7.0-Liters & 550hp: Tsukuba’s Mid Night Express

If you caught my Attack Tsukuba 2022 coverage earlier in the week, you’d have no doubt seen the matte black 993 GT I ended the post with.

I didn’t want to leave you guys hanging too long for the promised spotlight, so let’s just jump right into it as this Porsche 911 is pretty damn cool.

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It was a surprise to say the least, firstly because it was hidden away inside one of the pits, and with so much commotion when the fast cars hit the track early on, I never passed by it. Secondly, well, it’s an air-cooled 911 model, and you don’t see too many of these cars at Tsukuba Circuit outside of the idlers events, save for a couple of RWB builds spotted in previous years.

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One look around the car and it was obvious that this is not an aesthetic exercise as RWB cars usually are. This is a fresh build by T-Tec (Tsukabi Technica) for a member of the Mid Night club, and Attack provided another opportunity to shake it down.

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I have to say, it’s really cool to see this amount of contemporary aero – and by that I mean the functional variety – applied to an older 911.

If I said this a few years back I would have been called crazy, but the aero in play here is still pretty simple, comprising of a large extended front lip and a tall bi-plane rear wing. There aren’t many other elements along the side or anything really done to the fenders or the underside of the car, just the vented hood.

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That’s designed to work along with the flat-mounted radiator and the carbon shroud it’s all neatly contained in.

Wait, what? A 993 with a radiator?

Yes, indeed. And look, there’s a throttle body in a weird place too. On a flat-six engine, the throttle body sits on top of the octopus-like intake manifold and is oriented towards the left side of the car.

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It’s not like that here, because the problematic, forever-leaking, finicky, delicate, pricey-to-do-anything-with (forgive me for venting my anger from 964 ownership here) flat-six has been replaced with a dry-sump-equipped and MoTec ECU-managed GM LS7 V8.

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A year or two ago, I might have been working myself up with anger at the sight of this – as a few purists likely are now – but I really do get it. It’s a fairly straightforward way of making a reliable 550hp with masses of low and mid-range torque to boot. It’s exactly what you need to exploit all of the grip these cars have when you exit corners hard on the gas. Just watch the lift-off oversteer…

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Cutting off the lower section of the rear bumper is a superb touch that allows the LS7 to throw out its headers without any obstruction before the rest of the custom-made exhaust meets up in the center.

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Opening the lightweight driver’s door gives a clear view into the very focused cabin, complete with an extensive roll cage, carbon fiber seat, Tilton adjustable pedal box and air jacks. There’s nothing in here that doesn’t need to be; it’s as functional as it can be with all the controls laid out across the custom dash. Diagonally across from the driver and right behind the compact fuel cell is the aluminum oil tank for the dry sump system.

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Race brakes have been fitted at each corner too.

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The driver recorded a 58.245-second lap, which is an impressive baseline for the team to build on. It will be interesting to see just how much faster they can push this evil-looking 911.

Dino Dalle Carbonare
Instagram: dino_dalle_carbonare
dino@speedhunters.com

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1

This is a great looking car. Seems like there is still a lot of potential here; right now they are lapping at the same pace as the M4 in your last post.

Author2
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Yep lot's of potential for sure, in fact that is a very good baseline time to start developing from

3

Its a Porsche, Its got crazy aero, its still rear/mid engined, its a midnight car, and its built to be driven... Thats a perfect combo there !

Author4
Dino Dalle Carbonare

JDM 911 mash up lol

5

So blackbird shifted his interest to time attack; why not.

Author6
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Hey you gotta follow the times lol

7

Is it possible to have more info about T-Tec (Tsukabi Technica), like a website ? Thanks

Author8
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I don't think they have a website but if you guys would like to see a shop tour I can look into it

9

Nice to see an old 993 that's not RWB'd up and stretching its legs on the track.

Yes, I am aware owners of early RWB cars were indeed tracked - but lately they seem to made be for instagram flexing only

Author10
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Not the RWB Japan builds, most end up on the tack as it was always supposed to be. Not counting the 997s

11

RWB makes this exact widebody kit, ironically called the narrowbody

12

Amazing car. I want one. But don't you mean that it was built for a member of the "now defunct Mid Night club"? ;)

13

The club exists. But in a new legal form.

14

Well that comment just led me down a wormhole of internet searching to finally figure out they've resurfaced as of 2021, still hanging onto the "protect the general public" morality. Super cool!

15

Surprised the mid-size 7L is left in nearly stock form. They don't make that much power without messing with them. I guess they're going for a build that will last. Cheers fellas.

Author16
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I would say they would once they max out on the performance.

17

The more I see LS swapped vehicles, the more I contemplate replacing the small block in my e36 with a more modern LS (probably LQ, I don't have LS block money lol), see what happens in the future I suppose.

Great article Dino! I hope we get to see more of this car in the future!

Author18
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Thanks Tim. And good luck with your E36!

19

I remember when I was in high school, long ago, I used to draw race cars with huge aero and diffusers... I had a friend who would always make fun of me for it saying it was really weird. This car is one of many that confirms I was right.

Author20
Dino Dalle Carbonare

Taunt him on social media hahaha

21

That blacked out look always reminds me of the forgettable movie, "Condorman," with Michael Crawford. Sad waste of Porsches, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g-TkGM4nKI

22
@prodrivingdynamics

I love everything about this build. I met someone a long time ago with an all aluminum LS swapped V8 into their 993 similar to this and they told me it reduced their lap times at their local test track by 2-3 seconds due to improved weight distribution and torque. They also told me it is tremendously cheaper to run the LS as opposed to the 911 engine and that the OEM engine was a waste of money in their opinion--and this was someone very wealthy.

As far as the aero is concerned it is still very basic conceptually. Always remember downforce is really made on the underbody of the car--not wings and splitters. These are more or less trim devices. Real downforce comes from floor design and a curved floor. Really badass 911. Love it!

Author23
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I'd agree on the engine side of things. The air cooled boxer 6 is pricey due to the complex way its all put together and laid out. So many components and rubber seals ffs.

24
@prodrivingdynamics

Sure, but you can't disagree with the aerodynamics either. It is made from the underbody. Air flow is required to produce a pressure drop Dino. You have more surface area on the underbody than you ever will on a wing. This is physics.

25

This is so much Midnight Club, it will make me play some NFSU and look at used Wangan Midnight arcade cabinets today. To have lived in the 90's when cars were unique to do 200, the military industrial complex gave us GITS and MGS to influence mods, and music to mp3 via the aftermarket xplods was exploratory post-grunge "Electro"/House/D&B like Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, Prodigy... Then to have Smokey pass you in a mystery engined creativity on the newly minted black glass highways while the cops just sat there watching. Glorious.

26

Still waiting for dino to join the RWB club LOL

Author27
Dino Dalle Carbonare

I'm in the narrow body club for the forceable future lol

28

Spend a small country's GDP to build a racecar but don't bother fine tuning and developing the engine. Just LS swap everything.

29
theAngryMarmot

Lol, oh - such ignorance.

If you had ever actually "developed" a race car (I have - spent over two decades doing such) - you would know that the less things you have to "develop" the better and then you can concentrate on set-up and fine tuning. The LS7 in this car has been extensively "developed" by GM with its millions and millions of dollars - so your comment is quite invalid. Without having to worry about a high strung / huge money / finicky / cantankerous race engine they can focus on actually going fast. To anyone who has *actually* built / raced a "high level" car - it is a great decision.

But hey, why use logical, rational, and experienced thought process when you can just try to talk out of your a** cause you don't like the swap.

30

It's Tsubaki Technica; not Tsukabi.

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