With all the craze surrounding the Nissan GT-R, it is no surprise that owners are already pushing the limits. Enter Mike Lipani. With his success on his previous ride, a no-joke, well-built Mitsubishi Evolution, Mike has moved onto bigger and better things. Enter his 2009 Nissan GT-R. ** moment of silence ** Ok, now that we've wiped the drool from our still jaw-dropped faces, we can continue.
Even though this GT-R is technically not a skyline, we have been waiting forever for one of these Japanese supercars to be sold stateside. The GT-R is powered by a 3.8L twin-turbo V6 (VR38DETT) which sings up to a 7000 RPM redline. Boosting about 10.2 PSI, the IHI turbos power the motor up to 473 horsepower and 433 ft-lbs of torque. Despite weighing in at about 3800lbs, the GT-R claims a factory 11.7 seconds to travel the 1320.
Like most of us out there, Mike wasn't happy in stock form, so in October of 2008 he brought the car to AMS Performance in Chicago, IL. AMS fitted the GT-R with their turbo upgrade, which from what Mike told us, is a replacement cartridge for better flow as well as forged wastegate actuators. In addition, AMS put custom downpipes and exhaust on the car. Lastly, they used a Cobb Accessport to tune the vehicle.
In order to prevent any transmission issues, they added a WILLALL Racing transmission cooler. For cosmetics, the GT-R has both a set of HRE wheels with the stock run-flats, as well as a set of Volk TE37's with drag radials.
Back at the track, Mike bested a 10.4 @ 134.3 mph on pump gas, currently holding the fastest GT-R trap speed in the world.
Having had a chance to ride in this beast, myself, I can attest to the sheer power that it has. Despite the massive curb weight, the car feels nimble and agile and the on-demand torque feels better than that of large V8's. The handling is great, sporting a 0.99G from the factory. I think Mike knows that the next time he brings it out here, he's going to have to let me be behind the wheel
Why did you build this vehicle?
I’ve always had a passion for going fast! And throughout the years of meeting new people and visiting new shops, I came across AMS- based out of West Chicago IL. After they completed some work on my 2005 Evolution, we developed a friendship beyond the typical customer-business relationship.
When word began to spread at the 2007 SEMA show, Eric @ AMS was quick to say “go put a deposit on it- NOW!”
According to some Nissan Reps they knew, the GT-R’s engine was going to be one stout beast!
The next day, I was at Dorschel. I remember them asking me, what the hell is a GT-R. Thank god, because of all the non sense with them going over sticker!
Over the years we joked about modifying the GT-R, but all of us were unsure if that day would ever happen.
I was still focused on the Evo and plans were drawn to push it even farther. 900-1000whp is what we were shooting for. Unfortunately in spring 2008 the car was stolen. After that I wanted nothing to do with cars. I was disgusted, mad, and could care less about modifying a car. But time passed and finally the day came to pick up the GT-R. I loved it! But it was missing something. Surely I was surrounded by a world of technology, but it needed something to waken it up!
I called Eric, sent him a picture on my phone and said “well what do you want to do?”
“Get that sucker here!” he said and off it went in October of 2008 for the recent build up of the car!
How long did it take?
6 months…… so far.
What problems (if any) did you encounter and what did you do to fix them?
Believe it or not, the stupidest things were issues! Like trying to find exhaust tips that would look good and fit on the cat-back portion of the exhaust! I still don’t have them, but they will be ready come fall. Another major pain is removing the turbos! The entire engine needs to be dropped to accomplish this, which is no easy task!
But besides the little things, everything was one smooth process. Fitment on all the exhaust work was perfect. AMS really did their homework on this car and I haven’t had one single issue yet!
Cost to build?
$8500
Estimated Value?
$90,000
What are the most unique features about your vehicle?
Turbos for sure. They have really made this car come to life!
I’m also digging the HRE wheels!
Transmission Intercooler (Willall Racing)- Very cool to see a intercooler on the rear section of the car!
The car has run a best of 10.4 @ 134.3 mph. All on pump gas.
This car holds the current FASTEST MPH GT-R in the World- beating those on race gas and who have more mods!
Lastly, probably the craziest thing about this car is a stock feature- the transmission. Its freaking AWESOME. You’d have to be in one or drive one to understand how serious it is. (Mike you can explain I’m sure)
What did you learn from building this vehicle?
That Ive made solid friends.
Quick Specs:
AMS Turbo upgrade
AMS Downpipes + Exhuast
Cobb AP
Forged Wastegate Actuators
Willall Racing Transmission cooler
HRE Wheels w/ stock runflats
Volk TE37's with BFG Drag radials
Props:
AMS Performance
Forged Performance (Sharif)
HRE Wheels
WILLALL Racing
Family and my girlfriend- who has to put up with my late night rants and track sessions!
Gallery: AMS GTR - galler - rspeed.org :: motorsports culture
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