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VR6-ENGINED PORSCHE 993: FLIP REVERSE

People have been fitting Porsche engines into Volkswagens for years, but Bradley Black’s turbocharged VR6-engined Porsche 993 proves it can work the other way, too…

Feature taken from PVW magazine. Words: Tony Saggu. Photos: Tate Chmiselewski

We know what you’re thinking… and yes, it’s a Porsche… and it’s in PVW. The “World’s Best Selling VW Tuning Magazine” has finally lost the plot, jumped on the hipster bandwagon and gone all craft beer and non fat Mocha latte Frappuccino on us. Sure it’s all VAG and the same suits in Wolfsburg are pulling the strings but really… a Porsche? Don’t they already have magazines packed with ads for expensive watches, personal plates and trendy tobacco for those cars? Hold on to your humidors though, there may be a method to this madness, read on, all is not as it seems at PVW Towers, this promises to be a tale with a twist… with a twist in the tail.

For those of us who still think a man bun is a chip butty with greasy bacon, and are not blessed with a pair of skinny jeans and a beard comb, the car on these pages may need a little introduction. Colonial customiser Bradley Black has bolted together a rather tasty and certainly controversial Porsche 993 – the 1996 vintage machine is no run of the mill Porker though. Those in the know will tell you that the 993 is something very special in the ranks of the Stuttgart stable. The mid to late 90’s variants of the 911 model line are not only the last of the much revered air cooled clan, but are generally reckoned to be among the best effort the company ever put out. For the purist posse owning one is a privilege and cutting one up is… well, just say our man Brad has probably got a band of slightly paunchy, middle aged Rennlist refugees out looking for him. Brad’s not bothered though, “I thought it would make a cool project,” he told us, “something interesting and unique.” Employee at Adaptec Speedware and co-owner of Eurotrash Apparel (along with fiancé Dinah Jean Volante), Black is based in Louisville, Kentucky, a locale that has the distinction for turning out a certain professional pugilist who, like our man’s project “shook up the world.”

Like a good many Porsche pilots, Brad started his VAG journey tinkering with the firm’s more proletariat products; early water-cooled Volkswagens of various descriptions with, as time went on increasingly exuberant engineering, “My buddy Zuk bought a Mk3 VR6 years ago and hearing that thing at full tilt had me hooked,” he recalled, “I’ve worked through lots of them since including a Mk2 with a turbo VR swap.” Predictably a string of Audis followed with each one more powerful than the last, the whole four ring thing was pushing all the right buttons in the power and style stakes, but there was something still missing. Brad was hankering for something outside the norm, something a little bit different. “I would find myself day dreaming of cramming a VR6 into an air-cooled Beetle and crazy stuff like that,” he told us, “but never really pursued it with other cars eating up my time and money.” Surfing the Web however soon saw dreams becoming plans as Brad began researching the outlandish idea with a little more seriousness, “After researching a bit I realised that they make an adapter plate to run VRs in dune buggies using a few different Porsche transmissions, I figured if I was going to do all that work anyway why not raise the stakes and just build a VR 911.” Finding a project car was fairly easy, you’d be surprised how many unfinished dream Porsches there are littering the Internet. “I found a promising looking ’73 911 with a 930 widebody conversion,” recalled Brad, “The guy was less than upfront about rust issues until after the deal was done though. I wasn’t happy and we needed to make this right. He says he also has a ’91 964 with no engine or trans’ but importantly no rust which would be perfect for this conversion. This chassis houses the beefy G50 trans’ that would be great for a VR6.” The 964 turned out to be a convertible with a less than professionally installed fibreglass hardtop grafted to it, though. “I never really knew what was “off” about it but after seeing a factory hardtop with the rain gutters I couldn’t move forward with it,” explained Brad. “Plans now were to find a wrecked car and see if we could make a deal for the complete roof and graft it on.” While researching roof options Brad stumbled on a liberally mangled 993 within a couple of hundred miles. The car was missing the engine, gearbox and a good many other bits and the front end was smashed pretty good but as a donor car it was perfect. “After talking with the guy it started to make more sense to maybe just fix it, recalled Brad. “Luck would have it that the 964 part numbers are the same as the 993 for the frame rail and lower structure and I already had a car at home with a good front clip. Cut up a cabriolet to save a coupe? I had no issues with it. After striking a deal for the chassis we were on our way with a truck and trailer to pick it up.”

Turning the pile of parts he had amassed into a verified head turner took Brad the better part of two years, well at least to get it on the road took that long, these types of projects are never really finished. The first order of business was to address the bodyshell, initially the idea was to replace the missing bits, repair the damage and straighten out the panels well enough to have a presentable driver. As the project has progressed though the rough and ready has given way to a more tailored and fitted look…although there’s no doubt the character has remained righteously rough and definitely ready. The exterior treatment is now modelled on the fabled Porsche RSR Rennsport cars which Porsche produced to terrorise tracks all over the world. This is no low calorie cruiser, Brad has built himself a fat fendered, track inspired main street menace. All four corners have received portly panelwork to house acres of race ready rubber, which flow into custom turbo style bumpers. With a widebody conversion a huge rear spoiler is almost mandatory and Brad definitely didn’t skimp in the downforce department, bolting on a GT2 bootlid to even out the wide boy proportions. Throwing in a pair of NACA ducted rear quarter widows helps to clear up any confusion that this is s light duty daily driver. With a perfect balance of beauty in the beast there could really have only been one choice of topcoat, “The car was originally Polar silver. I painted it black, no pearl, no flake, just black,” confirmed Mr…Black.

The tears, fears and general controversy and consternation has always been about what’s under those pristine panels though, it’s surprising how much hue and cry half a dozen cylinders can create if you just change the cooling source and configuration, bend the block a touch and throw in a little water and people lose their minds! “Installing a turbo VR6 was always the goal,” explained Brad, “I probably could have found a period correct flat six to throw in there, but where’s the challenge in that?” Tracking down a narrow angle six to stuff in the boot was certainly easier… and a fair bit cheaper than finding and funding a boxer to go back there. “I found a Mk3 Jetta for sale for $500 in a another city, recalled Brad, “I called a friend to go look at it, and after doing a couple of burnouts in it he reckoned it was stout enough for the project. I sent the money and gathered the engine later.” Though capable of roasting the radials the twelve valve six showed some signs of wear and rebuilding the lump seemed like wise insurance, the future promised healthy helpings of turbo boost and horsepower numbers north of 400 were planned. Getting the VR to fit in the back of the Porsche and actually work proved to be just as much fun as you might imagine. Acquiring a Porsche gearbox and mating it up to the block was the easy bit…they make a kit for that, but making all the accessories play along and finding a way to cool the motor presented a whole heap of challenges. “There was probably four or five different set ups I tried to get the cooling system to work properly,” lamented Brad, “but they all kept overheating. Running the coolant hoses through the body channels meant I had high and low spots so it created air pockets. I finally got it to work with a bleeder line off the head rerouted to the coolant pipe. It created the highest point I was missing.” Almost every part had to modified or custom made to fit in the confines of the small, shallow engine bay. Though more often found strapped to heavy duty diesel engines, a quick spooling Holset turbo unit was introduced to the six via a custom manifold, the pipe bender and welder also came out again to create a custom exhaust, “space was very tight and I initially tried a straight through exhaust,” revealed Brad, “but the volume even at idle was just not going to fly, so I was kinda forced to add a resonator.” Despite pulling the motor more than a dozen times and seemingly having to redo every single part more than a few times, a few months of sleepless nights and hard labour saw the combo fitted and fired up. “There were more than a few teething problems and countless shakedown runs,” explained Brad, “but I think I’ve got it to a point where its driving reliably and I can actually enjoy it.” A major concern was always that the VR6 would sit much higher than the boxer motor which would play havoc with the handling, the lower centre of gravity of the original engine has always been touted as a canyon carving secret. “That was something I thought about, but in practice the dynamics of the car worked out well, I think the fact that the VR6 is roughly 90lbs lighter than the flat six really helped the balance and handling,” Brad told us.

Respected Vermont based Porsche aftermarket parts fabricators and suppliers Rennline were commissioned to lend an expert hand in setting up the chassis. Once the nod had been given to a set of H&R coilovers, the firm set about bringing the underside together with a catalogue of their suspension parts including billet crafted strut mounts, control arms and strut bars. The finishing touch came in the shape of BBS E88 splitrims hung from each corner, “I lost count of the number of different wheels the car has been through,” joked Brad, “I always seemed to be building one set or another throughout the whole length of the project,” Rennline also stepped up to furnish the cabin with some of their custom made wares, a Momo tiller is attached to the column via a Rennline quick release hub and aptly named Rennline dash delete lives up to its description. Although Brad insists that the cabin is “barebones”; heating and AC have been ditched and ICE has been kept to a minimum, we reckon sparse but stylish might be a better description. Interior panels have been given the custom treatment by master of craft the Kip Love, blending a diamond stitch into the RS door panels which surround the black hide Konig seats. “I threw the dash together myself; it’s pretty basic with an assortment of Autometer gauges.” Brad revealed. Black’s beauty is a righteous reminder that a true enthusiast never forgets his roots, even though there has been a growing trend to attempt to gentrify the image of humble Dub owners; spice up their simplicity and add “class” to their common chariots, the diehard originals stay true to where they came from…Volkswagen at heart.

Tech Spec: VR6-engined Porsche 993

Engine:

12v VR6 with Holset HX35 turbo G50-01 with a Kennedy Engineered Products Stage2 clutch/flywheel combo

Chassis:

BBS E88 9.5×18” (front) and 11×18” (rear), H&R coilovers, Billet strut mounts, control arms and strut bar

Exterior:

Painted jet black with RSR body kit, GT2 wing, Turbo front bumper and NACA duct side windows

Interior:

Koenig seats and RS door panels. Momo wheel with Rennline quick release, Rothsport short shifter. Rennline dash delete, block off plates, air bag cover, race mats, foot guards, fire extinguisher, seat mount and quick release extinguisher mount. Autometer gauges

Source

September 18, 2020
NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R M-SPEC NUR: JADE WARRIOR

There were only 250 Nissan Skyline GT-R M-Spec Nur cars ever made, and this one is filled with enough rare and valuable parts to make any Nissan fan drool.

You know you’re obsessed with GT-Rs when you start a business to sell the excess ones you’ve bought. That’s what happened with Allen Cheng, founder of the legendary V-Spec Performance in Victoria, Australia. Starting off with a single Midnight Purple III R34, he soon progressed to owning so many he had to get rid of some, and having realised selling them could be a viable business, he opened V-Spec in 2011. These days, the business has grown to be what is undoubtedly Australia’s premier GT-R specialist sales outlet. One that, as well as similarly rare GT-R parts, also runs the Charge Speed Australia brand. Oh, and in case you hadn’t guessed from the images, they have an impressive workshop, too.

However, before they built this car, for all the company’s knowledge, expertise and ability to get rare cars and parts in, V-Spec didn’t really have much of a name for itself. Things had definitely improved after the signing of sales manager Simon Ong, who himself drives an R34 V-Spec II Nur and works hard within the community to promote the company, but V-Spec still needed a kick. So, there was only on thing to do, right? Yep, the team decided to build a proper demo car. Obviously it had to be something that would show off not just their ability to source some of the rarest and highest quality cars and parts the GT-R world has to offer, but also show that they could be unique and bring imagination to their work. The end result was this – their 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R M-Spec Nur, complete with a range of wish-list componentry.

So, let’s talk about what they’ve done. Obviously, the biggest change from the norm is the naked carbon front end. Simon says the decision was taken early to go this route, as it would best show off the insanely expensive Nismo Z-Tune dry carbon body parts. “We obviously wanted to be different, and we knew that, with the price for one of these dry carbon kits, not many people in Australia were going to have them, so we wanted to go down that track”. Simon says the plan was to leave it raw too, but eventually they coated it with a layer of clear, which serves to make it look cleaner. The coating also leads to a rather weird tactile sensation, as the dry carbon has all the lumps and bumps from the raw weave that you’d expect, but the clear makes your fingers glide over them in a way your brain has trouble processing. There is no doubting the finish is unique though, and in our eyes, the mix of semi-gloss black front-end, Millennium Jade mid and rear sections, plus black accents from the Superior Sport carbon wing stays (one of the few non-Nismo parts, simply because Nismo don’t make stays) and super-rare 19-inch Nismo LM GT4 Omori Factory wheels, gives this car a whole new take on the traditional black-and-gold combination often seen in other builds.

It’s worth talking more about those wheels too, as they’re another example of V-Spec’s (and specifically Allen’s) obsession with finding low-volume and discontinued parts. Any hardcore Nismo nerd will know the Omori Factory LM GT4s are a limited-run part, complete with unique machined logos and made to celebrate the facility where Nismo, until recently, spent its entire life. However, perhaps only the real super nerds will recognise how rare these 19-inchers are, as while 17 and 18-inchers were recently reissued by the company, the 19s only came out once, so while numbers are uncertain, there are likely only a handful in existence. Simon says even tracking down one set was difficult, and any you find today will cost more than £3500 a set. Of course, Allen being Allen, he managed to find two sets, so he’s got spares if needs be. “He has one set of silver in the showroom, then he bought another pair from someone else, then another pair from someone else again. Then, because one of the pairs was already black and the other pair was silver, we had a think about whether we could get the black ones redone [in silver], but because it was too hard and too expensive, it was easier to get the silver pair painted black. So we have one set of blacks and one set of silvers. Because Allen’s such a collector and enthusiast, anything rare and discontinued, he’s gotta have!” Simon laughs.

The rest of the car is a treasure trove of rare, discontinued, or just prohibitively expensive, Nismo parts – all tracked down or ordered by V-Spec. The car came from Japan with a full R1 engine, giving it 500hp or so thanks to the better turbos, exhaust manifold, cams, a different tune and countless other things, but to ensure extra ‘Nismo-ness’, V-Spec also ordered the company’s dry carbon intake and intercooler piping. Behind the engine, the previous owner had already fitted a Super Coppermix twin-plate clutch, which remained in fine condition, so there wasn’t much point touching that, but V-Spec did go for a Nismo 4.11 GT LSD. As for the suspension, it came with Nismo sway bars and the entire Nismo Circuit Link set, so again, there wasn’t much work to do, but the Apex N1 coils were swapped for Nismo R-Tune ones to keep the theme going. The F50 Brembos it arrived with were set to stay, but a few weeks after this shoot we were told R35 items were replacing them instead. Interestingly, the rear bumper, which had the ‘Skyline’ logo shaved, did stay, but no one was keen on the wing-less rear end it arrived with, so another factory bootlid was sourced, along with a stock wing and Nismo carbon gurney flap. Of course, Nismo LED tails finish off the back-end. Finally, to rectify the prior owner’s other ‘interesting’ exterior design decisions, V-Spec ordered Nismo side skirts and rear pods to match the already-fitted rear arch extensions.

Keen eyes will spot there are two non-Nismo mechanical items on the car; an ARC Super Micro Conditioner radiator and a Power House Amuse R1 Titan exhaust. The radiator was put in because not even V-Spec could find a Nismo item before the shoot (long since discontinued and basically a unicorn), while the exhaust was a rather high-level placekeeper for a Nismo Weldina titanium model they fitted later.

Having finished the car and teased it on social media, the only thing left was for V-Spec to show it off for real, and for that they had the perfect platform – the inaugural GT-R Festival in Sydney. Trucking the car up there (driving it up would involve the hassle of removing the lip spoiler and finding a workshop close to the venue to re-fit it), they were sadly greeted by pouring rain for the first half of the day, but the stunned looks and large numbers of photos posted on both traditional and social media meant it had done its job regardless.

“All over Facebook people know our company now,” says Simon. “Soon after the show, we had someone travel from Sydney just to come visit us, because when we took it up to the festival, a lot of people saw it and now they know who V-Spec Performance is. So, the reaction was good. It did what we wanted – we wanted people to know who we were, become friendly with us and have chats, and we’ve achieved all that”.

In terms of how the car actually drives, post-upgrades, Simon says it drives pretty nicely, as you’d expect. Being a demo car, it doesn’t get driven around too much, but he says that the R1 engine “definitely feels more raw than your normal RB26”. “It feels more like a race car with that engine. Response is faster and it’s definitely more aggressive. Maybe it’s the cams, but it’s definitely aggressive. And with the exhaust on it, it does feel like you’re in a bit of a race car. It sticks to the ground like a good ‘un too. Especially because of the size of the wheels and tyres, it certainly grips. It’s nice and solid; it definitely feels high quality”.

Indeed, ‘high-quality’ is what both V-Spec and the demo car itself are all about. There’s no doubt the components on this machine are expensive, but as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. And in terms of V-Spec itself, you clearly get more than just the componentry; there’s imagination, the ability to track down rare items others can’t and the satisfaction that comes with working with passionate, hard-working people. That’s surely worth its weight in Millennium Jade.

Tech Spec: Nissan Skyline GT-R M-Spec Nur

Engine:

Full 2.6-litre Nismo R1 engine with N1 block, pistons, rings and exhaust manifold, Nismo exhaust manifold spacer, 0.9mm metal head gasket, R1 camshafts, Nismo main and conrod bearings, R1 turbos, Nismo large capacity turbo outlet pipe, Nismo 600cc injectors, Nismo 50mm heat shield, Nismo large capacity air flow meter, Nismo sump baffle, Nismo air filter, Nismo strengthened timing belt, Nismo throttle chamber collar, Nismo oil gallery plugs, Nismo ported and polished heads, balanced and blueprinted rotating assembly, R1 coil cover and Nismo ECU flash tune, Nismo oil cooler, Nismo catch can, Nismo dry carbon intake and intercooler piping, Nismo intercooler, Nismo air intake kit, ARC Super Micro Conditioner radiator, Nismo oil filler and radiator caps, Power House Amuse R1 Titan cat-less exhaust from front pipe back and NGK spark plugs, Nismo Super Coppermix twin-plate clutch, Nismo flywheel, Nismo clutch master cylinder, Nismo GT 4.11 LSD.

Chassis:

10.5×19-inch ET12 Nismo LM GT4 Omori Factory Spec Machining Logo Version wheels with 265/30 Yokohama Advan AD08R tyres, Nismo wheel nuts, Nismo Circuit Link suspension kit, Nismo R-Tune coilovers (f&r) Nismo sway bars, Nismo titanium front strut tower bar, Nismo rear tower bar, Brembo F50 four-piston front callipers (f&r) with 355mm slotted two-piece rotors and Dixcel Z-Type pads (f) and 330mm slotted two-piece rotors and Dixcel Z-Type pads (r), Project Mu G4 brake fluid.

Exterior:

Nismo Z-Tune dry carbon front bumper, fenders and under cover (painted clear), Nismo R-Tune dry carbon bonnet (painted clear), Nismo dry carbon splitter, Nismo side skirts and rear pods, Nismo rear wheel arch extensions, Nismo carbon B-pillar garnish, stock M-Spec diffuser with Nismo fins, Nismo GT LED rear lights, stock R34 GT-R rear wing with Nismo carbon gurney flap and Superior Sport carbon wing stays.

Interior:

Nismo GT shift knob, silver painted interior trim, new stock R34 steering wheel, Nismo Combination Meter gauge cluster, Nismo floor mats.

Feature taken from Banzai magazine. Words and photos: Chris Nicholls.

Source

September 17, 2020
FC THROWBACK: MODIFIED CITROEN C2

Welcome to this week’s FC Throwback, where we take a look back at some of our favourite previous feature cars. This week it’s Joe Hobbs’s C2 from 2013…

Dressed in deep purple paint and wearing custom mint green rims, Joe Hobbs’s C2 is smashing the scene with its bold colours and dirty lows!

Growing up surrounded by petrol heads was only going to end up one way for Reading-based modder Joe Hobbs. As soon as he was handed his driving licence Joe went on the hunt for a suitable base car.

After a long search, he finally decided on a standard Citroen C2. “I went for the C2 because it was different to what most of my mates were going for, and I wanted a car to stand out,” Joe tells us.

A standard C2 was never going to stand out from the crowd though, and in no time at all Joe got the mods rolling. Sorting out that ride height was top of his hit list, so Joe fitted a set of coilovers and decked it to a respectable height.

When it came to sorting out a set of rims, Joe wanted to go the extra mile and find something unique. After putting in a call to the guys at Image Wheels a design was picked. The end result is a set of custom-built three-piece rims in staggered 8.5x15in and 9.5x15in fitment. Before they were fitted, the rims were wrapped in Toyo 195/45×15 tyres. A simple drop and set of rims was never going to cut it though, so Joe turned his attention to sorting out that boring exterior.

Local bodyshop Imagination Creations were put in charge of sorting the Citroen’s shell. The front bumper has been fully smoothed, together with the rear to give it a clean and uncluttered finish. The boys have also worked their magic on the boot and deleted the aerial. At the same time all the badges were removed and a de-badged grille was fitted. With all the panels up to scratch it was time for Joe to pick a colour to dress the C2 in.

After a fair bit of head scratching, Chris from Imagination Creations and Joe settled on a custom, mixed-purple paint. Every inch of the car has been covered in this deep purple finish and makes for a fresh alternative to the usual Euro colours we see. The car was taking shape, but even with the coilovers, it still wasn’t sitting quite right.

There was only one way to go – to really dump the C2 on its arse, so Joe booked the car in with HavAir. The Citroen is now fully loaded with a four-way air-ride system that allows it to cock a wheel at the flick of a switch. The rear seats have been binned, and replaced with a pair of three gallon tanks that Joe had painted to replicate a pair of Duracell batteries. The interior has been treated to a pair of Recaros and a 300mm Momo wheel. A JLW3 Audio sub and amp combined with an Alpine headunit take care of the tunes, while a Powerflow custom exhaust system gives the car a nice little burble.

This might be Joe’s first attempt at modding a car, but he’s completely nailed it – job done!

TECH SPEC CITROEN C2

Styling
Smoothed front bumper, rear bumper, bonnet, boot and aerial, de-badged grille, custom paint job

Chassis
Air-ride, 2x three gallon air tanks, hardlines, four-way AVS 9 channel switch box, AVS digital gauge, Airzenith compressor, custom built three-piece staggered 8.5x15in and 9.5x15in Image Wheels, T1R Toyo 195/45×15 tyres

Interior
Stripped rear seats, custom boot build with air tanks custom painted as Duracell batteries, Recaro VXR bucket seats, 300mm Momo steering wheel, handmade custom billet aluminium gear knob

Audio
JLW3 Audio sub, JLW amp, Alpine headunit

Tuning
Powerflow exhaust

Thanks
Chris Ronchetti, Michael Hobbs, Geoff Skinner, Molly Coates, Danny Braggins, Massimo Boukas, Darron Augustus, Lil Olly (Olly Scott), Doug Smith, all my family and friends

Words Nick Turner Pics Laurens Parsons

Source

September 17, 2020