Now with four spinning wheels
by Jonathan Lopez
photography by Eric Kieu
Once upon a time, Nissan released a car so powerful, so agile and so dominant that an entirely new class of racing was created just to give it some competition. That car was the iconic R32 Skyline GT-R, a beast with a technologically advanced four-wheel drive system known as the ATTESA-ETS and a 2.6-liter DOHC twin-turbo in-line six putting down '280hp'. Once unleashed, the R32 (appropriately dubbed 'Godzilla') won so many races that it destroyed the Group A touring class in Japan, due to the fact that no one wanted to compete against this new monster.
As the Skyline aged, Nissan tweaked its flagship with added weight and luxury, yet always stayed true to the philosophy of maintaining a sporting edge through technological superiority. Then in 2002, a new Skyline debuted in Japan, one that didn't have a GT-R emblem anywhere in sight. That car is known here as the Infiniti G35.The entirely new drivetrain came in the form of a naturally aspirated motor and rear-drive transmission, neutering the car into just another 3 Series competitor with 'sporty' looks and performance. Much of the techno voodoo that made the previous cars so potent was missing.
But Ed Reeser doesn't think much of Bimmers. He likes the Skylines of old: the ones that came with two turbos powering all four wheels. You may remember this G35 from the June 2006 issue of SCC, back when this Infiniti was tearing up the road racing circuit with a mere 400 wheel-hp. Since then, Reeser has stepped up his GT-R conversion with even more power and, more importantly, a new way to put it to the ground.
While Nissan has dropped the ball in providing all-wheel drive for the enthusiast, the company did provide one system for a family sedan. The G35X (a larger, heavier four-door model) came with an all-wheel drive option, which happened to be a successor to the famous ATTESA-ETS. However, it was obviously geared towards soccer moms looking for safety-wanton blasphemy to any speed freak expecting four-wheel grip from the once-mighty Godzilla. Unfazed, Reeser decided to do the job Nissan should have done at the factory-an all-wheel drive transplant into a coupe, plus a double heaping of turbo power.
Building the new era of Skyline-dom wasn't going to be easy, so Reeser contacted VRT of San Diego, California, the same shop that helped twin-turbo the coupe before. Essentially, converting the car to all-wheel drive required the entire front end of the G35 to be swapped with the guts of a G35X. "The electronics were definitely the hardest part," says Michael Alvarez of VRT. "Luckily, AEM helped us out." The AEM standalone ECU takes control by handling all the parameters in this Frankenstein G35X two-door. VRT says it works, but the USCC has a way of turning even the most reliable of systems into smoldering chunks of metal.
Speaking of pressure, the forced induction system is a custom Jim Wolf Technology kit utilizing two Garret GT30 turbos. Throwing two hairdryers on a VQ engine is nothing new. JWT has been doing it for some time, so claims of 600 wheel-hp are not surprising. However, making that kind of power driveable on a daily basis-without being too peaky-is the real trick. But certainly, the VQ's 3.5 liters of displacement will go a long way towards nailing a nice fat torque curve, thus helping this entrant fight to the top of the road course and one half of the dyno test.
VRT prides itself on building Nissan-derived, track-killing, exotic-eating street cars, so it's no surprise that the suspension is as dialed in as the rest of the car. JIC coilovers and Eibach anti-roll bars keep the 3800-pound heavy-hitter pinned down, especially with adjustability taken full advantage of. Billy Johnson, whose own ride is a trick NSX that competes and wins in local time attack competitions, personally drove and tweaked the suspension in order to deal with the ribbons of asphalt that were sure to come.With the USCC bar set higher and higher each year, professional racers are now being enlisted to shoe at the road course. Heaving this Infiniti will be Tanner Foust, renowned rally driver and drift artist of Formula D fame. While the man can undoubtedly slide a car with grace and speed, all his race experience should ensure that the G35-GTR will grip hard with each of its four Nitto NT01 rounds.
Predictions point to a distinct advantage in the driveability contest and uncertain optimism in each of the performance tests, but 600 wheel-hp is definitely quite a bit for any street car. Whether the car can really put that down is one issue, but even if it can, will it be enough in this crowd? Reliability could also be factor. Any time parts that weren't made for each other are tricked into a strange harmony, the potential for disaster is just around the corner. But should everything sing together, from the dual compressors down to all four contact patches, this beast could wreak some considerable devastation.