Sorry it’s been awhile since my last post but certain house projects have taken precedent over the car. The Integra is getting some new, and expensive upgrades to be more competitive in the N2 class of the Vtech club. But until I have all the parts the update will have to wait. To hold you over, here are pictures of the recent cars and coffee event held here in Las Vegas.
The reason to visit this event was to see Pete Brook (of Nissan and BRE Fame) and Sung Kang (of Fast and Furious movies). They both brought their respective Datsun 240z’s to the event to show the crowd what can be done with the chassis.
Sung’s car was at SEMA this year and it’s great to see it out on the streets being used. It has no A/C, and it was a hot morning in Vegas so Sung really had to want to drive his car. It’s powered by a naturally aspirated RB26 from a Nissan Skyline and uses a 5 speed rear wheel drive transmission form the same car.
The Interior is pretty sparse , with roll up windows, no radio, no carpet, and carbon fiber door cards. The car is a labor of love for Sung, and he was willing to talk about it with any one who would listen, he even let people sit in it. Really cool dude.
Before the R32 Skyline monster arose from Japan there was the R31. It didn’t have the AWD of its little brother but it did have a turbo charged motor. I love the 80’s square body , but now that we can have Godzilla I can’t see too many people wanting to go through the hassle of importing these.
This stock looking Viper roadster is all business everywhere else. The engine has a Paxton supercharger adding another 200hp to it’s already high factory rating of 600 hp. The suspension has fully adjustable JR shocks with external reservoirs to keep the car planted in the corners and the roll bar in the cabin will keep the passengers planted, now just need to get rid of those ugly factory chrome rims.
You can spend a million dollars or more on a Veyron, or for about $135,000 you can get this car that can beat it in every way except top speed. This is a Lucra LC470, it’s made in California, and has a 7.0 liter engine from the 6th gen Corvette Z06 making 505hp. The chassis is a full tube chassis and the whole car weighs only 2000 lbs.
Fitting a turbo into a GS300 isn’t hard, getting the computer to work right is the trick. When it works you can have an M5 killer. This 2jzgte motor with a To4 single turbo helps to push this luxo cruiser to over 500 hp.
The ultimate Porsche is not a 911, it a Caymen GT4. It has the 3.8 liter motor, and 6 speed transmission from a 911, the suspension from a GT3, and the motor in the middle, this makes for a fast and great handling car. Too bad they sold them all months ago for way over sticker price.
Parked over in the corner of the parking lot was this Nobel M400, a kit car from England that uses a ford sourced v6 and 2 turbo’s to make 425 hp. It is a kit car in that the motor and chassis are not shipped together to get around crash testing rules. The car is fast, 0-60 happens in about 4 seconds.
This 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R has been heavily modified to resemble the Japanese touring cars of the 70’s. The oil cooler hanging off the front bumper and deleted lights complete the look of a true racer.
This was the best surprise of the show. It looked like a beat up Chevy 210, not even a Belair. It had some great patina, and the stance was lowered. Then I passed by the engine.
A turbo charged chevy LS motor was stuffed in the engine bay. The install was clean and a total sleeper, I couldn’t see the front mount inter cooler through the grill. I had no idea of horsepower but this engine combo should be north of 500hp
The r32 is getting alot more common now that the 25 year rule has passed, I hope to be an owner someday. This one has a great set of old school TE37 SL Volk rims, and a subtle air dam on the from lip. I think these cars need a little aero to look like more than just and old Altima.
This car is a work of art, and has a lot of money poured into it. The Evo never came to America in 2 door form, and the Mirage we did get was never awd or turbo’d. This car combines all of those cars, it’s a 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage with a Evo 8 engine punched out to 2.l and making 700 hp. The suspension and drive train are from a Evo 4 with a center differential form an Evo 7. This car has a host of other parts that are just too many to list but put this build at over 200k in cost.