So yes folks it has been awhile - sadly no mods to the GT-R really this year, however going to this event DID allow me to meet up with some tuners and shops and yes get some inspiration for at least one project this year. In additon to a new extra job at Nissan as well as doing most of my driving in the Elgrand, it has been quite a year.
Anyway, some photos...
The banner in front of the stage
My Favorite...
Another angle for you guys.
Then of course I stopped by my friends at Mine's. Only the usual R34 this year.
They were getting ignored so I asked them to open the hood. This attracted a new wave of people!
Can't remember which tuner but those lights are weird.
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Slightly smaller turbo there
Very clean. A rebuild, I heard.
Have to say very well done.
A 400R is a 400R, Rebuilt or not.
Then it was about time to go. So Dino did his walk in the parking lot, the 34s and 32s were boring so of course I checked out the many R33s there...
Why? Just why???
See what I mean? 34s are boring
Even Dino spent more time with the 33s than usual.
Not sure what was interesting but I guess we will find out on his YouTube video
Rear of that Autech is strange too. I guess being a midnight purple R33 4 Door GT-R didn't attract enough attention?
Not sure if this is a hidden code or something...
Super clean. Super OEM. Super Normal
Saw this red one and then...
...then this one. I prefer this one. More sophisticated red? Burgundy?
Damn this one was barely held together...
this was interesting. The color...
camera does not do it justice. a deep grey but a hint of green?
At Ebina PA
We left early to beat the traffic. On the way back at Ebina PA, saw this yellow thing with a Do-Luck body kit. Reminded Dino and I to recall that neither of us have seen Ito-san of Do-Luck at any of these GT-R events lately. I guess maybe he's no longer in the GT-R scene?
With no Nismo Festival this year, I guess that was THE event to go to, but it really isn't quite the same. With the Nismo Festival, since there are cars other than GT-Rs there the variety of tuners and people are different, and there is more energy. A shame it got cancelled this year. Hopefully, next year?
In the meantime I am looking for an excuse to drive the GT-R. Maybe soon???
So if you've been paying attention, NISMO turned 40 on September 17, 2024. To celebrate, Nissan made sure the gallery at Global Headquarters showed off some of NISMO's best cars.
I meant to say, Road cars... as there were several race cars on the gallery floor as well.
In particular, these three!
So in the heritage section next to the Nissan/NISMO gift shop, these 3 cars were lined up for inspection. Of course, I focused my efforts on the middle one.
As I approached it, I decided to take photos of it from all angles. First the left front:
Then the right front:
And of course I wanted to get a closer look at the hood/bonnet bespoke made for this car.
I think the need to ventilate tells you something...
And a shot of the front wheel arches - needed to comply with Japan road laws as wheels and tires cannot stick out past the body. Add on fenders allow just a bit more width to the tires.
Another angle, I was trying to get a shot of the brake caliper.
and a less interesting shot of the left rear wheel
Of course, while so close I had to check out the interior. Even though regular 1996 GT-Rs had passenger airbags as standard, the 400R did not. Interesting...
Oh and I must check out that back. Wait, speaker grills? This thing had a stereo?
Stereo yes, but not the Kenwood Sound Cruising System
And of course I need to check out the quality of the carbon fiber. Couldn't touch it, but I am sure it is dry carbon. And the weave is 1x1 square, just like those old Nismo B pillar stickers....
And while back here, I MUST get a better view of that badge. Cool, but to me not as cool as "GT-R"
And let's not forget to get a rear quarter view photo.
Need to enjoy that sticker...
And the obligatory front quarter view to finish.
Oh, and look who I found, this 34 owner, admiring the greatest road going GT-R of all time...
Admit it Dino, you love it...
Thanks for viewing this post. It did not feel right to have all these photos on my phone for only me to enjoy. Let me know if any questions!
A few months ago, my friend Dino contacted me - "hey you want your 33 to become the most famous 33 in the world?" with "Pennzoil wants to do a little something, so I am working on a project"
Of course, I had no idea what he was talking about. But the end result was this:
Ok so here is some background information.
First, Dino and Alec had me show up VERY early to the Hakone Turnpike. That is where Dino introduced me to Ben Hartnett and Chris Hofstaetter. The guys drove a Nissan Serena minivan that Nissan had lent them, and Dino of course came in his 34. A few minutes after I arrived, Sudo-san pulls up, NOT in his 32, but driving a flatbed truck that carried his 32!
Then our first challenge of the day - it turned out that the original section where Dino and Ben wanted to film was closed to the public - apparently Ferrari Japan was renting it out for their own video shoot! Undeterred, we took some side roads and found some other good places.
Then, we had to also find a place for Sudo-san to park his truck where he could unload the 32. But after that, the magic happened.
Here are some photos I took while waiting to be told what to do and how to drive.
Closer up, but without Mt Fuji in the background.
After a few back and forth scenes, we parked. This is where we tried to choreograph getting into our cars at the same time. Clearly, we are neither actors nor coordinated.
Same shot, I was experimenting with the exposure setting. Was hard to balance getting the background to show while keeping the foreground coloring accurate.
Trying another angle...
Around noontime, I actually had to go back into Yokohama as I had meetings at work. Lucky for me, the cars were running out of gas and so we headed into Atami to get gas. It was then when I decided to not bother driving back but have Chris take over - turns out he is a 33 fan so was THRILLED at being able to drive my car. All the evening shots of the cars on these roads, that is him driving, not me!
And of course, having been dropped off at Atami station as they went to look for a gas station, I took this train back into Yokohama:
But of course, this was only part of the plan. The next day, Friday night, I found myself driving my car at night, meeting up with Dino and crew at a Parking Area outside Tokyo. Somehow, several random Japanese Skyline GT-R owners were also there, so we invited them to tag along and include them in the night filming.
All I will say is, it was FREEZING cold... which made for great turbo boost of course. But the Japanese guys were super excited about their luck, and one young guy just happened to be an avid Ben Hartnett fan and was literally gushing with joy at being able to shake Ben's hand and take a photo with him.
Ben and Alec plotting
Yep, we have seen this 33 before... original LM paint, too!
Lots of waiting. It reminded me of the one time I was an extra in a movie. Many retakes, from various angles, with most of my time spent waiting.
Staying inside the car to stay warm!
Obviously no shots of me actually driving at night since of course I was boring and followed all the speed limits, driving in a safe, controlled and mature manner, as befitting my job and position in society. Right...
Anyway, we called it quits at about 0500 just as the sun was about to come up. I can see from the finished project that a lot of what we did not make it into the final cut, but that is to be expected in the editing process. Still, I had fun and it really is nice to be memorialized in this way by a real professional cinematographer.
Thank you Ben, Dino, Alec and Chris!! Hope to meet up with you guys again soon!
