, the RB26 looks as reflective as ever, but upon closer inspection quite a few shiny bits have been changed. First off the turbos…

…the big GT3037S from the previous build have been swapped out for a set of smaller GT2835R, helping the HKS 2.8L stroked RB develop more grunt at lower rpm

To improve flexibility one of only 30 special edition HKS V-Cam Pro systems has been fitted, introducing variable cam control on the intake side of the engine.

Helping boost mid-range response is a Nismo GT plenum, the same exact item used on the JGTC racing R34s, back when they actually used real GT-R engines in racing! With this new set-up peak power has dropped slightly to 718.9 PS and torque to 77.5 kgm. However the car is far more drivable now, the engine pulling sooner with a fuller and more progressive torque curve.

Gio wanted to start enjoying his GT-R at race tracks like Fuji Speedway, where I met up with him for the photoshoot. On top of the more responsive engine this also required some serious suspension modifications, which began with 3-way adjustable Nitron Pro racing suspension. These UK-made dampers are what Mine’s and Midori use on their demo cars, so you know the choice was a good one. Joining the Nitron’s is a long list of Ikeya Formula adjustable links allowing Gio to finely tune the geometry of the suspension.

Just as I began to get the camera out of my case the rain started…good thing we found this covered area of the paddock!

The custom painted 19-ich TE37s have been kept but are now wrapped in super-sticky Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 tires, 275/30/19 at all four corners. The brakes have been “re-upgraded,” Brembo 8-pot Ferrari Enzo calipers replacing the F50 4-pots that were used before. At the rear the stock 2-pot calipers are gone, in their place 4-pot Ferrari F360 calipers. Disc sizes have also increased, now a massive ø 380 mm at the front and ø 355 mm out back.

The car simply looks and sounds sensational out on track, those external wastegates screaming away as Gio exits a corner with the loud pedal pinned to the floor.

Robson Leather took care of the interior, which was upholstered in Italian leather and soft suede for the center of the seats, door cards and shifter/e-brake boots. Even the Top Secret/Personal steering wheel was treated to some soft hide.

Most of the center console, as well as other little details around the cabin have been “carbonized” by Robson Leather, spicing up the R34’s interior. Before all this work was done Top Secret stripped the interior down to the bare metal and spot-welded the shell, helping to stiffen up the chassis. This was done because Gio had no intention of fitting a roll-cage and compromising the interior.

So there you go, the perfect example of how passion can push you to create such incredible one-off creations. After all the hard work that has gone into the Competizione R I’d like to see how Gio could possibly top it! I’ve made up a full spec list of all the parts that have been fitted to the car so you guys can really understand the extent of this build!

Engine:

– Top Secret prepped block (oil/water galley etc.)

– HKS Step III 2.8 L kit (87 mm x 77.7 mm)

– Nismo N1 bearings and seals

– HKS IN/EX metal gaskets

– Trust extended oil pan and pick up

– Trust oil pan baffle plating

– HKS Metal Flow air filters (x2) & polished speed density conversion

– HKS GT-2835R A/R 0.73 turbine kit (x2)

– ARC Pro Class twin entry intercooler

– Nismo GT surge tank

– Top Secret/NAPREC custom port matched

– Custom NAPREC ø49 mm oversized throttles

– HKS exhaust manifolds

– HKS GT wastegate (x2)

– Top Secret Drag front pipes ø 80 mm

– HKS Metal Sports ø 75 mm sports catalyser

– Trust Ti-R titanium exhaust system 90 mm

– Bosh Motorsport 550 fuel pumps (x2) & Nismo in-tank fuel pump

– Top Secret fuel collector

– Earls custom braided fuel lines & fittings

– Sard fuel pressure regulator

– Trust Grex fuel rail

– Top Secret/Sard 1000 cc/min injectors

– Top Secret SPL ported & polished head

– HKS 1.2 mm metal head gasket

– Tomei head bolts

– HKS 272º & 10.5 mm lift (IN/EX)

– HKS Limited Edition Valcon V-Cam Pro 16/30

– Tomei valve springs (double)

– Tomei titanium valve retainers

– Tomei valve seats

– Top Secret slide cam pulleys

– Top Secret Super timing belt

– Blitz Racing 8 spark plugs

– Nismo N1 engine mounts

– Trust oil pump

– Nismo N1 water pump

– Yashio Super Race radiator

– Sard Type-D thermo

– Sard water filler cap

– Billion polished power steering fluid tank

– Top Secret oil catch tank custom rerouted into intake

– HRD 130A High Power alternator

– M-spec Nur high power battery and upgraded lines

– HKS 15-row oil cooler

– Trust oil filter relocation & HKS billet filler cap

– Top Secret oil bypass collector tank & Earls lines

– Tabata RR Race radiator & HKS cap

– Garage Defend carbon radiator shroud

– Samco silicone radiator hoses

– Robson carbon fan shroud

– Robson carbon fuse box cover

– Robson carbon spark cover

– Top Secret chromed engine covers

– HKS F-Con V Pro fueling computer

Transmission: 

– ATS twin plate carbon clutch with 1350 kg pressure plate

– ATS lightened & balanced flywheel

– Nismo Spec III racing clutch operating cylinder

– Top Secret Super Release shift fork

– Nismo large diameter input shaft

– Cusco Type RS rear LSD

Suspension & Brakes:

– Nitron Pro NTCNIO12R 3-way adjustable racing suspension kit

– Cusco adjustable rear upper arms

– Top Secret HICAS remover kit

– Ikeya Formula front pillow adjuster links

– Ikeya Formula front upper links

– Ikeya Formula roll center adjuster lower arms kit

– Ikeya Formula tie rod ends

– Ikeya Formula multi-link spacers

– Ikeya Formula adjuster rear lower arms

– Ikeya Formula rear camber adjuster bar arms

– Ikeya Formula traction adjuster rods

– Ikeya Formula rear knuckle pillow bushes

– Cusco carbon Pro front strut bar

– Brembo 8-pot calipers with 380 mm 2-piee slotted rotors (front)

– Brembo 4-pot calipers with 355 mm 2-piece slotted rotors (rear)

– Endless CC-R brake pads

– Top Secret braided brake lines

Wheels & Tires:

– Spark Silver Volk Racing TE37 19×9.5 +12 (front & rear)

– Bridgestone Potenza RE-11 275/30/19 (front & rear)

Exterior:

– Top Secret custom dark grey blue pearl paint with glass coating

– Nismo Z-tune front bumper

– Top Secret carbon front diffuser

– Nismo Z-tune front fenders

– Nismo R-tune carbon vented hood

– Top Secret carbon hood dampers

– Do-Luck side skirts

– Top Secret rear carbon diffuser

– Top Secret rear carbon vortex generators

– Ganador Super Mirror

– Nismo dry carbon rear wing blade

– Custom Top Secret carbon wing mounts

– Shaved 3rd brake light and lock from trunk lid

– Top Secret smoked LED fog lights/reverse lights

– Sunline Racing v2 LED lights with LED blinkers

– Nismo front & side smoked indicators

– Nismo carbon pillar garnish

– R35 GT-R front grille emblem

– PIAA carbon type wipers

Interior:

– Top Secret custom spot welded chassis

– Top Secret/Personal steering wheel with Robson Leather alcantara & blue stitching

– RBH boss

– Ronson Leather custom carbon/alcantara upholstering

– Robson Leather carbon center console & various inserts

– Robson Leather alcantara headliner

– Nismo Combination Meter

– XaNavi Birdview navigation system

– Blitz Type-R Dual SBC

– Nismo MFD Ver. 2

– HKS Type 1 turbo timer

– HKS Variable fan controller

– HKS V-Cam controller

– NEKO Corporation AF700 A/F meter

– Pioneer DEH P919 head unit

– Top Secret gear knob

– V-spec II pedal set

-Dino Dalle Carbonare