Svm company profile

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COMPANY PROFILE: SEVERN VALLEY MOTORSPORT

Who Is...

SEVERN VALLEY

MOTORSPORT? WHEN SEVERN VALLEY MOTORSPORT’S ‘HULK’ BURST ONTO THE SCENE WITH OVER 1200BHP, THE TUNING WORLD STOOD UP AND TOOK NOTE. NOW, WITH RECORDS BEING BROKEN WEEKLY, WE GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE GT-R SPECIALIST TO FIND OUT MORE… WORDS: ANDY BASOO PHOTOS: STEPHEN HALL

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Every customer car is given a clear build list so all involved are aware of progress

ast month we brought you the world’s fastest R35 GT-R. We were on hand when Severn Valley Motorsport’s (SVM) ‘Gundam’ clocked 237.85mph at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground. The joys of being a monthly publication meant that by the time the magazine had hit the shelves, the record had been broken, but thankfully it was another SVM R35, this time the aptly named ‘Mad Medusa’ that claimed the glory with a run of 239.18mph. That car, more crucially also covered a standing mile in a mind-blowing 22.417 seconds!

And such has been the pattern for SVM since entering the GT-R market. SVM has always been keen to push the boundaries, and not simply to grab the headlines either. The main

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motivation behind SVM’s projects is its customers. The technologies and tuning methods developed are fine-tuned and offered to the aftermarket GT-R world. The aforementioned record-breaking cars demonstrate this perfectly. Gundam is proprietor Kevan Kemp’s own car, but just a few weeks later, it was an SVM customer’s car (Mad Medusa) that broke Kevan’s top speed record.

Long before either of these found fame though, SVM had already established itself as one of Europe’s most respected R35 tuners.

While around 75% of its clients are UK-based, owners come from much further afield to have the experienced technicians care for their cars. For example, when we visited the tuner’s 8000sq/ft premises the team were building an 1100bhp setup for a customer in India. The

conversion will be built into one of SVM’s own cars, run in, tuned and mapped on Syvecs software before being removed and shipped off to India. The setup will just need bolting in on arrival and should be good to go. Ah, but what about the difference in ambient temperatures we hear you ask? Well, it’s for this very reason head technician, John, is set to fly out to scorching India to make the minor adjustments needed. Now that’s service!

Another example of such customer confidence is an owner who drove for two days, covering some 2000 miles all the way from Romania to treat his GT-R to an SVM 850R conversion. Once the 850bhp setup was complete, he drove all the way back without the VR38DETT missing a beat. He’s since completed over 400 drag runs with his

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COMPANY PROFILE: SEVERN VALLEY MOTORSPORT Every SVM project is allocated a nickname like ‘Gundam’ or ‘Mad Medusa’

quickest time being a 9.8sec quarter-mile.

Reliability certainly is important when such distances are involved.

“It’s because our customers come from so far that it’s imperative our conversions are 100% reliable,” Kevan explained. “We’ll push our development cars to the absolutely max, even to destruction. Only then can we have complete confidence in the services we offer.

For example, we’ll push a kit, turbos, manifolds, the lot, to 1600bhp. We’ll then detune it and market the setup as a 1200bhp conversion. Our customers then know they can utilise every single inch of their new performance without having to worry about mechanical failure.”

As well as power upgrades, SVM is also the place to come for minor and major GT-R

servicing. Nissan main dealers charge £160 per hour to work on R35s. That makes SVM’s rate of £50 per hour (plus VAT) exceptionally good value. And for that you’ll have technicians whose sole expertise is enhancing GT-Rs look after your car, and not individuals whose bread and butter is giving Nissan Micras and Notes oil changes.

You may have also spotted on SVM’s website that it’s building a rather special seven-seater SUV. The guys have decided to fit the running gear and much of the floorpan of a MY12 GT-R into a brand-new Qashqai +2 360. The idea is to make the Qashqai-R handle as much like a GT-R as possible, meaning there’s an unbelievable amount of clever engineering going into this build. It’s not simply a matter of dropping in the engine

and gearbox. We’ll be getting behind the wheel of the rather special creation once it’s complete, so watch this space…

Such wild builds are in SVM’s blood. The company was established in 1985 and started out as the Datsun specialist ‘Z Shed’. Kevan and his team specialised in Samurai conversions (fitting Janspeed exhausts and big Del’Orto carbs etc) for 240Zs and 260Zs. “The problem with Datsuns,” Kevan chuckled, “was they’d rust faster than we could weld them up! So, we ended up moving into the Ford market, focusing on Cosworths and RS200s and we also became known for our wacky projects like the 550bhp Transit van and 500bhp KA we built.”

As the big-power Ford industry started to decline, SVM opened a mainstream garage

Left: GT-R VR38DETT sitting pretty in a new Qashqai. Build photos on SVM’s website

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with 13 bays and four MoT ramps. On an average day, the premises will complete 70 MoT tests but it’s the aftermarket tuning world that Kevan’s always had a passion for.

“I put down a £2000 deposit as soon as they started taking orders for the GT-R,” he recalled. “Benfields up in Newcastle had the shortest waiting list so I ordered it there. But it still took 18 months for my Black Edition to arrive. In a way I didn’t mind because with the cars having been out 12 months in Japan and the US, there was already a whole host of parts available for them.”

Shortly after acquiring his R35, Kevan crossed paths with Ben Linney from GTC. The two got chatting and Ben in passing said that if Kevan could build a car that could run nine-second quarter-miles, he’d be inundated

with work. “I’ve always been more into circuit racing so I wasn’t that bothered,” Kevan continued, “but I started modifying my own car, aiming for about 700bhp. I actually ended up with around 750bhp and ran a 9.81sec quarter at 145mph. I could really see the tuning potential, because that time was achieved with a relatively stock setup and bolt-ons. We hadn’t even begun implementing any of our own tuning methods like porting the heads or anything like that.

But, sure enough, we started getting a lot of phone calls and enquiries. Our GT-R tuning reputation and operations have just grown from there. We now work with trusted partners like CNC Heads, CR Turbos and Radtec and with their help we’ve been breaking European records since 2010.”

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COMPANY PROFILE: SEVERN VALLEY MOTORSPORT Mechanical gearbox circlip conversion.

The difference between the OEM and SVM items is astounding

On our visit to SVM, the specialist had 27 R35s on site. We’ve never seen so many in one place, and it’s obvious just how respected the firm has become. That’s not to say that customers wait months to have their cars worked on. SVM turn around these projects in unbelievably quick time.

Obviously, time scale is dependant on the size of the build and the parts required. But, on a simpler conversion like a 650R setup, where engine internals are left untouched, fitment is usually completed in a single day!

Now that’s impressive!

In recent years, SVM has sought to cater for the needs of all GT-R owners. As such, it’s invested heavily in Nissan-approved equipment. So, if you’re not after a big power upgrade but instead require a full geometry setup or a set of tyres fitted, SVM has still got you covered. Its own range of tuning parts is expanding all the time, too, so if you’re in need of carbon fibre panels, a free-flowing exhaust system, big brakes, throttle bodies, uprated gearbox circlips, you name it, SVM produces it or can source it through one of its affiliated specialists. This really is the one stop shop for R35 GT-R owners

CONTACT: www.severnvalleymotorsport.co.uk 01952 583917

FAST FACTS WHO’S WHO AT SVM: Kevan – Proprietor Amar – Sales and Marketing John – Technician Gavin – Technician Dan – Technician Mike – Technician Craig – Parts and Stock Deb – Accounts

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