Full Article - 1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R - The Street King
Without even a shakedown test, Street King dispatched a quarter-mile time at Western Sydney International Dragway in just 8.51 seconds with a trap speed of 166 mph, setting out the foundation for what's been an impressive first year.
Anthony picked a full Nitto stroker kit for the R32, a knife-edged crank, and tough I-beam rods to take it from 2.6 to 3.2 liters, matched to forged pistons. It's capable of producing 1,600 bhp and 10,000 rpm, and there's enough slack to avoid breakages, or to push the limits further if needed.
The top end of the engine is built in-house; a ported head fitted with uprated lifters, valves, springs, and Maatouks' own profile camshafts. It's groundwork for the huge 82mm Precision Turbo billet turbocharger bolted to the 6Boost manifold—a setup that only just fits inside the inner wing. Despite their size, both are designed for rapid spooling and lower revs, so there's still plenty of pulling power when street driving. The exhaust and boost pipework are bespoke, too, neatly plumbing the Hypertune inlet manifold and front-mount intercooler into the bay. An electronic valve means the silencers can be bypassed on the dragstrip, spitting fire out of the side pipe instead.
t's given the Nissan has a thirst for fuel that goes far beyond the standard management. Anthony creates his own maps for each car that goes through his workshop. In this case, he fine-tuned the combination of 2,400cc injectors and triple Bosch 044 motorsport-spec fuel pumps to deliver just the right amount of E85 into the cylinders. Know-how that often keeps him busy with customer cars long after they've left the workshop.
While it's not uncommon for drag-ready GT-Rs to run upgrades on the standard transmission, Anthony dipped into the workshop's VL Holden tuning days. On the other end of the joystick-like B&M shifter is a GM TH400 automatic, the Holy Grail of muscle car transmissions, paired with an uprated transfer box and tailshaft to take the extra power. As a sign of Nissan's over-engineering, the rest of the driveline end is still factory and has yet to show any signs that it's struggling to cope.
The added advantage of supercar-shaming performance is there was no need to strip the cabin down to bare metal. A full interior is an entry requirement at Cootamundra and, with a retrim in red-stitched black leather, the Skyline's record-chasing potential is only given away by the Turbosmart boost controller and Racepak digital instruments keeping an eye on what's happening on the other side of the bulkhead. Yet not only is it road legal, but it's comfortable and easy to drive. Signs of incredible attention to quality.
Crazy mother fuckers.
