Building a project car in your spare time and on no particular deadline is a hobby. Properly constructing a 1,000-plus horsepower showstopper after work and on weekends in just a few months requires passion and sacrifice. But in reality, such a feat requires more, it requires expertise and teamwork. With an “A-Team” behind a build, the results should be nothing less than awesome. Ernie Manansala Jr. owns just such a build, this award-winning 1,150 horsepower GT-R.
Text by Richard Fong // Photos by Michael Ferrara
SAVVY DEALINGS AND LOFTY AMBITION
Manansala had recently given up his EVO project plus cash in exchange for this 2010 CBA-R35 GT-R and its remaining payments. Like many enthusiasts, he has wanted an R35 since they became available, and this purchase was a personal milestone for him. He explained, “When I got the keys to the GT-R, it was a dream come true. It had only 10,000 miles on the clock, and I drove everywhere. I finally went out to an autocross event and realized that it was too big to have as much fun with in such a confined space. I decided to build it for road courses instead. But I wanted 1,000 reliable, streetable horsepower. I wasn’t trying to set records though. I just wanted impressive, usable power.”
HEAVY HITTERS
Many aim for Pluto and hit the moon, but Manansala aimed for Mars and planned to land there. However, without the expertise to go at his project alone, Manansala sought council with his friends. With the recently announced alliance between GReddy and Garrett Turbochargers, product development and projects were already being discussed between GReddy’s President and Managing Director Kenji Sumino and Garrett’s Yukio Taira. They saw Manansala’s GT-R as an ideal platform to prototype new products while meeting the build objectives. Build plans were also shared with Harry Kong at Nitto Tires and Eddie Lee at Mackin Industries. Taira had joked with him in the past, that should he build a GT-R, that it would be a Garrett booth car at the SEMA Show. Now backed by a hardcore group of players, the project grew into a full-tilt SEMA build.
BUILDING A BETTER BUNNY
[pullquote]THIS ONLY LEFT THE REST OF THE TEAM ABOUT ONE MONTH TO FINISH THE PROTOTYPING[/pullquote]As GReddy is the distributor of Rocket Bunny aero kits to the USA, the project received support from TRA Kyoto’s Kei Miura. The chassis and the kit were dropped off to DTM Autobody, where the project began on the exterior. Once the panels were fitted, the body was sprayed in a red hue by Glasurit before being returned to GReddy headquarters. Once on the lift, BC Racing ER-type 4-way adjustable coilovers were fitted to the chassis while measurements for a set of Advan GT Premium wheels were sent off to Japan. Mackin Industries air-freighted the wheels from Japan to mitigate the downtime finishing the exterior. Even so, this only left the rest of the team about one month to finish the prototyping for the show.