SAN SKYLINE GT-R was never intended
stock. While impressive in showroom
standard GT-R is merelya blank canvas
rmarket artists to create their motoring
ieces,menlike Kazuhiko‘Smokey’Nagata
ecret,HironaoYokomakuofVeilside,Goichi
aandthelateHiroyuki Hasegawaof HKS
hizoNiikuraofMine’s.
anyyearsMine’swasthequietachieverof
nesetuningindustry.Itdidn’t buildnine-
dragweapons,wildwingedtrackmonsters
-colouredAutoSalonstars,insteadfocusing
ible, thoroughly-developedand attainable
ancebits.InthewordsofNiikura-san:“We
easrealisticaspossiblewhenwedevelop
parts...wedon’twanttooffersomething
thecustomerwon’tunderstand.”
ButwhathappenswhenNiikuraandhiscrewlettheirhair
down?Theabove quotewastakenfrom anepisodeof the
iconicJapanesevideoseriesBestMotoring, whichfeaturedthe
Mine’s'UltimateResponseR34'GT-R.You’veprobablyseenthe
clip:itfeaturesa coupleofJapaneseracingdrivers– thinkof
ManabuOridoandKeiichiTsuchiyaasJapan’sJohnBoweand
PeterBrock– utteringexpletivesastheydesperatelytrytokeep
onestepaheadofa machinethat’sre-arrangingtheirconcept
ofspeed,Tsuchiyacommenting:“It’ssofastthatevena dead
manwillscream.I feltmorefearthanpleasure.”
Withtypicalunderstatement,NiikuradescribestheUltimate
ResponseGT-Rthus:“We’vebeenquitesoftontuninginthe
past,leavingtheenginestockandjustreplacingturbokits,but
on this one we did the engine as well. We didn’t just pursue
big power but focused on balance and response.” The car you
see on these pages isn’t the Best Motoring star but its sister,
reportedly one of three built in the same spec and livery. It’s
owned by Melbourne GT-R experts V-Spec Performance, who
generously supplied both cars for this feature.
The heart of the Mine’s R34 is its fully-built RB26DETT
engine based on the toughened N1 block (stamped 24U).
While the Best Motoring car retained a standard capacity,
this example is a 2.8-litre; according to V-Spec, it was built for
Niikura himself as a more street-focused package, sacrificing
the smaller engine’s 9000rpm ceiling – though it still revs
beyond 8000rpm – for greater mid-range torque. A 1mm bore
increase and 4mm extra stroke expands the swept volume from
the stock 2568cc to 2771cc, the bottom end is strengthened
by lightweight Tomei internals and the crank, con-rods and
forged pistons all balanced.
In the top end Mine’s strengthens the valve springs, head
studs and Nismo-sourced oil pump and installs new camshafts- 260 degrees with 10.25mm of lift on both the inlet and
exhaust sides, if you’re curious. Boost is developed by modified
HKS GT2530 turbos and the end result is claimed to be 441kW
and 629Nm, figures which align nicely with the at-the-wheels
dyno readings of 370kW and 538Nm of our feature car. If those
outputs seem a bit modest in comparison to the 750kW-plus
claimed by some cars, consider this: the Mine’s machine
essentially offers the same grunt as a current GT-R Nismo with
200 fewer kilograms to haul.
Speaking of Nismo GT-Rs. Formed in 1984, Nissan’s official
motorsport arm first turned its attention to the GT-R in 1990,
BELOW
Names like Nismo,
Mine's, HKS and Top
Secret have been at
the cutting edge of
GT-R aftermarket
tuning since the first
R32 appeared in 1989
and are a big part of
the car's enduring
popularity➜102 september 2019 whichcar.com.au/motor