#ModifiedNissan

There’s a new tuning company opening up shop in Japan and it’s looking to grab some immediate headlines with it’s version of the Nissan GT-R, sporting some of the most radical styling we have seen yet on the Japanese supercar. The company, which goes by the name Bensopra, is set to debut the new race car inspired machine at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January.

Ever wonder what would happen if you let a high-performance tuning company run wild on a minivan? Well wonder no longer, as Nissan‘s NISMO division has just debuted a version of the new Elgrand (sold as the Quest in North America) at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon.

While most of the aftermarket likes to overwhelm consumers with excessive amounts of horsepower, some companies like to refine the finer details, making the driving experience a more fulfilling one. Take Umbrella Auto Design for example; they began their business by focusing on Acura’s flagship supercar, the NSX. They built a wickedly clean demo car, refining it from bumper to bumper on the outside while starting their F1 line o interior series. Now they’ve taken the same magic to the Nissan GT-R.

The reality of a fully streetable 8-second Nissan GT-R just got a whole lot closer. AMS took their Alpha 10 GT-R demo car back to the quarter mile after their 9.33 pass to lay down an amazing 9.192 @ 163.12 mph track time. Now obviously going from 9.33 to 9.192 is easier than going from 9.192 to 8.99, but the fact that they are gaining that much more top-end speed in between weeks of testing is impressive.

And wanting to just show off to the rest of the world what their Alpha 9 package can do to a GT-R on pump gas, AMG was able to pilot the Alpha 9 GT-R to its first 9 second pass at 9.95 @ 141.01 mph. And yes, on pump gas. To show off just how dependable and reliable the Alpha 9 GT-R is, AMS embarked on a road trip going from Chicago to Colorado and Nevada and ending in Southern California; 2,000 or so miles and not a single issue on the car.

They even released a video – unfortunately it’s not of the drag racing:

[Source: GTR Blog]

Oh how much we love Top Secret’s signature gold finish on their cars. We were actually disappointed in how long it has taken Top Secret to show off a Nissan GT-R doused in their gold, but boy was the wait worth it. But as you may be able to tell from the above photo, Top Secret has also finalized and released their new front bumper replacement.

When it comes to finding gobs and gobs of horsepower, AMS Performance knows how to do it. Regardless of the application, whether it’s a Mitsubishi EVO or a Nissan GT-R, AMS has set records time and time again on and off the track. And now they’ve made it easy for all their customers to achieve the same type of success.

Dubbed their Alpha line, AMS Performance is offering premium Nissan GT-R Performance Packages. Their website is currently a complete tease with a coming soon page, but it looks like they’ll have four packages available soon: Alpha 6, Alpha 9, Alpha 10 and Alpha 12. We went ahead and did some digging through their current website and found some more information on their Alpha 6 and Alpha 9 packages.

The Alpha 6 package is offered at $6,499 and takes your GT-R to a respectable 600-hp and easy 10 second time slips at the quarter mile of your choice. The fastest time they’ve achieved on this package is a 10.6 @ 130 mph on 93 octane pump gas. The kit is is actually pretty mild with a majority of exhaust parts: 90mm catless downpipes, 90mm resonated midpipes and 90mm exhaust system. On the intake side is a set of HKS Super Hybrid air filters. And of course AMS will retune the car along with a Cobb AccessPORT to dial it all in. For those worried about emissions, catalytic converters are available on their downpipes as an option. And for those that are the complete opposite, non-resonated midpipes are available as a race version.

The Alpha 6 package can also be upgraded to an Alpha 9 package, but for those with the ability to dish out the cash up front, the Alpha 9 is available for $21,999.95. And as you can guess, Alpha 9 means 900-hp on race gas and 800-hp on pump gas. That equates to possible 9 second time slips on race gas. Along with everything in the Alpha 6 package, Alpha 9 also comes with upgraded turbochargers, turbo inlet pipes, front mount intercooler, intake piping and additional fuel upgrades to handle all the extra boost.

Check out the videos after the break of an Alpha 9 GT-R running 10.1 with pump gas, and their 9 second GT-R in case you missed it earlier.

[Source: GTR Blog]

Alright, we said it bluntly in our review of the 2011 Nissan Juke: it’s just ugly. No matter what angle you look at the car, it’s hard to discern its natural lines to be attractive. Nonetheless, the Nissan Juke is a fun car to drive at an affordable price and for those that care to be seen in something different, it’s an excellent option. And hell, some people really dig the styling of the Juke, proving there’s something for everyone.

Companies like Abflug have developed a reputation over the last couple of decades for having some of the most aggressive body kits out there. And while it still fits the desires of some, our eyes just aren’t accustomed to finding it attractive.

There’s no questioning just how popular Nissan‘s 350/370Z has become in tuning circles, reminding us of how well the Supra caught on as a tuner car. And while some have believe the car’s VQ35DE/VQ37HR motor has the potential of overtaking Toyota’s 2JZ as the new formidable powerplant, very few have achieved reliable, high horsepower figures. But that’s to say no one is trying, and 370ZTune.com is currently working with one of their customers, Mike out of Georgia, to hit the 1000-hp mark in style.

A video has been teased about the car, and while we’re more interested at how they’ll be hitting the 1000-hp mark, it’s worth showing off what’s been done to the exterior of it. Zele Performance, based out of Japan, specializes in aerodynamic kits for the Nissan 370z, Infiniti G37 and Nissan R35 GT-R; and this is actually the first time we’ve seen the full 370Z body kit on this side of the world. It is definitely plenty aggressive to back up the Z’s inevitable performance.

And to achieve the famed 1000-hp mark, 370ZTune.com will be outfitting this 370Z with GTM’s 4.5L stroked block (which includes a 96mm stroke crankshaft and Arias Extreme HD pistons) paired to their stage 6 turbo kit featuring twin GT35R turbos. The built shortblock will be mated to a GTM’s stage 1 head featuring their proprietary valve springs and retainers. Plenty of fuel will be supplied through Denso’s 2150cc injectors.

Getting the power to the ground will be an OS Giken triple-disk ceramic HR clutch and flywheel while tuning comes through a collection of HKS electronics.

We’re just hoping this is one of those projects that actually gets completed, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on it in hopes to see some videos and dyno runs. One thing’s for sure, they’ve already got the aesthetics handled, we can’t wait to see under the hood.

[Source: CarDomain]

Nissan‘s resurgence with the Z model has been quite a hit and the 370Z has been the perfect successor to the ever-popular 350Z. With the VQ37HR powering the way to a more streamlined body, it’s no surprise that the aftermarket has embraced the 370Z with open arms. While there are tons of nicely built 370Zs in America, it’s always nice to see what’s being done in Japan as inspiration of fully functional, cleanly built cars.

Well that surely didn’t take long. A 2010 Nissan 370Z that was built by Chris Forsberg Racing in conjunction with NOS Energy Drink debuted at the E3 Expo this year and marketed as a giveaway car. And just like that, the winner of the giveaway has promptly placed it up on sale on eBay with a buy it now price of $37,999.00.

According to a short product teaser released by Nissan tuning resource GT-RR, renowned engine builder Cosworth is currently developing a Nissan GT-R crate motor. The teaser clearly draws the connection without naming names, stating that the crate motor will come from the same company known for building F1 engines, Nissan GT-R race engines and for working with Aston Martin on its One-77 supercar. And the single connection between those three things is Cosworth.

The engine is question is rumored to be a new version of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo motor currently offered in the GT-R, but with new turbos and significantly more output.

We’ll be sure to stay on top of this and Cosworth isn’t likely to disappoint.

[Source: GTRBlog via InsideLine]

Check out the teaser after the jump

Austrian-based tuner, Königseder has built a demo Nissan GT-R to show off their new front lip, diffuser and side skirts. Saturated in a bright orange finish, Königseder’s GT-R claims to push out 572-hp, close to 100 more than the stock 485-hp offering.

Aiding in those horsepower gains are an ECU upgrade, air filter and titanium exhaust system from Akrapovic. To accent their front lip/splitter and side skirts offering, Königseder opted to lower their car on a set of KW coilovers and bolted on a 21×9.5-inch and 21×11-inch set of beautiful HRE 595R wheels finished in a glossy black. They wrapped the classy wheels with Yokohama’s Advan Sport tires.

Truth be told, we’re not huge fans of Königseder’s front lip/splitter combo, but we couldn’t pass-up the opportunity to post a bright orange GT-R with a stunning set of HREs.

GALLERY: Königseder Nissan GT-R

Official press release from Königseder with a breakdown of all the parts after the break.

With all the hype surrounding AMS’ 9-second GT-R and SP Engineering’s record-setting GT-R, we knew more Nissan GT-Rs would be coming out of the woodwork. And now there is GTC Titan’s entry all the way from the UK. Their GT-R has been modified with what they call a 750R Power Pack which netted 735-hp and 750 ft-lbs of torque on the dyno. They went off to the drag strip on Toyo Tires’ R888 and threw down multiple 10.3 passes.

While it may not be 9s, GTC’s 750R Power Pack still offers plenty of potent power and is a nice alternative for the Europeans that cannot easily get GReddy parts or a full build from AMS. At the heart of it all are GT30 ball bearing turbos with ported manifolds that lead out to GTC’s own 80mm cat-less downpipes, 90mm y-pipe and 90mm exhaust system. Other GTC proprietary parts include 80mm air MAF pipes, bar and plate intercooler, big capacity radiator and 14-plate clutch system with steel plates and shims.

They plan on returning to the track with some stickier tires to help combat wheel spin. We’d be more than willing to bet they could break the 9-second barrier with some more passes down the quarter mile.

Check out a video of the GT-R at the track after the break and hit the source for more information on GTC Titan’s parts.

GALLERY: GTC Titan Nissan Skyline GT-R

[Source: Nagtroc.org]

For the most part, the sport compact and import modifying segment of the automotive industry is often portrayed in a negative light. Whether it’s street racing or car theft or whatever-the-hell-the-mainstream-media-wants-to-report, inspiring stories are hard to come across. So when we catch wind of one, we feel obliged to share with the rest of the world. There are just some things the general public doesn’t understand when it comes to modifying cars; what it can mean to some and much more for others.