Yep, yeah, it’s a GT-R R32 Skyline! Namely the Motor Sports Mechanical “MSMRH8” silver bullet.

From the outside, aside from the wheels and tyres, there’s not much to tell you that this is an 8.5 second beast of a car!

Pop the hood and it is an entirely different story.

Sitting in the bay is an RB30 “dirty 30” based billet block. Mick from Motor Sports Mechanical, says they chose the aluminium block because it is newer and offers considerable weight savings. 
The internals are Nitto 3.2 litre items, well lubricated with a dry sump kit.

Up top is an RB26 head with Hypertune billet rocker covers – these have been specially made with a low profile, to fit the larger RB30 block under the bonnet. A Hypertune inlet manifold houses  12 x 2400cc injectors.

An electronic throttle body provides superior cold start and drivability, with the Haltech 2500 controlling the DBW system. The electronic throttle also offers engine protection that can be set against the throttle position. 

Garrett’s GTX-45 provides 42psi of boost while a Hypertune 150mm intercooler does a great job of cooling the boosted air.  

The boot is just as serious as the engine bay with a four Bosch 044 fuel pump setup and a 20-litre surge tank. When in drag racing mode, the main tank is drained and the main pump is disconnected while the car runs on the fuel in the surge tank alone. 

In keeping with the attention to detail seen everywhere else in the car, the GT-R has been entirely rewired with an all-new custom loom.

A simple, ECU controlled Nitrous setup helps Mick bring the turbo up on boost while bumping in during staging. 

So what does all this hardware add up to? A fairly civilised and well-behaved street car that can run an 8.5@164mph pass and squeeze out 1087hp on a dyno. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

You might be forgiven for thinking this is just another nicely done, street registered 1992 R32 GTS-t as it left Japan with a little RB20DET pushing it along.

But pop the bonnet and your little Nissan fanboi heart will tremble in agony upon seeing this outrageous sacrilege of all things holy. 

The R32, put together by Dennis O’Malley (or Grim as he is also known)  at his Northern Sydney-based workshop, Grim Performance has twice the displacement, thanks to a turbocharged Ford Barra 4.0-litre six. While it is sure to get the import elitists furious, the Barra is capable of amazing things, and it has the killer advantage of all that extra cubes over the original RB20.

The BF FPV F6 engine was rebuilt by Mick’s Motorsports. Even though the F6 was a great deal heavier than the R32, it was in no way what you could call ‘underpowered’.

However, Dennis was not content with the stock power and upped the boost with a Precision 6767 turbocharger, 6boost manifold, and twin external wastegates.  

A Plazmaman intake manifold, throttle body, and intercooler take care of the cold side. All the custom fabrication was performed by Dennis himself. The engine package is good for 978hp (730kW) at the rear wheels on 32PSI of boost, which I’m sure we can all agree is “enough” for a street car. 

Something Old, Something New

Not a whole lot has been done with the interior – It looks, feels (and smells) like a 25-year-old Nissan cabin but… yeah, okay, it is a 25-year-old Nissan cabin. With a Ford gear stick. That’s because the engine is mated to a factory Ford gearbox.

That’s right, this 978hp engine runs through a factory stick shift transmission which, we should add, handles it with relative ease.

Barra’s Big Brain

To control his beast Dennis opted for the top-of-the-line Elite 2500 ECU which is a perfect match for the high horsepower, turbocharged Barra.

This is the magical box that makes everything work. Ignition? You got it. Injection? Sure thing. Variable Cam Control? Also not an issue for the Haltech Elite 2500.

On the outside, the GTS-t has benefited from genuine Nissan R32 GT-R front and rear guards, and a striking metallic brown paint job, plus some slick carbon items from JSAI Aero.

The number plate gives a cheeky hint at what lies under the hood.

Dennis competed in last year’s Flying 500 at World Time Attack Challenge, having only just completed the car.  

It struggled for traction all the way up the main straight at Sydney Motorsport Park. Which is unsurprising given the power this beast is making! 

Well thought out, clean and tidy, reliable and not short on power, Dennis’ project is a great, if unconventional, example of a clever engine swap.

Bonus images:

Toyota’s 2JZs and Mazda’s rotaries might have hogged all the spotlight at the recently held Brisbane Jamboree but an army of RB fans did not walk away disappointed with Mercury Motorsports’ yellow monster providing plenty of entertainment.

From a distance there is no mistaking that classic R32 GTR silhouette but a closer inspection reveals that this car is a far cry from its original form.

A custom, one-piece nose cone reveals a purposeful all-tube front end. 

The engine is a dry sumped, Nitto Performance Engineering 3.2L RB30 stroker hooked up to a Powerglide transmission. It pumps out in excess of 1600hp at all fours with 60psi of boost provided by a Precision ProMod turbo.

It’s obvious no corners were cut during this build with only top quality items used. Hypertune plenum, 6boost exhaust manifold, Turbosmart wastegate , fuel and oil pressure regulators.

A mechanical fuel pump ensures steady and plentiful fuel delivery. The engine is running methanol eliminating the need for an intercooler.

Haltech’s Elite 2500 takes care of engine management duties with the REM (Race Expansion Module) allowing Trent to run a sequential, 12 injector setup with two 2400cc injectors per each cylinder.

The car’s ET is 7.74@183.39mph though Trent explains it was set back in 2014 when the car had a few hundred HP less and was a fair bit heavier.

The car’s new setup had its debut at this year’s Brisbane Jamboree where Trent managed to set a new top speed PB with a 193.9mph pass.

Related Articles:
Records fall at Brisbane Jamboree
World’s fastest Barra
PJ’s 950hp AWD S13 Silvia

Bonus Images:

The popular Nissan Skyline model range is now supported by the Elite Plug’n’Play Adaptor Harness.

The Haltech Plug’n’Play Adaptor Harness plugs directly into the factory harness and connects it with a Haltech Elite 2000 or Elite 2500 ECU. Ideal solution for builders and tuners who want a quick and easy install without the need to rewire the whole system.

The Elite Plug’n’Play Adaptor Harness allows the user to take full advantage of Elite and ESP’s functionality including OEM based long term learning on fuel, ignition and booost, advanced motorsport functions like traction control and anti-lag as well as the more advanced custom tables and more I/Os.

Models Supported:

Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T, GT-R

Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T, GT-R

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

Engines Supported:
RB20-DE, RB20-DET, RB25-DE, RB25-DET, RB26-DE, RB26-DET, RB26-DETT

OEM Functions Supported:
• Idle control (BAC)
• Thermofan
• Tachometer
• A/C request and control
• Engine control relay
• Injector MFD
• Fuel pump
• Power steering switch
• Knock sensors 1 & 2
• Wastegate control
• AFM Front & rear
• Coolant temperature sensor
• Air temperature sensor
• 02 sensor Fron & rear
• Check Engine light
• Throttle position sensor
• Ignition input
• Vehicle speed sensor
• NIssan variable cam system (RB25DET ONLY)
• Variable high and low RPM/Load fuel pump voltage control

Base Maps:
Basemap: Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T RB20.e2500-216
Basemap: Nissan Skyline R32R33 GT-R RB26.e2500-216
Basemap: Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T RB25.e2500-216
Basemap: Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R RB26.e2500-216

Elite 2000 + Plug’n’Play Adaptor Harness Kit
for Nissan R32/33/34

Part Number: HT-151257
Models Supported:
 Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T, Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T, Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R, Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R (manual trans only)
Includes: Elite 2000 ECU, Plug’n’Play adaptor harness. M14 x 1.5 air temp sensor with matching plug and pins, auxiliary I/O 16 Pin TYCO plug and pins, USB programming cable and USB software key.

Elite 2500 + Plug’n’Play Adaptor Harness Kit
for Nissan R32/33/34

Part Number: HT-151357
Models Supported:
 Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-T, Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, Nissan Skyline R33 GTS-T, Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R, Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R (manual trans only)
Includes: Elite 2500 ECU, Plug’n’Play adaptor harness. M14 x 1.5 air temp sensor with matching plug and pins, auxiliary I/O 16 Pin TYCO plug and pins, USB programming cable and USB software key.

Mercury Motorsport’s NITTO II R32 GTR had already written itself into history books setting a new world record for a radial-tyred GTR with 7.85@180.6mph at Sydney Jamboree a few weeks ago.

Not satisfied with their time, Trent and the crew headed back to the strip in an attempt to better their ET.

And better it they did! With near perfect conditions at the Willowbank Raceway, trent went 0.1 second faster than his previously set record with 7.75@183.39mph. Shortly after he backed it up with a backed it up with 7.74@181.94mph resetting the World Record again!

“During our WR run the wind literally blew the window out!” said Tessa Whyte, “So we just taped it up and came back for another go. In the end a radiator leak and split CV boots forced ut to retire. Still, we’re all stoked with the times!”

NITTO II used a whole array of Haltech products, from the Elite 2500 ECU and IQ3 Logger Dash to TCAs, I/O Expanders, CAN hub and a SmartWire setup.

The car currently holds a World Record for the Quickest GTR and AWD on radial tyres, Fastest GTR and AWD on radial tyres and the World’s Only 7-second radial-tyred GTR.

Haltech is a proud sponsor and supporter of NITTO II and Mercury Motorsport and wish them the best of luck at the Winternationals in June!

Haltech ECUs are a common sight on race cars in their native Australia, New Zealand, North and South America. But the brand’s reach extends well past the highly populated countries with a strong car culture.

Lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela is a two-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It may only have a population of 1.3 million but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a few car freaks among them. Navin Maraj aka “Medicine Man” is one of those.

Navin’s car is not your average  R32 GTR. He brought the car to the USA and set out to find someone who could rebuild it for professional racing. He didn’t have to look very far. Drag International/Team Orange out of South Florida stepped up to the challenge and offered to build the car up to competition level. JR Wiring Solutions was chosen to do all wiring and installation of electronics.

Under the hood, instead of the familiar RB26 sits Toyota’s race-proven workhorse 2JZ. Tuned by Crispeed, the car features a whole array of Haltech products that all work in a perfect harmony thanks to Crispeed’s tuning prowess.

Navin’s best 1/4 mile ET so far is a very respectable 7.79@178mph achieved at the 2014 Dragmania.

Based in Queensland, Australia, Mercury Motorsport are famous for building some notoriously fast GTRs. Their latest build, a bright yellow R32 GTR dubbed Nitto 2, made a debut at the MotiveDVD GTR Challenge earlier this year.

When the car rolled up to the staging lane at Brisbane Jamboree last weekend, both the team and the fans expected something extraordinary. They weren’t disappointed.

On its first ever full pass the car shot through at 7.93sec @ 175.78mph! This was enough to set a new World Record for the quickest and fastest BNR GTR on radials. This also makes Nitto 2 the first BNR GTR on radials to run into the 7s.

“Trent ran 178mph on his 2nd licensing pass, then finally 180mph on the next pass with no nitrous on the transbrake.” said Tessa Whyte, Mercury Motorsport’s Operations Manager, “The record pass was done on 35psi. To say we were pleased with the results would be an understatement!”

Nitto 2 runs a full line-up of Haltech products starting with a Sport 2000 ECU, IQ3 Logger Dash and a Wideband controller. SmartWire keeps all the wiring and electricals in check.

The engine is a Nitto Performance Engineering 3.2 stroker, built by JHH Engineering. The plenum is by Hypertune, the turbo is a Precision ProMod88, the exhaust manifold is a 6Boost with a Turbosmart external wastegate. The car is running E85.

Coilovers are by MCA Suspension, Powerglide by New Zealand-based Rips Racing. Most of the custom fabrication was done by Mercury Motorsport with the tin work in the boot and the parcel shelf done by Silke Fabrications. Low.Co.Customs is responsible for the the finishing touches and the bright yellow paint job.

The car is a credit to Mercury Motorsport technicians who put the entire car together and Trent, who tuned and drove it. Next stop – Flying 500 at the World Time Attack Challenge!

Follow Mercury Motorsport on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tunedbytrent
Visit Mercury Motorsport website: www.mercurymotorsport.com.au

Alexander Keresztesi is the proud owner of this beastly R32 GTR. With 1250hp on tap, the EL TORO Nissan Skyline R32 GTR has enough go to match its exquisite, show-like exterior.

Built by Pro Import Motorsport, the 3.2 litre stroker uses Garrett custom order GTX42 series turbo with a 6-Boost custom turbo manifold, Tial 60mm external wastegate and  2000cc fuel injectors. Hypertune Billet fuel rail is matched to Goodrigde fuel lines and couplers with a  Turbosmart 2000hp fuel pressure regulator controlling the flow.

All that power is put down through an  OS giken 1500hp 6speed sequential gearbox  and OS giken 1500hp 4 plate racing clutch.

There’s plenty of Haltech products onboard too. Starting with the Haltech Platinum Sport 2000 ECU and the Haltech IQ3 race dash connected to a whole lot of Haltech sensors: wideband, EGT, fuel and oil pressure as well as a Haltech 5bar external MAP sensor.

The car is a credit to its owner and the workshop credited with the build and will be soon featured in the START Motorsport Magazine.

Thanks to Jordy for the awesome photos. Jordy De Droog Photography