The TimeattackR.com team have known Ashnil Kumar for a couple of years now. He’s one of those characters too hard to nail down, as he’s always up to something. We met Ashnil back when he owned a very potent Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, that with over 400kW at the wheels proved to be a potent street and drag weapon; regularly running mid 10-second passes down the quarter mile. After receiving a message from Ashnil regarding a purchase he was about to make in Japan, we knew that things were about to get a whole lot more serious.
Unfortunately, in New Zealand, you can’t run consecutive 10-second passes unless your vehicle is fitted with a roll cage. And, as this was Ashnil’s streeter, he wasn’t too keen on adding one. Instead, change was on the cards, as Ashnil decided he wanted something nobody else had in New Zealand, he explains; “I contacted my good friend Charlie from NZ Import services/R Parts. I told him I wanted to import the ultimate R33. Something capable of running a 9-second pass.” Ashnil’s R32 was sold, and the search began.
The hunt for the ultimate R33 didn’t take long though, as Charlie found what Ashnil was looking for at Global Auto Japan, one of Japan’s leading GT-R exporters. It ticked all the boxes; it was powerful, had the driveline to match, and was in extremely good condition despite it’s age. The best part though, it was packing a stroked RB26 engine, with a Trust T88 turbo, OS Giken gearset, and a serious brake upgrade. Not only was this GT-R built for straight-line speed, it had the goods to stop and go too.
With help from Soichi Tate of ST Hitec, Ashnil was able to get a deal on the R33 GT-R and the money was wired to Japan — the painful wait for delivery began. With several sleepless nights at the start of the shipment, Ashnil even went as far as finding an app that told him exactly where the ship that was carrying his weapon was. It’s safe to say, that the day the R33 landed on New Zealand shores, that he was waiting.
The day after it landed, the R33 was delivered by truck to Ashnil’s home with Charlie arriving soon after to ensure that Ashnil had got what he paid for. After it all checked out ok, the pair trailered the R33 down to ST Hitec to strap it down on the dyno and see what figures it could pump out. On pump gas, with the boost controller off, the R33 produced a huge 470kW at the wheels on 25psi of boost. With a good tickle of the tune for New Zealand’s local 98 pump fuel, Soichi managed to extract a massive 510kW from it.
Being the curious type, not long after certification and inspection, Ashnil had the R33 on the dyno once again, as he was curious to see what it would produce on race fuel. This time, Soichi had the T88 inducing a massive 30.5psi of boost, and power rose to 578kW at the wheels. Playing things safe, Soichi backed things off so the RB was now only producing 558kW — more than a handful we’re told by Ashnil.
Now, to see what the R33 could do, Ashnil took it along to the Night Speed Drag Wars at Meremere Raceway, 30-minutes south of Auckland. After severe damage to the gearbox occurred, Ashnil was not able to see what the R33 could do this time around, however the next time the R33 went to the drag strip things got a little more interesting. With a rolling launch in first, followed by a soft second gear pull, the GT-R ran an 11.5-second pass at 137mph. The trap speed alone proves the potential the GT-R holds, which is deep into the 10s.
Like most of us, things get in the way of our racing plans, as Ashnil is now focussing on buying his first home, the GT-R has been put on the back burner. When the time comes though, Ashnil wants to get the R33 GT-R out onto the circuit, where he thinks the suspension, brakes, and engine will all come together and show him what it can really do.
- Vehicle: Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33)
- Engine: RB26DETT N1 block, JUN crank 2.7-litre, Tomei H-beam Rods, Tomei 87mm forged pistons, Jun racing oil pump, extended sump with baffle plates, Nismo metal headgasket, Jun 280-degree cams with 11.5mm lift, Naprec head work valves, springs and valve guides, GReddy racing engine balancer, Tomei cam gears, 1000cc PWR injectors, port and polished head, port matched intake manifold, Trust/GReddy T88 34-D turbo kit, Trust/GReddy turbo manifold, Trust Type R 50mm external wastegate, 3.75-inch Trust TR Power Evolution II exhaust, Advance black alternator, HKS intake and air filter, Nismo twin intake fuel pumps, Tomei racing fuel rail, Sard fuel pressure regulator, Trust 100mm three-layer intercooler, Trust intercooler piping kit, KOYO aluminium 50mm radiator, ORC power steering reservoir
- Gearbox: OS Giken three-speed gear-set, 4.3 final-drive, OS Giken triple-plate clutch, Cusco front and rear LSD DIFF
- Suspension: TEIN cruising master harmonic coilovers, TEIN front adjustable castor rods, URAS rear cross member, Cusco HICAS cancellation rod
- Brakes: Factory four-piston Brembos, 340mm Project MU SCR Pro front brake rotors, Project MU SCR rear rotors, Project MU braided brake lines, Hurst line lock kit
- Wheels and tyres: Volk TE37 18x10.5-inch (15p), 265/35R18 semi slicks
- Electronic: Nismo 320kph gauge cluster, HKS F-con V Pro ECU, Blitz Dual SBC ID boost controller, A/F and boost gauges, HKS turbo timer, Alpine USB headunit
- Interior: Recaro SR3 Specialised Cockpit reclining seats, MOMO JET steering wheel, Nismo gearknob
- Exterior: N1 front bumper duct, D-Speed Aero Bonnet, AS carbon canard ,AS carbon Rear wing flap
- Power: 578kW at the wheels