Having driven three R33 Skyline cars, I already have more than 20 years of car experience!
“Garage Active” is the only specialty store in Kyushu that offers unique style GT-R customization such as shakotan and truce. The company responds to users’ needs with one-stop services such as hard tuning and full restoration based on many years of drag racing experience. We introduce a GT-R owner who shares the company’s originality in machine design. Mr. Sawamura, who has loved his R33 Nissan “Skyline GT-R” for over 20 years, joins us this time.
His beloved car was damaged in a side-impact accident, and he rebuilt it from the white body
For Isao Sawamura, the Nissan R33 “Skyline” has a special place in his heart. Counting from his first “GTS25t Type M,” he has been driving for more than 20 years. His previous car, the “GT-R,” which he owned for about 10 years, was scrapped five years ago due to an accident. The Skyline GT-R with a wide body kit from Garage Active is his third R33.
“Because of the side impact, it would cost a lot of money to repair the car, so I cried and treated it as a total loss. Still, I wanted to continue driving the R33, so I consulted with President Sakamoto. Fortunately, the engine and drivetrain were intact, so he suggested that we rebuild the car from scratch using the body we had in stock.”
Initially, we had no intention of making a wide body, and were hoping to revive the car in a clean condition, but during the course of the work, we decided to change the direction to a wide body.
More than hesitating, the desire to give it a try prevailed and the decision to go for a wide body was made
“I had seen illustrations and computer graphics of the wide body before it was completed, and I was strongly attracted to it when I saw the finished demo car up close. When President Sakamoto asked me if I wanted a wide body anyway, I was more than hesitant. When President Sakamoto asked me if I would be interested in a wide body, my desire to try it out outweighed my hesitation.”
Sawamura decided that if he was going to do it anyway, he asked Garage Active to install a wide-body kit, including an optional rear wing. The body makeup was left to Garage Active, but the body color was decided to be Nardo Gray. This color, called “cement color,” is a genuine Audi gray. The deciding factor was that the color, which is neither too light nor too dark, was close to the ideal color.
As mentioned above, the engine was transplanted from a former beloved car, but before it was re-installed, it was overhauled to make sure there were no problems caused by the accident.
He continues to use the MOMO steering wheel from his previous car
At the same time, the displacement was increased from 2.6 liters using a 2.8-liter kit from HKS. The turbine used was an Australian GCG2860, which gave the car a more spacious performance to match the increased weight of the wider body. In addition, the suspension, brakes, and wheels have been brushed up. The rear emblem has been casually changed to that of the R35, another of Sawamura’s specialties.
The interior also shows his attention to detail. The seat covers, shift knob, and boots were all coordinated by Garage Active. The combination meters and sub-meters were replaced with NISMO meters. Oil pressure, oil temperature, and water temperature gauges were added to keep track of the engine status. The dashboard is not damaged, and the gauges are more visible than those mounted on the A-pillar. The boost gauge is set on top of the steering column cover, and the MOMO steering wheel was transplanted from the previous car and has been carried over, including the feelings.
translated by DeepL