The Masters Of Drag
Those golden years

Japan; one word, one country, yet saying it out loud conjures up so much to any car enthusiast. To me, one of the most important periods in its performance car-related history was the ’90s, and I’m pretty sure a lot of you would agree too. It was a time when tuning was widespread, where the pace was fast and fierce, and competition was rampant with everyone attempting to outdo each on the track and the street. Back in those golden years the GT-R was king and Japanese drag racing was more popular than ever. And at the center of it all were car shops like Endless.

For that very reason, for many years Endless has been on my must-visit list. I just wanted to see the place where some of Japan’s fastest zero-yon (1/4 mile) cars came from – cars that I used to see on those old Option videos, that in a way originally fuelled my passion for this scene and the machines that make up it.

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Unfortunately, Sugino-san, the man that created Endless, wasn’t there when I dropped by the Hyogo-ken countryside shop, but his staff were more than helpful at showing me around and letting me take a closer look at some of their latest builds.

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Unsurprisingly I have some very cool cars to show you, but before we get to those there was much to explore in the main shop area. This is where Endless customers spend a good deal of time in, sitting down with Sugino-san and his mechanics and figuring out the goals they have for their cars, and the modifications required to achieve them.

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Back in the day it might have all been about crazy power and not much else, but things have obviously moved on quite a bit in the last two decades or so. Big numbers are still what people come to Endless for, but at the same time they want drivability; they want their cars to be refined all-rounders that can cope with the odd daily commute and occasional family outing.

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Reading is always a good way to get the ideas flowing, and I have to admit it was pretty hard to keep shooting around the shop when I was confronted with this nice selection of new and old magazines, not to mention those must-have Hyper Rev volumes!

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While many of Sugino’s customers may have moved onto the R35 GT-R, the majority of his clientele are still attracted to the RB26 as yours truly is. Sure, it might be an older engine now, but things the iconic straight-six is still capable of achieving is pretty mind-blowing – something thanks in part to the continuous attention it still receives from the industry.

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Looking around revealed a pretty cool selection of parts, and everything from custom exhaust manifolds to larger turbo kits.

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And of course big power comes from big turbos!

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I found it cool how everything was separated into their own display areas. From the turbos you moved along to the intake side of things with a few large-volume inlet plenums on show.

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Here’s a blast from the past – the famous Veilside 100mm throttle body, one modification that once upon a time you’d be pretty much guaranteed to find under the bonnet of a drag GT-R. Veilside might not be into the whole drag or high-power tuning game any more, but it sure left a mark. Now that I think about it, I should probably talk to Yokomaku-san about shooting his legendary 0-300km/h BNR32 which was still in the shop last time I visited. I’m sure many of you would love to see that in detail!

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Along with power, there is always the need for a specific suspension setup, regardless if you’re into circuit driving or straight-line speed.

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I always enjoy looking in these glass cabinets at tuning shops as they usually have some vintage electronics along with the newer stuff. And spotting a vintage HKS fuel computer sitting next to a set of old school high-flow injectors, I was not disappointed. Most of these older bits and pieces were for sale too.

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Not surprisingly I spotted a few bottles of nitrous oxide around the place. This is a drag shop after all…

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The R35 GT-R already comes with a decent level of power but it’s impressive what a few minor modifications can yield. One of the most popular upgrades Endless perform are to the VQ38’s induction, and this Trust hard pipe kit with AIRINX sponge filters seems to be a favourite among R35 owners.

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Provided you also upgraded the turbos, GReddy/Trust also has this larger capacity intake plenum designed to supply a a lot more air to each of the engine’s six cylinders.

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One of Endless’s own hottest and newest parts is this R35 titanium exhaust system, which suits everything from a factory-spec car to one pushing substantially more boost.

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It was also really cool to see an original Nismo BNR34 combination meter still boxed and on display. I have the exact same box with the stock meters gracing one of the shelves in my office.

Getting those hands dirty
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The workshop however, was where I was itching to get access to next and I’m sure you can see why! During my visit there were some cool cars in for work – some major and some more maintenance-oriented.

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Like most tuning shops in Japan, Endless is equipped to tackle a wide range of jobs. Trusty customers even drop off their cars to get new tyres fitted, or other such things a dealer would normally look after. This allows tuners to get to know their customer cars very well, which is always important when you begin taking those steps up the modification ladder.

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During the few hours I spent at Endless, two of the mechanics managed to drop the engine out of this brand new white GT-R. After putting only a few thousand kilometers on it the owner had ordered up all sort of cool parts from Trust, including a turbo upgrade to bump power up to 800hp. Nice!

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Not surprisingly it was the white R34 a few pit spaces up that caught my eye. On top of the nice exterior additions like the Nismo Version 1 front bumper and side skirts, there were some serious engine modifications being undertaken.

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After being freshly built up with an HKS Step 2 V-Cam kit. the engine had just been dropped into the bay.

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With the variable timing on the inlet cam and the 200cc bump in capacity it would have no problem spooling up the Trust T88 that was being piped in place. When finished up and mapped, this setup can produce anywhere between 700 and 800hp, which isn’t bad for a street registered car, right?  While the lag associated with these single turbo conversion has always put me off, the sound these things make with their externally vented wastegates is something else!

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This non-V-spec model was also fitted with an ARC rear diffuser – something I haven’t seen in close to a decade.

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In for similar work was this BCNR33 on white Work Emotions.

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Not too far away was its opened-up RB26 which was about to receive the full Endless treatment.

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Here are the stock pistons and connecting rods which up until recently served the engine well. You can see one of the new H-section rods on the far left that will soon be fitted along with a bunch of other parts.

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And here’s the R33’s gearbox, patiently waiting to be reunited with the soon-to-be rebuilt RB26.

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The main reason I was out at Endless was to shoot one of the most extreme cars Sugino-san has built in recent years – a car that despite boasting a four-figure power level is still road registered.

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I’ll end the shop tour right here, but hopefully I’ve managed to show you what Endless is all about – not to mention whet your appetite for some GT-R feature cars that will be coming your way soon…

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: speedhunters_dino
dino@speedhunters.com

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1

Attrached*, you mean Attached no? Just trying to help :) love the article.

2

definitely gonna wait for the r32 feature ;)

3

Dino, since you have been living for a long time in Japan you may can answer me this following question that came up in my mind while reading what you wrote about that beautiful BNR34. Is Nismo still making those Version 1 front bumpers or not? As much as i know they are discontinued, but never really got a proof. Also was the V-Cam system the new generation, which is running with the F-Con V-Pro Ver. 4? :)

Awesome write up!

4

That looks like a fun place to work

5

Ahhhhh, an Iconic Japanese performance shop that has been around for so long. And now I get a virtual tour, courtesy of Dino, whom never seems to leave much detail out of the photos or articles. Thanks for this man, I really do appreciate these great articles. All of these great shop visits just keep upping the ante for me to go visit Japan for myself!

6

Please Sir, I want some more. :)

7

wheatgod montreal e36  

Carry on bro no one's talking to you.

8

Hi SH team. I am visiting tokyo in 2 weeks. Are there any builders in tokyo area worth visiting? Appreciate your advice!

9
nissan fan for lyfe

would they work on my 72 skyline?

10

YEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!

11

Uhh, Dino... You may want to rethink that title, I thought this was something about men in dresses drifting. Because Japan.

12

Please tell me you will feature the R35 GT-R in the front of the shop!!!

13

Fantástica oficina dos sonhos,parabéns aos japas...

14

I love it how there's no Vacuumed sealed or climate controlled engine room. If its done right its done right.

15

wheatgod montreal e36 except the educated readers at the back here with a selection of sharpened blue pencils tucked in the breast pockets of their pristine brown engineers overalls...

16

Ahh Japan! Tell me are there any of these getting around over there? - Daihatsu Boon-X? love any Small high-powered angry lookin' cars....Or Nissan Cubes! love to see a story on these - must be a Cult Cube Club over there Somewhere....& finally - Honda Motocompo! Feature on them? any Motocompo Clubs? My 2 cents Thankyou.

17
speedhunters_dino

Anthraxxx  As you can imagine there's pretty much a scene for anything out here in Japan so I'm sure with some research you can find people that tune the Boon-X. Cubes are popular with the stance guys, see lots of those at those sort of meets and events. Love the motocompo, keep telling myself I need to get me one as prices are already overinflated!

18
speedhunters_dino

Schoey  They have a little dark engine build room in the back but yeah, this is how most do it in Japan

19
speedhunters_dino

SeBaBunea  Car spotlight coming :)

20
speedhunters_dino

clevernamehere  Haha, plenty of that stuff happening here. I actually saw a couple recently in Akihabara. Ah...Japan...

21
speedhunters_dino

nissan fan for lyfe  They sure would

22
speedhunters_dino

The One Otaku  More is coming :)

23
speedhunters_dino

bmxatv10  More shop visits coming in the next months ;)

24
speedhunters_dino

DirtyOwnage  I will have to ask but last I checked they were still in the catalogue. And yes it was the newer one so no little module to control it separately from the ECU

25
speedhunters_dino

nugundam93  :)

26
speedhunters_dino

whitehatchback wheatgod montreal e36  LOL

27

speedhunters_dino Anthraxxx Yeah I'm on the hunt over here in Aus now for a Motocompo. $2750 Aus seems the rate to buy a decent bike, + shipping from NZ or US. Mob in Sydney can get me one to my door for $3100. Big $$$ really but will only go up.

28

clevernamehere  Lol! Like Dino said, there's pretty much a scene for anything in Japan…

29
speedhunters_dino

Anthraxxx speedhunters_dino  Wow they are far cheaper than that in Japan! Sounds like a business opportunity lol

30
speedhunters_dino

Taryn Croucher clevernamehere  Yeah and nobody judges you. Each to their own, fine with me:)

31

speedhunters_dino Anthraxxx I know! Something is very very wrong here! 53,000 made back in the day...190,000 Yen I was quoted, plus ship to Aus. What is the typical Yen sell price there?

32

I think you misspelled that Nissan's car....

33

speedhunters_dino bmxatv10Yesssss!

34

A Holset charger on a JDM car, thats a first for me :D

35

Oh Dino please feature "Veilside".
That is the shop I absolutely worshiped growing up, they had the maddest cars and he was such a character (ladies man).
Do it!!!!!

36

Want to build a variety of NISSANS and own your dream shop. Well if your jobless (in time) then go build one at http://www.stuner.net HAHAHAHA Imma troll.

37

Veilside built throttle bodies?

38

speedhunters_dino Taryn Croucher clevernamehere  There's an article that needs to be written "Drift N Drag" :D

39

It's a bit embarassing but I didn't know drag racing was so popular in Japan!maybe that's because I'm not really a fan of the strip racers but I sure like the way they do it there :)

40
speedhunters_dino

JDM_Luca  Used to be popular, now not so much, takes a lot of investment to create fast cars

41
speedhunters_dino

MinionMariuos  Yup, and suspension, turbos, plenums...

42
speedhunters_dino

roido11  It would be depressing seeing the state the shop is in now :(

43
speedhunters_dino

Acc  Well it's not fitted, it was in the shop :p

44
speedhunters_dino

TokyoCarGuy  wassdat?

45
speedhunters_dino

Anthraxxx speedhunters_dino  how about 4: http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g132296792

47

I hope the drag scene will rise up again :D

48

Hey Dino, in Ch.1, the fourth pic from the bottom says VQ38, surely you mean VR38?

49

sp33dfr34k  The drag scene is dead, and for obvious reaons

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