A while back I was approached by a customer of ours to create his own personal GT-R Nirvana. Gary came to me wanting to do something different - build his ultimate ALPHA GT-R. He wanted to create a car top to bottom that was exactly what he defined as his perfect GT-R. During this process Gary and I held council on every step to decide what shape his car would take down to the last bolt. At the end of the process Gary had commissioned us to sculpt what would be our most complete and fulfilling GT-R to date. Little did I know I would gain a great friend along the way.
Gary first approached me looking for a very responsive street car. Something that would deliver the power he wanted when he wanted it. With every intention of driving this car daily it was important we hit a home run in this department. We settled on our ALPHA 4.1L crate engine complete with CNC Cylinder Heads, ALPHA Carbon Fiber Intake Manifold and a prototype ALPHA 10X Turbo System. No expense was spared, Gary needed the best and we were going to give him just that. Motec ECU, Shep Stage 1K Transmission with full Dodson Gearset, Driveshaft Shop Axles, T1 Braces, ALPHA Cooling Kit, Alcon Big Brake Kit, the list of parts was a blueprint for a dream GT-R. Rather than go over ever nut and bolt I will list them at the bottom and move on with the story.
Custom Widebody
When it came to the aesthetics this is where things got fun. With the explosion of Liberty Walk and Rocket Bunny kits Gary loved the idea of a widebody GT-R but we both didnāt subscribe to the unfinished look of it. Gary wanted a widebody that would make Nissan proud. The problem was such a widebody kit didnāt really existā¦ it was time to get creative.
We started scouring the internet for options and after a lot of back and forth we settled on a pretty nice combination. Top secret front fenders with Power Stream industries carbon fiber rear quarter panels. This was rounded off with a RevoZport front lip, Pheonix power rear diffuser, Top Racing rear underspoiler and some Zele sideskirts. The cherry on the sundae would be a full ALPHA carbon hood, roof and trunk and an Aeromotions S1 Dynamic wing. Quite the medley of parts I know. This is where our friend Eric Vitha from CCR comes into the picture.
CCR prides themselves on concourse quality body work and it became very apparent to us early on that Eric did just thatā¦ a true master of his craft. Fitting these components proved to be quite the project. The carbon rear quarters were never meant for a road car so there was a great deal of massaging required to put it very lightly. In addition we had side skirts that were never meant for wider front or rear fenders. Eric spent tireless hours molding and reshaping, re-contouringā¦even creating his own corner lights. Eric even went as far as to remold the factory canard into the top secret front bumper extension. The details are far too great for me to begin to do them justice. The end product was quite simply nicest, cleanest and well done widebody I have ever laid my eyes on. Itās done so well that unless you put the car next to another GT-R you might not even notice itās a widebody.
The final touch was the color. Gary knew this from day one it would be Mclaren Volcano orange pearl. The problem is you canāt buy this colorā¦āthatās okā Eric said āIāll make itā. Boy did he everā¦with a twist added by Gary. I donāt know if pictures will ever capture the color right but in person it will quite literally stop you in your tracks.
Custom Interior
The devil is in the details as they say. Being a medical professional this is something Gary lives by and when it came to his GT-R it would be one in the same. As you can imagine he didnāt leave the interior alone either. Mines steering wheel, Autotechnik custom painted paddles, carbon fiber trim and the centerpiece a set of Recaro SP-X CL100 carbon seats. The problem is the red panels and stitching on the seats clashed with the orange on the car. Gary decided that a subtle but classy gunmetal grey would fit the seats better. When it came time to re-upholster a set of nearly $20,000 seats the only place that came to mind was local shop Riggs Brothers. Not only were they able to match the panel color, they were also able to match the thread color on the door panels to the seats EXACTLY. What is even more mind blowing is the fact that no new stitch holes were made. Thatās right, they re-stitched it hitting every original stitch hole. They came back looking absolutely PERFECT!
The Ultimate ALPHA GT-R
The overall product is amazing. The car makes 1000 wheel horsepower on 93 octane, 1150whp on race gas, looks like a rolling work of art and corners like a go cart. I have to admit I canāt help but get a bit upset every time I show the car to someone. Itās true most people pick up on some of the cues and details but nobody catches even close to all of them. I find myself wanting to grab people and say ādid you see thisā¦and thisā¦.and this?!ā The truth is you can stare at this car for hours and not pick up on all the details. I think that was Garyās whole goal: to make a car that would be hard to get tired of. Like a good book you can keep coming back to it again and again and relive something new.
R35 Lead Engineer Hiroshi Tamura Tested and Approved
We were also blessed with a visit from GT-R mastermind Mr. Hiroshi Tamura. He not only drove Garyās wonderful car but signed it as well. A true honor!
An Epic Build For A True R35 Enthusiast
This is one of those builds that no matter where I stop I'm going to feel like I left something out. A dream car and one that will be so forever. Gary, thank you sincerely for choosing us for this build. I know in my heart of hearts that for years to come people will look back on this as one of the great GT-R builds for the ages. Enjoy in quiet bliss as others attempt to pick up on the details for years to come. You sir have created one of the greats.
- Eric Gaudi, Sales Manager
Modification List
Engine and Intake
- ALPHA VR38 4.1 Shortblock
- ALPHA CNC Ported Cylinder Heads with ALPHA Cams and Ferrea Springs and Retainers
- ALPHA Engine oil cooler
- ALPHA 10x Prototype Turbo System
- ALPHA Race Intercooler Kit
- ALPHA Induction System
- ALPHA Carbon Intake Manifold with Black Anodized Billet Center
- Twin Tial Blow Off Valves
- ALPHA Coolant Tank
- ALPHA Air Oil Separator
- All vacuum lines converted to AN lines.
Exhaust
- Akrapovic Slip on Exhaust with Carbon Fiber Tips
- ALPHA 90mm Non Resonated Catted Midpipe
- ALPHA 10X Downpipes
Fuel System and Computer
- ALPHA Fuel Rail Kit
- ALPHA Omega Brushless Fuel System
- Injector Dynamics ID1300 CC injectors x 6
- ALPHA Fuel Cooler Kit
- Motec Plug and Play Stand Alone ECU
Transmission and Components
- Shep 1k Transmission with full Dodson Gearset
- Driveshaft Shop NI69V2 rear axles
- T1 Rear Transmission Brace
- ALPHA Race Cooling system
Suspension, Brakes and Wheels
- Alcon Super Race Big brake kit with Carbon Ceramic rotors
- HRE S101 wheels Satin Black face Gloss black barrel
- 20 x 10.5 +29 front
- 20 x 13.0 +24 Rear
- Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires
- 295/35/20 Front
- 345/30/20 Rear
- Litchfield GT-R Suspension kit
- SPL Pro Eccentric Lockout kit
- SPL Pro Rear Endlinks
- SPL Pro Rear Knuckle Monoball Bushing Set
- SPL Pro Rear Camber Links
- SPL Pro Rear Toe Links
- SPL Pro Rear Traction Rods
Body and Aero
- Paint: Variation on McLaren Volcano Orange Pearl Metallic by Eric Vitha of CCR
- ALPHA Carbon Fiber/Kevlar Trunk
- ALPHA Carbon Fiber/Kevlar Roof
- ALPHA Carbon Fiber/Kevlar Hood
- Zele carbon Fiber Custom molded side skirts custom molded by CCR to widebody fenders
- Top Racing Carbon Fiber Rear Under Spoiler
- Pheonix Power Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser
- Power Stream Industries Carbon Fiber Rear Widebody Quarter panels Custom molded by CCR
- Top Secret Widebody Front fenders and bumper extension custom molded to the body by CCR including custom front corner light fabrication and custom sculpted front OEM Canards.
- RevoZport R-Track Front Diffuser / spoiler system
- Tommy Kaira ā LED Rear Side Marker āSmoke
- MY2015 Headlight and Taillight set
- Aeromotions S1 Dynamic Rear Spoiler
Interior
- Recaro SP-X CL100 Carbon Seats reupholstered by Riggs Brothers with OEM grey stitching and Gunmetal accent panels
- Shift knob Custom Re-Upholstered in OEM Grey stitching and gunmetal accent panes to match seats and door panels.
- Mines Steering wheel
- GT-RR Carbon Fiber Door Handle Trim
- GT-RR Carbon Fiber Window Switch Panel
- GT-RR Carbon Fiber Shifter Base Plate
- GT-RR Carbon Fiber Shifter Gate
- Autotechnik Carbon Fiber shift paddles custom painted Orange
- Titan Motorsports Roll bar
- K40 RL360I GPS Radar System with G5 Diffuser and 3 LTS Transponders
For more pictures please visit. The blog post..
