Member Ride

ALL SMILES FOR CRAIG’S NISSAN GT-R

Imagine for a moment you’re a high-schooler returning to class after the long summer break, only to discover your secret crush has blossomed over the holidays, is now supremely hot, and everyone wants to go out with them. That’s basically what happened to lifelong fans of the Nissan GT-R in 2017.

Nissan had gone away and given the GT-R a face lift, an interior overhaul and a power upgrade — with a 3.8-litre, twin-turbocharged, 24 valve, V6 engine and six-speed dual clutch transmission that delivered 419 kW at 6800 rpm and 632 Nm between 3300 and 5800 rpm and a top speed of 315 km/h.

Suddenly the GT-R fans found their favourite set of wheels was really, really sexy. Among the GT-R’s long-time fans was Capricorn Member Craig Hendry, owner of H&H Automotive in Bunbury, Western Australia.

“Since the R35 was released in 2009, I was always determined to get one,” he said. “After several years of hard work with some property developments, we were able to start looking.” Unfortunately, by that time, most of the earlier models were a bit “rough around the edges”. Craig’s thoughts naturally turned to the 2017 model, or one of the subsequent updates, “as they have a new interior and body updates”. His search took him to Brisbane to see a GT-R in mint condition that’d only had one owner.

“Over a pint and lunch, the deal was done,” Craig said. “The owner dropped me back at the airport in his other car, a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ with 500 kms on the clock.” (That’s a brag, Craig, but we’re totally going to let you get away with it.)

For many Australians the Nissan GT-R really burst onto the scene in the early ’90s, when an R32 cleaned the floor with absolutely every other team in the Touring Car Championships. The R32 was nicknamed “Godzilla”, because it was a monster from Japan, and for many the nickname has stuck (including, perhaps erroneously, to later models).

But the GT-R is not beloved so much for its performance on the track but for its potential in the workshop. The aftermarket for the GT-R is enormous.

Is there a GT-R out there without modifications? They’re not just powerful and easy to handle; they’re an expression of the people who own them — and as unique as the personalities of their owners.

Back to Craig’s ’17 model GT-R. What are his plans for it? “At this stage, the car is still standard,” he said. “It has had a paint correction, ceramic coating and clear paint protection film applied to the front end.

“It will see some ECU tuning soon and a new set of Forged Volk racing wheels are on back order in 20x10 and 20x12.” Craig said the GT-R would mostly be used as a street car (he has a Nissan Silva circuit car) and probably only be driven “a handful of times per month”.

“It is an absolute weapon that makes me smile,” he said. “Isn’t that what it’s all about?” That’s a pretty understandable crush.

Vehicle Details

Model/Year Nissan GT-R 2017 Country of origin Japan Engine size/type Hand built 38 V6 Twin Turbo Horsepower 419 KW 565 hp Torque 633 NM Transmission Dual clutch transaxle, carbon driveshafts Diff 1.5 Way Mechanical 0-100km/h 2.8 seconds Quarter-mile time 11.1

WHO’S WHO IN COLLISION?

This month Joe McFadries of the National Collision Repairer spoke with Darrall Elson and Steve Ross of Suttons Parts.

NCR: By way of introduction, tell us a bit of the history of Suttons Parts.

DE: Suttons Parts is part of the largest family-owned automotive company in Australia. The Suttons Group has been in business since 1943. With the need for a parts distribution to service their growing business, Suttons purchased the John A Gilbert Group’s parts operation in 1984, now known as Suttons Parts. We are now operating out of our parts distribution warehouse with a capacity of 60,000 product lines and $11 million in inventory.

Our business was traditionally known for Holden parts distribution, but with significant changes and expansion we have transitioned to a successful multi-franchised operation now covering 18 major automotive brands and distributors for premium refinish brands such as PPG and 3M.

We pride ourselves on staff loyalty, having over 20 staff with over 20 years’ service. Our 90 staff have over 1,100 years automotive experience. We are very fortunate to be part of the Suttons Group, which is now led by the third generation, Craig and Ryan Sutton, who are very active in ensuring the group remains a successful family business and providing many opportunities for Suttons Parts to continue to grow, even in these times.

NCR: And how long have you both been in the industry?

DE: Steve and I have spent our entire careers in the automotive industry. We have a combined total of over 90 years!

NCR: And what are the main brands and areas of focus today?

SR: All brands are our focus. We have key personnel in charge of each brand, so we dedicate our

focus to each brand and ensure no brand is overlooked. We are excited about the new challenges and opportunities associated with maintaining a successful operation beyond Holden – with the introduction of Ford this year, with the acquisition of the Thomson Automotive wholesale trade business, and in September we also took over the Heartland Ford operation.

Suttons Parts has a great product offering in the mechanical trade and retail side of the business in particular with ACDelco and Omnicraft brands to suit all makes and models to compete with the aftermarket stores.

Our refinish department is strong with key brands such as PPG and 3M, and we are national distributors for Grippaz Gloves and many more premium car care brands. E-commerce is a big focus, with development of our genuine edge parts website, and our HSV “Lions Den” merchandise website is going strong with the Holden collectors.

Relationships with manufacturers, customers and staff are also key in developing and growing our business. New technology and efficiencies are essential for us to sustain business in these tough economic times.

NCR: And you’re also a key player in the collision repair industry.

SR: Suttons Parts performs well in the marketplace because of our expansive inventory range and our great delivery service. With up to three deliveries per day and a team that cares for the business, we will do anything to get the parts to our customers.

It is a highly competitive market – we’re competing against other OEM dealers, aftermarket and second-hand parts suppliers. Several manufacturers have implemented a price matching program to assist us to combat the “price issue”, allowing us to supply the genuine part and getting the car repaired back to original with the manufacturer’s 12-month warranty.

We have a designated collision team exclusively looking after our collision customers with quotes and orders across all our brands. The pandemic has certainly affected the collision business with global stock availability at an all-time low and the risk of our customers potentially losing their established businesses. The importance of continually promoting genuine parts with repairers and insurance companies remains our number one priority in the collision market.

NCR: What can you tell us about your association with Capricorn?

SR: Suttons Parts has a long-standing relationship with Capricorn that spans over 30 years. We are a Capricorn Preferred Supplier for mechanical and collision customers. Capricorn has opened up many opportunities for our business, which now services almost 1,000 Capricorn members. Our relationship with Capricorn staff has been a significant reason why we have achieved over $9 million in sales annually in our Group. Utilising Capricorn resources and direct marketing to Capricorn members is also a key part to our business, growing our Capricorn sales. We see our relationship with Capricorn and their members as the key to future growth of our business.

NCR: Looking ahead, what can we expect in

the future from Suttons?

DE: Hopefully we can all bounce back to preCOVID numbers once the pandemic is over. We will focus on continued growth in our current brands and additional brands due later in 2021. Technology will be the key, with greater focus and support in e-commerce as we look to develop a B2B service. Continued relationships with OEMs to ensure genuine parts remains a priority in all repairs and, as we already mentioned, Capricorn is so important to growing our business.

NCR: So, in closing, what is it about Suttons that makes you stand out from your competitors?

SR: Suttons Parts’ people are our key asset, and together with our product offering, our world class facility and cutting-edge technology, we surpass our competitors in the marketplace. We are confident we are “green and growing” and confident that our customers will see why Suttons Parts is the obvious choice to be their “genuine partner”.