Sept 2013 SVM Gundam

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SVM’s Gundam 237.85mph 1120bhp WIN

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The UK’s finest JDM CL1 Accord Euro Rs under the microscope…

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VMAX RECORD BREAKER

Look out for a full feature on the record winning ‘Gundam’ in the next edition of Banzai.

More about VMAX here:

www.vmax15000bhp.com Severn Valley Motorsport:

www.severnvalleymotorsport.co.uk

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SVM R35 GT-R

SMASHES VMAX RECORD FOR THREE YEARS NOW, THE VMAX TOP SPEED RECORD HAS BEEN STANDING FIRM AT 222MPH. SVM’S PROJECT ‘GUNDAM’ HAS JUST OBLITERATED THAT RECORD ON ITS FIRST ATTEMPT… ow fast can you go in 1.9 miles?

There’s a lot to think about. Not only do you need space to accelerate, but also a reasonable distance to slow down, bearing in mind the faster you go, the more braking room you need.

On Saturday 29 June a group of likeminded petrolheads gathered at Bruntingthorpe for ‘VMAX Black’, the latest exclusive top speed event from the guys at www.vmax15000bhp.com. All in attendance aimed to hit over 200mph on Bruntingthorpe’s

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1.9-mile strip, but with 200mph equating to 89 metres every second that seems an ambitious target, right? Among the attendees was the team from Severn Valley Motorsport (SVM). With ‘Gundam’, its latest project R35 GT-R, the team had its eyes set on snatching the VMAX record – held by a 1200bhp tuned Porsche 9ff. Given that the record stood at a barely believable 222mph, it was going to take a mighty effort to topple it.

Happily, ‘mighty’ is a word that fits ‘Gundam’ perfectly. With over 1000bhp to fire it through the timing beams, ‘Gundam’

breezed passed the 1.5 mile mark on its first few sighting runs at 210mph. Each run was completed progressively faster and despite a gearbox control software issue making it necessary to short-shift into sixth at just 4500rpm (as opposed to the usual 7500rpm) the final record-smashing run saw the GT-R hit a laser-verified 228.9mph. A mere 200mph doesn’t sound quite so impressive now, does it? What is impressive though, is the thought that with more running and new gearbox software, past data suggests somewhere close to 235mph might be possible… Wow!

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R35 NISSAN GT-R

SVM’S LATEST GT-R RECENTLY BESTED A GROUP OF SUPERCARS ON ITS WAY TO SETTING A 228.94MPH VMAX 200 RECORD. BUT CAN GUNDAM GO EVEN FASTER AND BECOME A WORLD-BEATER? WE WERE THERE TO FIND OUT! WORDS: ANDREW BIDDLE

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PHOTOS: STEPHEN HALL

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R35 NISSAN GT-R

orget Gangnam Style, with its billion-plus YouTube views and complicated dance routine. That’s so 2012, don’t you know? Instead all the cool kids are watching and learning 2013’s YouTube viral sensation: Gundam Style. The choreography is stunningly simple: right foot in, keep it pinned, hold it, hold it, lift, left foot in, stop and relax.

Easy! The only complicating factor is the setting for this fancy footwork – it works best from the driver’s seat of a Nissan GT-R, specifically the blue GT-R you see spread across these pages, Severn Valley Motorsport’s 1100bhp ‘Gundam’.

Let’s address that name first – Gundam. It’s a tradition picked up from the Japanese to nickname the most powerful, most fearsome tuned Skyline GT-Rs – names like Fuujin, Gaijin and Ichiban come to mind – and although the latest offering from Nissan no longer carries the Skyline name, it’s wholly appropriate for SVM’s fierce GT-R to receive a similar Japanese-inspired moniker. In the same way that the fictional Gundam robots from Japanese anime were huge, powerful fighting machines with an operator protected within, so it is with SVM’s Gundam, driver John Graham ensconced in the cabin and in control of this all-conquering machine. But we’ll get to that in a minute…

As regular readers saw in the last issue, SVM has been on a roll with Gundam of late, smashing the VMAX 200 record at Bruntingthorpe at the end of June. Not bad for a project that only really started at the end of last year, and has been fitted around the many R35 builds emerging from SVM’s workshops at the moment.

Of course, SVM owner Kevan Kemp is no stranger to breaking records with R35 GT-Rs – you’ll be familiar with ‘The Hulk’, Kevan’s

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unmistakeable 1200bhp R35 that became the fastest GT-R in the world with a top speed of 218.01mph (in the wet!) in March last year, and also John Hanton’s 1400bhp drag ‘Mad Medusa’ R35 which became the fastest GT-R in Europe over the quarter-mile in October 2012. Kevan’s CV gets more and more impressive, we’re sure you’ll agree.

At the outset, the plan for Gundam was to build a track-special GT-R, packing in the region of 900bhp and fully sorted for circuit work with a roll-cage, track-spec suspension, uprated brakes and the like. The fact that each iteration of standard GT-R is damned impressive on track despite its not-inconsequential bulk gives some perspective to Kevan’s plan – the words ‘track’ and ‘special’ carried equal emphasis.

So he started where we all would – on the looks! The 2009 GT-R was updated to the latest 2012MY front and rear ends before the whole car was given a complete colour change with a beautiful respray in three-stage Bayside blue. To complement Gundam’s AMS Performance carbon roof (fitted by a previous owner), Knight Racer’s very latest, high-gloss, full hybrid carbon bonnet was chosen, as much for its looks as for its weight-saving properties and plentiful vents to keep underbonnet temperatures to manageable levels.

As with all good projects, the goalposts soon moved in terms of engine output. With SVM about to release its new 1000R conversion kit, it was a no-brainer that Gundam would receive the upgrade.

While the GT-R’s 3.8-litre V6 can be massaged to high power figures with the application of what are, in essence, bolt-on mods and ECU remaps – turbos, manifolds, exhausts and intake upgrades, and so

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on – pushing into the realms of four-figures requires the VR38DETT to be upgraded internally.

For maximum output, SVM swapped Gundam’s powertrain for a lowmileage 2012-spec VR38 engine and GR6 tranmission. Like its sibling The Hulk, Gundam’s engine has forged connecting rods and pistons built to SVM’s custom specification – the combination of longer rods and shorter-crowned pistons increase the speed that the pistons move up and down in the cylinder and the dwell period at the top of the stroke, while also lowering the lateral forces on the block as the rod is more upright. The entire bottom end assembly of the Nissan V6 was dynamically balanced before being refitted, a further step in extracting the maximum power from the powerplant with the minimum of risk.

Dynamic balancing involves spinning the assembly to identify and then dial out any imbalance – think of it as an extremely precise version of having a wheel balanced after fitting a new tyre. Particularly when building a high output engine, it’s important to ensure that there aren’t any potentially damaging vibrations emanating from deep within the bowels of the engine as the crankshaft spins hundreds of times per second, throwing six pistons back and forth within the cylinders.

Modified cylinder heads sit atop each bank of the vee, tasked with a simple but hugely important role: getting the air-fuel mixture in and the exhaust gases out. To that end, the pair of heads was modified by SVM’s technical partner, CNC Heads, to accept larger intake and exhausts and had its intake tracts ported and polished for maximum flow. A custom set of camshafts, exclusively available to SVM along with the heads, and valvetrain components finish off the 1000R conversion to the VR38DETT long block.

The rest of the conversion is technically all bolt-on upgrades,

The car’s composure throughout has been mega, stable and in control. Almost effortless

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R35 NISSAN GT-R

It’s a comprehensive package that addresses each of the R35’s ancillary systems to create a harmonious, cohesive whole

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WANT TO OWN A PIECE OF GT-R HISTORY? Gundam, the world’s fastest Nissan GT-R, could soon find a new home in your garage! The GT-R is up for sale, so if you’re seriously interested in owning a fully-built, 1100bhp GT-R, contact SVM on 01952 583917 to discuss price and specification.

although it is in no way the type of setup you could accumulate and upgrade on the cheap. Rather, it’s a comprehensive package that addresses each of the R35’s ancillary systems to create a harmonious, cohesive whole. The intake system uses special intercoolers made by Radtec that utilise an intercooler core made by HS Marston, a company whose products are normally found in F1 cars and Le Mans prototypes. On the exhaust side, whopping 102mm diameter Y-pipes and a twin-exhaust system feed from SVM downpipes on either side of the V6. Fuel is delivered to the six 2000cc injectors from a triple pump arrangement, each pump capable of flowing 485 litres of fuel per hour.

Last, but by no means least, the ultimate bolt-on is a pair of SVM GT1050 turbochargers. Developed by SVM and CR Turbos over the past few years, they are a hybrid between the OE turbochargers and a Garrett GT3071 – the housing of the stock IHI units is machined to accept the ball-bearing core assembly of a GT3071, a high-flow billet compressor wheel and Inconel compressor wheel. Originally called the GT900, these turbos have force-induced progressively more powerful GT-Rs until Gundam renamed them as GT1050s, and since its latest high-speed run, SVM has reassessed their flow capabilities once more and renamed them as GT1100 turbos. By the time you read this, they could even have been renamed again!

And that’s it as far as Gundam’s engine specification goes – it’s a lot easier said than done, I can assure you. Of course, it would all be for naught if you couldn’t control it and, despite Nissan hailing the GT-R as ‘untunable’ when it was released in 2008, the ECU was cracked by tuners soon after the car’s release. Cobb Tuning’s AccessPORT has long been a favourite of GT-R owners, and in the right hands is devastatingly effective, too. Gundam uses the latest NIS-006 AccessPORT, which allows for fine-tuning of the transmission control module (TCM) as well as the ECU, and serial GT-R fettler Ben Linney of GTC Racing Technology is SVM’s man behind the laptop, tweaking and reflashing the maps on location.

Gundam made its first official outing at the Supercar Drivers’ first

annual ‘Best vs Rest’ day at Llanbedr Airfield, the day after SVM completed the installation of the rebuilt and improved powertrain.

Fitted with an Albins high-ratio diff upgrade and a crown wheel and pinion that give taller gearing for higher top speeds, Gundam thrapped down the runway from a standing start to break the speed trap at a velocity of 207mph. Not a bad start, is it? 207mph in one mile, from a standing start and in damp, blustery conditions, and that was before the GT-R had even visited a dyno! The very next day, Gundam was strapped to the rollers at Surrey Rolling Road and unleashed an incredible 1048bhp and 975lb ft of torque, setting the forums alight after a memorable weekend.

Gundam’s next landmark event was VMAX Black at Bruntingthorpe, where the Nissan lined up against a new swathe of contenders, many costing two or three times that of the GT-R. After Llanbedr, SVM expected to easily break through the double-ton and join the VMAX 200 club, but no-one was prepared for what Gundam delivered.

Despite a gear selection issue that meant driver (pilot?) John had to short-shift, the Bayside Blue GT-R speared along Brunters’ wide, pockmarked concrete runway, achieving multiple passes in excess of 220mph and setting a new VMAX record of 228.94mph, smashing the previous benchmark of 222mph set by a 1200bhp 9ff Porsche.

But Kevan and the SVM crew knew that there was more to come from Gundam. The gear selection issues, caused by a software glitch, were preventing John from revving through to the redline and maximising the speed carried through the bend onto the main straight. On the record-breaking run, Gundam had pulled all the way from 115mph in sixth gear – if nothing else, an indication of the colossal torque generated by the VR38. Additionally, the Nissan still needed its map tweaking to make full use of the newly-fitted 70mm throttle bodies.

So it was that SVM returned to Bruntingthorpe in mid-July, inviting myself and snapper Hall along to witness Gundam go all out for an even higher V-max run. The sun blazed down, pushing temperatures

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R35 NISSAN GT-R

tech spec ENGINE: 3799cc 2012-spec Nissan VR38DETT V6 engine with SVM 1000R conversion, SVM-spec longer connecting rods, SVM custom pistons, dynamicallybalanced bottom end (crankshaft, rods, pistons, flywheel, pulley), SVM/CNC Heads (CNC) modified heads (ported and polished), SVM/CNC larger exhaust/inlet valves, SVM/CNC bespoke camshafts, SVM/CNC bespoke valvetrain, K&N high-flow air filters, SVM Stage 6 GT1100 turbochargers, SVM blow-off valves, 80mm hard pipe kit with silicon hoses and Murray clamps, SVM/Radtec intercooler with HS Marston core, Greddy inlet plenum, SVM 70mm billet throttle bodies, OE exhaust manifolds, SVM heat-wrapped downpipes, SVM 102mm Y-pipe, SVM 102mm exhaust system, SVM triple 485lph pump fuel system, custom fuel lines and unions, GReddy fuel rails, Injector Dynamics ID2000 injectors, SVM/Radtec coolant radiator with HS Marston core, SVM motorsport thermostat, SVM aluminium header tank, SVM aluminium power steering tank, Cobb AccessPORT Nis-006 with custom tune, Knight Racer carbon fibre engine cover, Knight Racer carbon fibre slam panel cover

TRANSMISSION: 2012-spec Nissan GR6 six-speed dual-clutch transmission, OE gearset with SVM treatment process, three SVM mechanical circlips, SVM billet clutch system, Albins CWP (crown wheel and pinion) diff upgrade

CHASSIS: Black Volk Racing wheels with Toyo Proxes R888 tyres, KW Variant 3 coilover Suspension, uprated anti-roll bars

Mid-way along Bruntingthorpe’s runway we’re into new V-max territory 230mph and counting

EXTERIOR: Full respray to three-stage TV2 Bayside blue (engine bay sprayed matt black), 2012-spec Nissan GT-R front and rear bumpers, AMS Performance carbon fibre roof panel, Knight Racer vented full hybrid carbon fibre bonnet, reinforced carbon fibre bootlid, Aeromotions S2 dynamic rear wing, Knight Racer carbon fibre R badge holders, Knight Racer carbon fibre fender vents

INTERIOR: Interior retrimmed in Alcantara/Dinamica with blue stitching (front seats, dashboard, roof lining, door handles, gear knob, centre console), carbon fibrecoated interior panels, chromoly multi-point roll-cage, Schroth four-point harnesses, passenger and roof airbags deleted, SVM high-speed 8 camera Geo setup

CONTACTS/THANKS: All the team at Severnvalley Motorsport (www.severnvalleymotorsport.co.uk or 01952 583917) and Madeley Testing Station (01952 588005 or www.madeleytestingstation.co.uk); Ben Linney at GTC Racing Technology (01438 833367 or www.gtc-r.com); Radtec (01543 502525 or www.radtec.co.uk); Dixon at Dixon Motorsports/DMS Racing (01322 435330 or www.dmsracingltd.co.uk); CR Turbos (01425 638426 or www.crturbos.co.uk); CNC Heads (www.cncheads.co.uk); Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground (www.bruntingthorpe.com or 0116 247 8000); VMAX Events (www.vmax15000bhp.com)

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up above 30 degrees – not ideal for top speed attempts – and we had to share the track with a trio of Bentley Continentals conducting their own high-speed development work while also dodging the small group of motorcyclists periodically firing down the runway on two wheels, a drivertraining programme conveniently placed on the outside of the bend entering the straight and the occasional Vauxhall Corsa running around Brunthingthorpe’s short circuit. Great.

My first impression of Gundam as it was reversed off the truck was how docile and civilised it seemed for a 1000bhp supercar. It didn’t sound or look like hard work in the slightest – if anything, the most difficult thing about driving Gundam appeared to be the process of swivelling your body through the roll-cage and dropping into the Alcantara- and Dinamica-clad bucket seats. Inside, various interior panels have been replaced with carbon fibre examples, but it’s all very much business as usual; Gundam clearly sets those big numbers with brute force first and foremost, for it isn’t a stripped-out featherweight.

Outside, the panel gaps were sealed with tape to smooth the airflow over the GT-R’s comparatively bluff exterior and the door mirrors replaced with blanking plates. Having a good snoop around the car, I spot KW Variant 3 coilovers hiding behind the stealthy Volk rims and large discs; the presence of grooves rather than cross-drilling indicates that they aren’t stock brakes. John explains that they are FCRseries carbon-steel discs made by Dixcel, and used in Japan’s Super GT and Super Taikyu race series. These race-proven discs, combined with Dixcel pads mounted in the OE Brembo calipers, are responsible for bringing the two-ton GT-R, travelling one mile every 16 seconds at its top speed, safely to a stop, time and again. They don’t seem to sweat it.

After Kevan and John have been out to lay their braking point marker cones, it’s time for the first run of the day. Hall and I decamp to the middle of the track to capture some panning shots as the Nissan passes, and right away, John’s on it. They clearly want to break through 230mph, maybe even more. The Bayside bullet rifles down the runway – fast, but in Hall’s opinion, not as quick as at VMAX. After a couple of passes, we head back to the staging area – a concrete apron with an old Olympic Boeing 747 providing some welcome shade for man and machine. The gear selection issue is much improved now that SVM’s replacement clutch seals have been fitted, although it’s still auto-shifting too early and other times causing John to initiate the short-shift up the gears. It’s evidently now a software problem rather than a mechanical one, for the GT-R’s OE gearset has been treated with a new multiprocess treatment to strengthen it to withstand the high power and torque levels that usually have stock gearsets

stripping fourth gear. If it was mechanical, there would be pieces of expensive transmission littering the runway. Ben pores over his Sony laptop, checking the datalogs and making small adjustments to the ECU and TCM, while Kevan downloads the video from Gundam’s onboard Racelogic VBox to see how fast it went.

Tweaks made, and with a consensus that John can brake later and still make the corner at the bottom of the track (unlike at VMAX, he doesn’t have the luxury of the full runway length), Gundam heads out again. We position ourselves on the inside of the entry onto the straight and watch as John comes around on his next attempt. With the tweaks since Llanbedr, Gundam’s output is now around 1120bhp and even the GT-R’s sophisticated traction control and stability management systems can’t contain that amount of power: the back end steps out at 80mph as the inside wheel runs over a drain cover, requiring deft reactions behind the wheel to prevent the Nissan oversteering into a spin. Between John’s inputs and the GT-R’s electronic aids, control is reestablished but the speed has dropped to just 35mph. Instead of aborting the run, John gives it the full beans, and still achieves 225mph before deploying the Dixcel stoppers. Blimey, this thing is fast.

Through the hottest part of the day, we commandeer the Nissan for some static and car-to-car shots on track.

Again, Gundam’s amazing driveability is displayed as we pootle along the track at less that 25mph. I wonder how many other 1100bhp supercars would be this mildmannered at such low speeds. Our static shots are set to the soundtrack of Gundam’s active rear wing, the servos continually making minute adjustments to the split-plane item. Made by Aeromotions and mounted to a reinforced bootlid, it’s activated by a dedicated controller which monitors acceleration, braking, speed and lateral G and adjusts the trim of the wing accordingly. As the wing is split down the middle, each element is individually adjustable, meaning it can even create mid-corner downforce to stabilise the car. It’s a trick bit of kit, adopting a low-drag position during the run but then popping up to a highdownforce setting to aid braking.

As the afternoon goes on, it’s time for Gundam to get back out there. The good news is that the gear selection problem seems to be sorted, allowing John to rev to the redline before upshifting. Gundam hits 100mph before it’s even straightened up from the corner, John shifting into fourth and short-shifting into fifth to allow the tremendous torque from the tractable VR38DETT to rocket the GT-R towards the shimmering horizon. A flick of the paddle engages sixth at 160mph, and Gundam is through the double-ton by the time it passes the crest mid-way along Bruntingthorpe’s runway we’re now into new V-max

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R35 NISSAN GT-R

Scan this QR code to see Gundam’s world record run, or head to tinyurl.com/SVMGundam

territory – 230mph and counting. The speedo continues climbing towards 240mph before John eases the throttle and applies the brakes, the speed falling away with -1G of braking force. The car’s composure throughout has been mega, stable and in control. Almost effortless.

We can’t wait to see the result. Back under the Boeing, the Video VBox reveals the true stats to the elation of Kevan, John and the entire SVM team: 237.85mph, crucially 0.4mph faster than the 1700bhp AMS Alpha 12+ GT-R ran in Russia, making Gundam the world’s fastest Nissan GT-R. The video reveals that it could probably go faster too – Gundam was still pulling 0.1G of acceleration at 237mph. The guys feel a 240mph is on the cards, John goes out for one final run of the day. Greater

speed onto the straight means that, as he passes me (stood trackside) at 220mph, this could be it and then… disaster!

We’ve been lucky with traffic all day, but our luck runs out and John has to abort the run.

Despite the incredible new world record on a successful day where much useful testing has also been carried out, the air is understandably tinged with disappointment about what might have been. Analysing the data afterwards, SVM is confident that Gundam can smash through 240mph and believes that 245mph, perhaps even 250mph is in there. Another day, when it’s cooler and they have the entire runway to play with, this astonishing GT-R will be back, and expectations are high. And it will deliver, Gundam-style

Think SVM could be the R35 GT-R tuner for you? Look out for a full company profile next month!

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