RAISING THE STAKES

“Alex was a wonderful client to work with,” explained Iain Litchfield, “as he had such a clear idea of what he wanted. His time with the car in the Stage 4 guise had only served to give him the bug for more power and speed, but he didn’t want to compromise the car’s GT credentials. He came to us with a very clear vision of a car that should be ridiculously fast, but still easy to drive at the limit.”

Litchfield went to work on the VR38, starting in the machine shop. The oil and water paths were modified for improved flow, while the crankshaft received Litchfield’s Super Finish and balance. The block was then reassembled with Litchfield-spec Capricorn pistons and Arrow connecting rods. Up top, in addition to porting and polishing the cylinder heads, Litchfield made modifications to the combustion chambers and the squish angles for improved combustion efficiency. Finished off with Litchfield Sport Engine camshafts to lift the valves, the longblock assembly was ready to meet its new lungs.

While maintaining the 3.8-liter displacement of the VR38 engine, the strengthened bottom end and improved volumetric efficiency begged for more boost to make more power. Because the factory IHI turbochargers were incapable of delivering the flow needed, it was time for the Litchfield LM900 treatment. With the stock cartridges removed, the factory manifolds and turbine housings (one-piece units on the VR38) were machined and a new ring was welded to accept Garrettbased turbocharger cartridges. The housings were enlarged to accommodate the larger turbine wheels of the Turbo Dynamics GT30 cartridges. This is the largest turbocharger upgrade that Litchfield recommended for the factory manifolds, and they deliver enough flow for 450 horsepower each.

DOUBLE DELIVERY

To take advantage of the increased airflow and strengthened engine, a Boost Logic intake manifold, equipped with a total of 12 fuel injectors (1,100 cc/min primaries, 1,000 cc/min secondaries), replaced the factory pieces. To supply the injectors with enough E85 to produce the target power output of more than 800 horsepower, a pair of 550-lph Bugatti Veyron fuel pumps mounted to a custom bracket delivers the ethanol blend to the fuel rails. With Litchfield at the controls of a Syvecs S8 engine management system, the GT-R spun the hubs of a Dynapack Dynamometer to the tune of 851 hp and 730 lb-ft torque.

[pullquote]THE GT-R SPUN THE HUBS OF A DYNAPACK DYNAMOMETER TO THE TUNE OF 851 HP[/pullquote]While the R35’s GR6 transaxle delivers power quickly and efficiently, it was not engineered to handle power output above the 700-horsepower range. Thus, Litchfield rebuilt the GR6 with a complete six-speed gear set from Pfitzner Performance Gearbox, along with a Dodson Motorsports Sportsman clutch upgrade. Together, these driveline enhancements ensure reliable delivery of torque to all four wheels.

REAL LIFE GRAN TURISMO

While his work schedule still monopolizes a large portion of his time, he makes room in his life to take the GT-R out as often as he can. Robinson explained, “My wife and I love touring, so we travel down to Venice and Florence whenever we get the chance with an obligatory stop at the Nürburgring and Spa race circuits on the way back. It’s a real-life Gran Turismo dream come true. Now I just need to spend more time on the Autobahn, embarrassing German V12 owners who stop dead at 155 mph.”

With aggressive looks and the performance to back it up, there is little doubt that this GT racer could do so with ease.