Hks Premium Day Spotlight-o-rama

Events like the Premium Day are where you can really get lost in the details. There is so much hot metal around that you can literally waste the whole day looking over your favorite cars without a care in the world for what is happening out on track. It’s very difficult to pull yourself away from greatly modified rides, as it’s where you notice inspiring new ideas, new parts and outright dedication that the Japanese seem to have when it comes to perfecting their own cars. So to get this spotlight-o-rama going I think I will start with a car that impressed me, and a lot of other people, no end. It’s not the first time we see this BCNR33, but it is now currently in its finished state, a project that the owner undertook all by himself. Once done this san-san was taken over to Do-Luck where Ito-san got busy setting up and programming its ECU.

It was entered in one of the Hiper Challenge sessions and despite going out for only a couple of laps it managed to record a 1:47sec, literally only a second or two behind the fastest demo cars entered in the Option Super Lap event. The owner took the GT-R down to the bare chassis prior to getting the project started and fabricated a very sturdy, race-inspired cage, gusseted to the pillars and even sporting removable titanium side cross-bars. A first?

The RB26 runs an HKS 2.8L stroker kit and a big T88 blower, which as Ito-san told me is only set to low boost at the moment. So the car definitely has potential for faster times. There are lots of other goodies on show too like the old Nismo titanium strut tower brace which has become a bit of a collector’s item, not to mention a Hollinger sequential taking over shifting duties.

Brakes? How about Super GT-sourced AP Racing calipers and discs, 6-pots front and 4-pots rear with big thick endurance pads to finish it all off. This prohibitively expensive braking package barely manages to hide behind the Volk Racing GR.G2s wrapped in Hankook’s stickiest semi-slick rubber.

Add to all of this some pretty wild custom front aero and you have one of the most exciting R33s we have ever come across in Japan!

From a Nissan to a Toyota now except, as we saw in yesterday’s post, this Altezza from C&Y Sports does away with its original 3S…

…in favor of a 600 HP RB26.

Every time you see a car sporting a C&Y Sports sticker you should not even begin to make assumptions. These guys are the creators of some pretty unique engine swaps, starting way back in the drag racing scene creating crazy 2JZ-powered AE86s.

Like all of their cars the Altezza was exquisitely finished with plenty of grip-oriented aero gadgetry up front…

…not to mention a rather massive rear wing. Bet this thing must be a ton of fun to drive…or attempt to keep tracking straight!

So much has been done with the S15 it is getting harder and harder to come up with fresh new looks and ideas. Garage Mak however have managed to do just that with their latest new project, this drop-top S15 Varietta fitted with their very own wide body conversion made up of their “Type 2″ front bumper, all new carbon hood and aero wide fenders…

…and a special set of riveted-on rear overfenders, especially made for the Varietta’s rump.

There were plenty of nice touches in the interior too like the carbon dash cover, Bride carbon-Kevlar buckets and the must-have Nardi steering wheel, this particular type finished off in suede.

The BBS LMs it was fitted with were running nice and aggressive offsets front and rear as well as stretched rubber to finish off the look. Hiding behind the spokes are Brembo 4-pot calipers from an R34 GT-R mated to larger diameter discs.

Since the car is created to be a cool every day street-driven machine the engine has been given some “boost up tuning, with a full hard pipe kit, upgraded intercooler, direct intake pipe with HKS filter and an ECU remap, all good for a nice and reliable 350 HP.

Over the years the Top Fuel Zero 1000 S2000 has gone through a few different guises, but none as aggressive as in its current form, sporting the bespoke Voltex-developed wide body aero treatment.

The car was entered in the Super Lap session where  Taniguchi was attempting to set some serious times with it.

The 2.2L stroked and turbocharged F20C is good for just over 700 HP and taking into account a very light curbweight…

… coupled with a wind-tunnel-tested aero package, there is plenty of potential for record braking laps.

I’ll give a quick run down of lap times in the next post so make sure you check back for that.

And finally it’s on to one of the two time-attack-oriented HKS Driving Performer 86s.

Much like Taniguchi’s D1 car this car is fitted with dry carbon front widened fenders that HKS built using their own autoclave. These allow for a substantial increase in front track when wider wheels and tires are used like the 9Jx18″ RG-Ds that were fitted to this “Number 2″ car that Manabu Orido drives. Tire of choice is of course from Yokohama like every HKS demo car, but the street-legal Neovas rather than grippier A050 semi-slicks.

Under the hood is a more extreme supercharger set up than the kit HKS is currently selling. I wasn’t able to get a straight answer when it comes to the power output but since the engine also runs their prototype forged internals, 400 HP wouldn’t be surprising.

Orido likes to use his own “Orido Style” branded Nardi steering wheel of course!

The rear end is pumped with bolted on overfenders and if you look closely you can also notice the trunk lid has been replaced with a carbon item. GT-wing is there for added downforce of course.

There is more to come from the Premium Day so check back soon!

HKS Premium Day 2013 coverage on Speedhunters

-Dino Dalle Carbonare

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1

Lol. Oh, THAT R33... thanks Dino. I'm starting to think that we think alike.. between this and Super GT BRZ /hugging threat incident of 2012....

2

"There is more to come" ... I love when you say this :)

3
speedhunters_dino

@danjapan13 I could literally do 10 posts on this event...talk about overshooting lol

4

now im not quite sure on metallurgy, but doesn't titanium like to break rather than bend with force, i'm sure it weighs less but i'm not certain i would like my side impacts made out of it, no matter how good it looks

5

@speedhunters_dino  "I could literally do 10 posts on this event" You know that I'm not against LOL
Since the time that you are in Japan, i can't imagine the amazing stock of photos that you have...you must have a huge external hard drive !?!

6

Badass machines... "There is more to come" - Be sure there be more of the "more", lol.One thing though that has always made me wonder... I don't know if you can answer this Dino, but... Why are the Japanese tuners and shops still using these old turbos, when most of them by today's turbo standarts, are pretty ancient. I mean HKS T04Z's, T51R's, Greddy/Trust T78's, T88's and so on... Most of these are like 10+ years old now. I know that they are very reliable and cheap there, but don't the guys over there have access to newer Garretts, Precisions, Turbonetics, etc? I bet they would get far better results with more modern dual ball bearing, billet wheel, designed turbos... Have always made me wonder...

7

@777 plus, is it even FIA/SCCA/CAMS/NASA legal?

8

@777  I thought titanium did bend, more so compared to steel which tends to shatter. Plus it has a low fatigue, from what I understand.  Maybe someone super smart can weigh in. I'd be worried it would actually bend too much on a crash. I thought titanium was good for hot/cold, weight,  and implants. For strength I always understood good steel alloys to be better.

9

@777 well, i was way off. According to Mr. Andrew Brilliant via facebook:
"Titanium is brittle which makes it a bad choice for side impact protection.... but it depends on what you are trying to achieve and rules are you up against. Honestly for time attack a major side impact is unlikely so you might target ultimate weight and rigidity if the rules required side impact but didnt specify materials it can be a calculated risk. If it was a street car they might have wanted something removable, but Im really curious how you would do something removable but maintain strength where needed. I want to see the design up close."
 
Id be interested to see what some other people think. Maybe this will become more common for these time attack cars.

10
speedhunters_dino

@majik16106  @777 Yes it is a curious choice and something I have never seen done before. There aren't very many rules in Japan for these sort of time attack events so anything goes. The reasoning behind this choice is something I will definitely have to ask the owner when I feature the car.

11
speedhunters_dino

@majik16106  @777 There you go I was going to post this myself LOL.  You beat me to it haha

12
speedhunters_dino

@danjapan13 Yes quite a lot of pix which means lots of HDs!

13

@speedhunters_dino  @777  I waited a few minutes. Didnt mean to steal your thunder. lol.   I am interested in a follow up though, even if you do it via your FB page. Id like to know if this is something to look out for in future cars. If he built it "right" this could be a great way to build a weekend racer. Removable bars until time attack day so you dont have to climb in and out. Ive seen this in steel cages on drag cars and such.. but not like this obviously.

14
speedhunters_dino

@VecTT It's actually funny you ask that as I was kind of talking about this with someone today. It's hard to say why but generally the Japanese aren't really keen on steering away from proven and tested parts. I'll even go as far as saying that a lot of the established tuners are afraid of trying products from "foreign" companies. That is changing lately as companies like GCG get better recognition but a Japan made - scratch that - a Japan branded product will always be the favorite choice. It's what customers demand too so it's what keeps getting offered. Maybe things will chance now that the struggling economy is forcing shops to look elsewhere in order to come up with competitive products. Oh and blowers like the T88 are more like 20+ years old, actually originating from diesel truck applications...

15
speedhunters_dino

@majik16106  @777 No worries:) Yes it is interesting but I'm sure there are lots of reasons why titanium isn't the right choice too

16

@speedhunters_dino  @VecTT 
T88 originating from diesel truck application ... wonder how much longer it will take before Holset gives in and allows some after market tuner to sell their turbos (or do they? Last time I checked all you could do was get one of atruck, or ask someone working at a truck garage)

17

that r33 is awesome...especially the brakes.  just pure awesomeness.

18

@majik16106  @777 I'm not a metallurgy expert, but to the best of my knowledge, the brittleness of Titanium is entirely dependent on what type of alloy it is and how much it's been hardened. In base form, I believe Titanium is actually not very brittle at all and quite flexible, with excellent shape recognition - meaning for example if you did manage to bend it with an abrupt force it naturally wants to flex back into its original shape. It's also nearly twice as strong as steel in the same quantities which I would imagine would make it a reasonable choice for a roll cage. If anything, I'd think that the main limiting factor to using Ti over steel is that, aside from being quite expensive, you would have to have a Titanium car/body/chassis in order to bond it properly via welding.

19
speedhunters_dino

@nugundam93 Ah the brakes. I dream about such a set up every night...

20

@777 I don't think it's "real" titanium. Adding titanium to steel is just one of many ways gain stainless steel. I think it's about the same material as a ti exaust. In DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm / german industry norm) it would be somthing like X3CrTi17.

21

@flzi @777 If it was titanium, would you run the risk of it being that strong, that should the worst happen there is not enough "flex" in it to absorb an impact, then the driver would be taking the brunt of the force's?

22

I can not get enough of the Top Fuel S200. There all aweome cars here though.

23

best varietta i've ever seen

24

@speedhunters_dino  @VecTT The Japanese seem to appreciate at least one foreign product though: Nardi steering wheels ;) Mine is even 30 years old ;) and i guess i'll never sell it.

25
speedhunters_dino

@K's Ever seen the Yashio Factory one?  That was pretty awesome too

26

Given the drift HKS 86 is running over 500HP now, surely their track car would also be running similar? Or would they keep power down to avoid wheelspin out of corners?

27

EXTREME!

28

@speedhunters_dino Customers' request (for the most part) old school turbo because they lack knowledge, they lack understanding and nobody tells them to compare (for instance) turbo like the EFR Borg Warner to their ancient turbo design, or look at other options.
Of course it doesn't help when the journalists involved write elementary comments during track days.
You can say what you want Dino about my harsh comments, but let's be honest, "extreme this and extreme that, doesn't really provide much info to your readers.
Now, if you were a bit more technical and go a bit more in depth about your features, someone actually would learn something.

29

@777 Titanium does bend like most other metal. A side impact would break off those bolts first (the bolts and brackets that connect the steel cage to the Titanium side bars).
Is it safe, I wouldn't think so. Is it FIA approved, hell no. Is it cool, heck yeah!

30

@majik16106 Titanium is very resilient and can withstand a lot of pressure. It is elastic and it has a high fatigue element to it. It doesn't rust either. Excellent material, but not a material I would chose for a cage.

31

@sean klingelhoefer Sean, I worked with Titanium bikes for years (Merlin, Litespeed, Moots, just to name a few). The 6Al/4V is the strongest titanium available, it flexes (much like steel or chromoly) but its high fatigue to break makes it an exceptional choice for car parts.
It take heat very well, unfortunately it is very finicky to weld. It requires a precise/ monitored room with the right ambient temperature, humidity and ventilation. If those elements are not considered, it tends to break easily (at the welds).
On the other hand, there's also the 3Al/2.5V Titanium, which is sort of the "cheaper" version to the 6Al/4V. It's less finicky to weld, but it's also a bit weaker. It's cheaper than its big brother and it's also a bit heavier. It's properties are very close to the 6Al/4V.

32

full featured article on the Altezza? :D

33

Glad to see the R33 gettin some love and that convertible s15 is pretty damn sweet!

34

@speedhunters_dino  @K's i don't think i have, google time lol

35

R-33 front approach is one of sexiest ever. Something about the angle of the headlights.

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