S12Silvia.com

What's better than seeing a car given free rein on a designated course or track? Not a whole lot really. There are some who may say the streets, but being that it is both unsafe and illegal, we really don't suggest that type of driving. And then there are those who prefer an expensive paperweight or a trophy wife that stays in the carport all year, and they would be right for not having any interest in driving. But for the rest of us, and we're talking about all those who consider themselves as petrol heads, there is oh so much more to a car. To fill one's senses with a car burning rubber and the intoxication of speed... Well it is a drug that we are all addicted to and seriously, it is by far one of the best ways we think one could do with a vehicle.

As part of the Driver's Blog series, and one that has been a bit overdue, we pick up with a bloke from the Midwest of the US. He's already been making the rounds online thanks to Nick Quigley, and thanks to some really great shots, there has been much interest generated about this car and driver who suddenly appeared. Almost as if we were seeing a mirage, it is all too sudden that we were seeing an S12 hitting the in Formula D's Pro Am series. Only in his second year and only five events for experience, Devin Callanhan has shown much promise already and was more than willing to sit down with us so we could get a glimpse at who he was and just how he got to where he is today.

S12Silvia.com: Good day, Devin. Thanks for doing this as we know that between juggling a regular life, hitting the track, and wrenching on the car, it leaves for virtually no down time and what little down time you have, spending it on the computer is not necessarily the favoured activity.

First off, we already know that you are into drifting as your chosen sport, but what was the main influence that got you into it?

Devin Callahan: I have always been into cars.  What got me into drifting was when I met up with this car club in town named Hostile. I started hanging out with them and tagged along to a Tennessee Drift event. After that, I was hooked.

S12Silvia.com: What are your goals with the S12 and in competitive drifting? What have you accomplished so far and where do you see yourself hopefully at the beginning of next season?

Devin: I started drifting when I was 18 and currently I am only 20 years old. I am working towards being competitive in MDU pro am and getting my Formula D license and go on from there. So far after the first event of my second year and only my 5^th event that I have ever drifted in I finished 8^th  and I'm sitting 9^th in points so far for the season.

S12Silvia.com: So, the S12. A wonderful, capable, and yet challenging chassis to take to the track. Why do you compete in an S12?

Devin: I chose the S12 because it was different and I have always liked the 80s look. Plus you don't see S12s on the track much.

S12Silvia.com: Can you give us some history on your S12 by chance? How you obtained it, what attracted you to it originally, and why have you stuck with it despite the disadvantages it has?

Devin: I had just graduated high school and I was really wanting to build my own car, so I was looking at cars to buy and I had found this original 84 turbo S12 in Indianapolis. I took my graduation money and drove 3 hours away and picked the car up for $600. It was the first car that I had bought with my own money and I didn't tell my parents about it for several months because I thought they would be angry that I had already spent all my graduation money on a old non-running car. I was so happy to have my own project car. After that everything just seemed to fall into place. It had the single cam CA18ET turbo engine that was pretty rough, of which my friends talked me out of keeping it and ended up helping me source a CA18det for it. While the engine was out, we tubbed the front end, installed a complete S13 chassis harness, full S13 front suspension and brakes, chose the color for the car (Nissan canteen green), and sprayed the engine bay. I stuck with the S12 because I wanted to do something unique that you didn't see all the time and I knew it would be cool and fun when I was done with it.

S12Silvia.com: Speaking about the disadvantages that the S12 has, especially when compared to its successor the S13, it has been prove that the S12 is quite a versatile car. With the amount of power plant choices and suspension modifications, it's rather amazing. Despite that, there are many regulations that exist in the drifting world. What are the things that are the largest drawbacks to the car in your experience while drifting so far?  What have you done to compensate for issue?

Devin: I knew right away that the downfall of the car was the available aftermarket suspension for it. Before I started drifting the car, I set to work on the suspension and with the help of those at the shop I work at, we made all the necessary modifications to fit the full S13 front suspension and coilovers in the rear.

S12Silvia.com: Being that you had a very intimate role with the modification of the car, can you tell us some of the technical aspects of it?

Devin: Everything you see on the car is custom and has been done by me with a lot of help from the guys at HC Auto. It took a little over 2 years to get the car to where it is today.  It has been a long process of mods and changing, making it a little better every time.   Here is a list of the cars mods. Full front tubs, custom S13 front knuckles, s13 lca's, s13 rack and pinion, s13 megan outer tie rods, and modified steering column, J30 brakes, S14 tension rod brackets, CA18det swap with S13 Sr20 gt25 turbo, solid engine and trans mounts, centerforce dual friction clutch, fuel cell, walbro inline fuel pump, custom intercooler setup and Griffin radiator, Yonaka s13 coilovers, custom hydro ebrake, welded diff, full roll cage built by me and HC Auto,  S13 coupe  Origin body kit, Varrosten wheels V2 15x8 -10 front and rear, Sparco bucket seat, Teamtech harness and all rubber lines replaced with stainless steel braided lines.

S12Silvia.com: It is indeed quite a list and one that is to be expected. Of them, what do you feel is your most favoured modification you have done to your car? What has this modification done for you in your quest in competitive drifting?

Devin: It's really a tossup. I love the engine, the cage, and the suspension. I would have to say the one that helped me the most is the custom knuckles that my friends and I made and installed on my car two days before this past drift event (April 21st). The knuckles help with the overall control of the car. They made the steering a lot better and helped with transitions and angle.

S12Silvia.com: Tell us, what has been some of your experiences with your car and your choice of racing?

Devin: I will never forget the first event that I ever drifted in with this car back in February of 2010. We had just gotten the car running right the day before, tossed a random back seat in it, piled three people in, and made a 3-hour trip to Nashville. We made the trip with no heat, no spare tire (a truck was meeting us later with all of the spares). We made it all the way down there and checked in the hotel. We left to go eat and popped a tire. I had to borrow money and pull the rim off, find a ride and head to the nearest store that sells tires and would mount it around 8 o'clock at night. The next morning the drift event was a success, the car did great even though it poured rain most of the day. On the way home I popped another tire going full speed on the highway. This was just north of Nashville in the hills and I had semis beside me so I had to dip off to the inside median. As soon as I stopped two cars flew past in the grass to avoid hitting me and scared the hell outta me. Then I had to wait for the tire truck to turn around and bring me a spare. The rest of the trip home went fine.

S12Silvia.com: I have to say, that is one of the more unexpected trips I've ever heard when it comes to going to and from a drifting event. Only shows the things we all go through for the sport.

Now that you have driven the S12 for a length of time, one can be sure that you will end up driving another chassis at some point in time. You may have already driven different chassis in order to gain more track time or for the experience in understanding how different it is sure that you may have driven another chassis for some amount of time but, would you happen to swap chassis at some point? And assuming you do swap to a different chassis, which is your preferred chassis?

Devin: I love the S12 and I own 2 "extra" ones so I'll be good for awhile. Other cars that I would consider racing would be an SC300, an S14, and I've really had my eye on a half finished S13 Silcamino project that's been sitting at the shop for a few years now.

S12Silvia.com: We've seen some awesome pictures from our friends over at OMGDrift.com of you hitting the track hard, which heaps of people love to see of course. Can you walk us through what it was like on that day? The successes, setbacks, and everything in between.

Devin: I had no idea how the car was going to react to all of the new mods, the cage, the knuckles, new wheels, tires, and hydro ebrake. I got the car all put back together at 3am the morning of the event and had the car loaded on the trailer and on the road by 4:30am. A friend drove so I could get an hour of sleep before we made it to the drivers meeting at 8am. The car passed tech inspection and I started hitting the track and getting a feel for the car. It took me a bit to get used to it but it felt great, I fell in love with my S12 all over again. I had a few issues with the MAF sensor and had to switch it out. Other than that it was great. I kept pushing the car harder and harder and it was handling every bit of it. I felt I did average during practice.  During the first qualifying run I was hitting every turn and getting all the clipping points good then got off my line and almost spun out, I was able to save it but I did fall out of a drift. On my next qualifying run I knew I had to show the judges something special. I gathered my wits and just went out there and had fun with it. It was the best run of my life. I guess the judges noticed and I qualified in the 8^th spot.   During competition I got a "by" cause the guy that was supposed to run against me did not have a cage. My first competition tandem run they put me against Magic Mike Pollard who is a very experienced drifter. I have to admit I was nervous.  I have never ran tandem with a car that fast with a driver at that skill level. His car instantly pulled out in front of me. He entered the drift earlier than I had on my previous runs, it threw me off, which made me initiate too early, and the car understeered, which in turn caused me to tap the wall with the front corner of my car. The damage was minimal with a bent inner tie rod, a dent in the fender and a scuffed up wheel but it was enough to keep me from going on in the competition. It was all a great learning experience and my car will be ready for the next event.

S12Silvia.com: You've mentioned that you've done a lot of the work but with much assistance from those at the shop you work at and many of your friends. Is there anyone you would like to thank?

Devin: I would like to thank my girlfriend Alex for putting up with me and all of the late nights at the shop, my parents for being supportive and helping in any way they could, and HC Auto for giving me a place and tools to work on the car. I also couldn't have done any of this without help from all of the guys at Hostile. They pushed me to do a lot of this and helped with a lot of knowledge and fabrication.

S12Silvia.com: Thanks so much for doing this and we appreciate it. We look forward to watching you throughout the remaining of the season. Best of luck to you in Round 2 on July 7th and we are really wanting to see some more shots and hopefully movement up the rankings.

We would like to thank OMGDrift.com for their collaboration with this blog. Be sure to check out OMGDrift.com for more awesome drift media! And for updates about those in the Midwest like Devin, be sure to check out Midwest Drift Union.
Photo credit goes to Nick Quigley of OMGDrift.com and Dane Wittig of Culture D.

Dedication is a hard thing to come by these days. This is especially true of the older cars that have virtually no support as many eventually move to newer cars that have more support from both the manufacturer and the aftermarket community. But this trend does not seem to apply to the many of us who are S12 owners. Although Arnaud Lanssens is relatively new, he has shown much dedication and passion for the S12 as anyone can. And as one who drives his car on the track, Arnaud has experienced the highs and lows of owning a car that has been through much.

Arnaud Lanssens hails from France and is deeply invested in the local S12 community. Being quite active on Club S12 France, Arnaud got his start in December of 2009 thanks in large part to a fellow forum member, Lionel (Yu@34). He bought his first S12 from Lionel and immediately began to work on restoring it to its former glory as it would have been 27 years ago. His newly acquired S12 was a Turbo model of 1985. Red on blue with MKII tails, the car was already unique in that its initial impression was not common. On his list of restoring, Arnaud focused on the typical tune-up, swapped in an Oreca BOV, and did a lot of work to clean up the plastics while focusing on the aesthetics of the car that showed its age.

Already displaying much care and catching the eyes of many in France, there was a fateful day while out on the track that the fateful incident that is feared while drifting. The result was the front end becoming intimate with a poll causing much damage.

It was quite jarring and Arnaud had to regroup. As it required a change shells, his red S12 waited about five months until Arnaud was able to begin work on his car. After moving to a new house with a proper garage and enlisting the assistance of Lionel again, the work began. Lionel had on hand a grey S12 that was missing an engine and pretty much all the exterior body panels.

Arnaud dove right in and began to restore his new shell with a single focused vision in mind. While rebuilding the car with many parts from his red S12, every part was cleaned, sprayed, and given a new lease on life. This new lease in life included a host of new parts, converting the power-assisted rack into a manual steering rack, and a retune on the engine.

He sent out the chassis and the and had a friend give it more than just a fresh respray but a new identity and signaling that his build was going to be to watch. With many of the French members and a few international members watching his build with keen interest, Arnaud did not disappoint. The transformation was immediate and impressive.

After fully assembling the car and getting it in working order, Arnaud began on fine-tuning the look of his S12. What seems to be quite popular, and in good order, he fit on a set of flares and set the S12 on a new set of Rota RBs.

The manifestation of such an impressive mental image is amazing and was amazingly done. Arnaud’s future plans for his S12 is to swap in a new interior, a larger and free-flowing exhaust, Z32 brakes, an SE kit, and to modify it in such a way as to retain much of its OEM beauty.

Gustavo Sanchez’s story is only a few years old and despite being relatively new to the scene and still learning the nuances of the S12, his S12 has managed to garner attention not just from fellow S12 fans but from other Japanese Classic aficionados. Just a couple of months ago at JCCS in Long Beach, the staff of Japanese Nostalgic Car named Gustavo’s S12 as their favourite 80′s car. It was a great surprise to Gustavo and the rest of us as such a prime example of an S12 was given the honours and recognized by such a knowledgeable audience.

Gustavo’s passion for the S12 started on his 16th birthday (August 27, 2009) when he bought a burgundy ’88 hatch as a project car he could work on. So many of us can relate as at a young age (a common trend is in high school) we ended obtaining a cheaper car we could learn from and enjoy the many rewards there are from fixing and building a car. Four months later Gustavo’s tolerance for his S12 came to an end as it proved to be an incredible headache but he wasn’t out of luck. One of his friends told him a red and grey SE V6 S12 that was available.

The owner of the S12 originally wanted $150 for the car on the account  that the clutch pedal had no resistance and would constantly sink to the floor. Gustavo offered $100 and to pick it up the following day and was elated when the owner accepted. On December 24th of the same year he bought his first S12, Gustavo became the proud owner of the highly sought after SE V6 model native in the States. His intent with the SE was to use it as a parts car as it had a busted driver’s mirror, smashed headlight cover, a missing rear quarter panel window, and other random bits to needed attention. But upon turning the key and hearing the iconic VG rumble to life, everything changed. Gustavo knew that his newly acquired SE would be his S12 of choice.

Unfortunately Gustavo’s SE ran not to well as it had low compression. He still drove it for three months without too many issues but after doing a full tune up on the engine, a rebuild was inevitable. Without time to lose, Gustavo started accumulating parts to begin his rebuild and by May of 2010 he had a gasket kit, piston rings, rod bearings, main bearings, and other random necessities. He picked up an extra VG30E block from Andrew of Low.XII.Position and got to work.

With some help of friends, he stripped the block, honed it, painted it red, and installed all the internals. Within two days, the swap was completed and as timing would have it, it was around midnight when the rebuilt engine came to life for the first time. Much to the dismay of his neighbors, the VG roared to life with open headers sounding every bit as healthy as an SE should.

Since then, Gustavo has been driving his SE as his daily without a hint of issues until he could tell his differential and transmission began to go out. Sadly, Gustavo had to again park his S12 in his driveway and begin his search for the necessary parts. Within a month he found another SE with a blown motor and approached the owner. With his good nature, Gustavo was able to talk the owner of the SE to selling the chassis down to $500 and promptly purchased it. Grabbing both the differential and transmission from his new parts SE, it took only a day for him to swap over the drive train. Since then, his SE has been functioning flawlessly much to his satisfaction.

In such fine form already, Gustavo has some plans for his SE but his end goal is to make a daily street S12 as much of a demanding presence and ability as the several other S12s that have inspired him thus far.

Continuing our coverage of Mark van der Velden and his Grand Prix S12, part two covers his experience at the Nordschleife, or as many may know it as the Nurburgring. There is much to say for those who are local to such a legendary track and the experiences gleamed from it are unforgettable. Mark was eager to share his knowledge and content about the Nordschleife with the rest of us knowing that his opportunity is one that many crave and hopes that from sharing his experience, we all may know a little bit better of what it would be like to drive on the fabled track.

The Nordschleife

Sunday the 29th of May I went for the first time to the Nordschleife this year. I have been there last year and the year before to do some laps in my first car, a Nissan sunny with a 1.6 carburetor (GA16DS). The other guys from the Dutch Nissan club had a wax and polish meeting, I decided to go my own way. Do that what I like the most, driving the Nordschleife. For the ones that don’t know what the Nordschleife is, Google it. It’s one of the most daring tracks around the world and often called the Nurburgring.  Many of you will know it by the Nurburgring. The Nurburgring is the combination of the Northloop (translated Nordschleife and which is a 20.81 km or 12.93 miles) and the Grand Prix race track which is like 4.5 km so much smaller.When I drive there on the Touristenfahrten (Tourist rides) it  is most of the time just the Northloop. The little appendix is the Grand Prix racetrack. Sometimes included in the Touristenfahrten, mostly closed.

Back to the 29th of May. I couldn’t sleep well that night before. I was planning to get up around 6 in the morning but was awake at 5. I decided to get some sleep but got out of bed at approximately 5.30. Got a little nervous I guess. First time to take the S12 Grand Prix on the track and it would be my first RWD car on track.
I checked the car properly the day before and got it prepped. I decided not to put in the 4-point cam locks. Just drive the car totally stock for the first time to see how it handled.

I live about 2 hours drive from the Nordschleife. I’m from the south of the Netherlands; the Nordschleife is in the Western part of Germany. Got to my car and was at the Nordschleife around 8.30. I quickly bought a 15 round card to get my first lap. Decided to film my first round, although it is not allowed to film on the Nordschleife. Took it easy to see how the track was en to get used to the car.  Checked the car afterwards for any leaks and did my second lap.

It was warm that day, really warm. Of course, I didn’t think off putting on shorts so it was really hot. As said, totally stock car so no 4points to hold you in place, neither there were bucket seats, just the standard seats that don’t give any support what so ever.  I had to keep myself straightened in the car by using the steering wheel, putting my knee to the door card where the window wiper is located etc. You get the idea, total hell in the Green Hell. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it to the fullest. I did a total of 11 laps that morning. Did you know that Jacky Stewart nicknamed the track in this manner back in the day?

And with help from Mark, we have been able to secure a digital copy of BMW’s and Sport Autos’ guide on how to drive the famed Nordschleife.

Comparison

As stated, I owned a sunny N14 before and I have driven that one also on the Nordschleife. Last year I did 24 and 4 in 2009 with it. It had some suspension upgrades (strut bars, sway bar rear, lowering springs, better brakes etc). So I was really wondering how the stock S12 would behave on the Nordschleife. And I got to say it handled far better than expected. It was so much fun to drive. The RWD, the power of the car comparing with my 1.6 engine from the sunny. It was so much fun to drive. I really had the time of my life Sunday.  Compared to my sunny this is by far the driver’s car. It was totally at home on the track, I really gave it a beating but the car didn’t blink.

I owned the sunny for 3 years. After I stripped my N14, I was asking myself what do I want next. Did I want to pay road tax for a track day car, which I only drive 6 months a year? No so I wanted something road tax-free. RWD would be great so I started talking with a guy on the Dutch Nissan club. A buddy of him owns also a S12 Grand Prix but with a JDM import FJ20ET engine. He suggested me to search for a Grand Prix version, mostly found in Germany but still rare enough.

Reason of buying the S12 Grand Prix

I was looking for a weekend and track day car that is not seen too much in the Netherlands. There are other reasons for buying this S12 and they are the following. In the Netherlands, cars that have been registered before 1-1-1987 pay no road tax. I only have to pay insurance, which is also very cheap. I have it insured all risk for a very low price with a tax report. However, this is not the only reason I bought this car.

I really love this car, I could have easily bought a S13 or RHD S14a for the same money or less but this one is a rare car. Especially in the Netherlands where not many S12s were sold. When I drive, the car I see people staring at the car like WTF is that? Also, I get thumbs up when I’m cruising the car. Very cool.

Future plans with the Grand Prix

What are the plans with this car? On short term not much. I have replaced some parts that needed to be replaced, changed many fluids. At first, I wanted to strip the car totally and have a cage welded in. But I love the stock interior.

The short-term plans are to drive it on track and road. Take it to the Nordschleife and off course to the Japanese Auto Extravaganza in the UK. I went there the last 2 years and am planning to go there this year again.

Well so far for the plans. Turns out that the nasty coolant leak due to a coolant hose snapping has done more damage than expected. Due to this I had to have the engine rebuild, but it wasn’t ready in time for the Japanese Auto Extravaganza in the UK.  On top off that, the head of the engine has not been proper rebuild so has to be done again nor do a FJ20ET swap. Those will be the winter plans. If the car is running again and there are funds left then I plan to buy some BC racing coils and do the S13 conversion front with S13 brakes. I have already bought ES polyurethane bushes, S13 hubs and S13 calipers.

I also need some bucket seats but I want them to fit in the time apparel of the car so maybe have them refurbished or something. In addition, I want to add some stiffness to the car in the form of sway bars and strut bars.

Maybe this is all going to be long-term, depending on funds. My brother went to the San Francisco for three months and after that, I’m going there to do a road trip for a month. Funds may be short by that time so if the BC racing coils have to wait? No problem the car is not leaving me anyway so I got the time by my side.

Next year I want to take the car on track days to other tracks. Belgium circuits Spa Francorchamps and Zolder and probably also a Dutch track called Zandvoort.
I guess that is all for now. Enjoy the photos and videos (below).

Greetings from the Netherlands and hope to see some of the US S12 guys at Irwindale Speedway way next month.

See ya - Mark van der Velden

Pictures go credit to: Jorg Jakowski, Ring-bilder.de Photographer: Jörg Jakowski, Ringbilder.de Photographer: Christian Wolf, Carphotos.nl Photographer: Martijn Huiskes, Member of SXOC.nl  Photographer: Paul Krauth (Anu on SXOC.nl), Member of SXOC.com Photographer: Jim_S13 on SXOC.com, and Roy Zweers

As contemporary and local to our fellow S12 member Nils, the one who started our Driver’s Blog series, we knew immediately that Mark would be one of those guys. Kind, knowledgeable, understanding, helpful, and the all-around great guy you would want to meet. Having talked with him for some time, we were quite anxious to feature him and after much effort on his part, Mark has assembled several pictures of his car and written a bit about both himself and his experiences for us. Just reading his story and browsing the pictures he had for us proved to us that there is not much better but an individual who truly values his vehicle.

Hey guys, my name is Mark, 28 years old and hail from the Netherlands. My first was a ’91 Nissan Sunny N14, which had a GA16DS. I drove that car for three years and enjoyed it to its fullest. While owning, I drove on the Nordschleife in Germany several times and even took it to the big Japanese Festival in the UK in both 2009 and 2010. After some time I began to want something faster and preferably RWD. After much effort I was able to obtain my Grand Prix S12 (FJ20E powered) after quite a trip.

I had owned my Sunny for three years and as mentioned loved it.  After the years of building it and driving it on the track, I began to strip my N14 and sought to move on.  I then found myself thinking about what I wanted next.  Did I want to pay road tax for a track car that I only was able to drive six months out of the year?  I knew I wanted to avoid paying road tax so I knew it had to be pre-1987.  I also preferred a RWD car so I began talking to a fellow Nissan enthusiast of the Dutch Nissan club.  It happened that a friend of him owned a Grand Prix S12 with a swapped JDM FJ20ET.  He suggested that a Grand Prix S12 would be my best choice and advised me to look in Germany for a Grand Prix S12.  Despite being available in Germany, even the Grand Prix S12 is a rare commodity there.

There were several reasons for my purchasing of the S12. In the Netherlands, cars that have been registered before January 1 1987 are not applicable to pay road taxes. I only have to pay car insurance (full insurance), which is quite cheap. In addition, I bought the S12 knowing its rarity as a Grand Prix, driving on a track, and for going to meets with the local Dutch Nissan club.

I really love the Grand Prix S12. I could have easily bought an S13 or a RHD S14 for the same amount or possibly less but the Grand Prix S12 is much more of a rare chassis. This is especially true in the Netherlands where there are not many S12s were sold. When I drive the Grand Prix, I constantly see people stare in confusion and many times, I get the thumbs up when cruising. I love getting recognition and helping to prove that the S12 is as great of a car as the S13 or S14.

With so much capability of the Grand Prix platform, the options are great. So many things I could do but for the short-term, not much. I have replaced some parts that required it and changed many of the fluids. As recent, I am looking to open the engine up and assess its current condition. At first, I wanted to strip the car in its entirety and have a cage welded in but I have fallen in love with the stock interior so for now refrain from doing so.

I currently plan to drive my Grand Prix on both the road and the track. I plan to continue to take it to the Nordschleife and to the Japanese Auto Extravaganza in the UK. I attended it in the past two years and am planning to go there again marking it, my third visit. This winter I plan to buy some BC racing coils, do an S13 front suspension conversion with appropriate S13 brakes. I have currently been preparing my winter progress as I have bought ES polyurethane bushes, S13 hugs, and S13 calipers.

I also need to acquire a set of bucket seats but that is not as easy a task as it may seem. I wish to have a set of bucket seats that fit the interior of the car even if it is ‘dated’ to the 80′s. If it becomes quite difficult to obtain a set bucket seats that fit my taste, I may have a set reupholstered to make them more fitting. Regarding the chassis itself, I want to add some stiffness to the car by way of both sway bars and strut bars. All this may be long-term depending on my funds. My brother is going to San Francisco and shortly after I will be following on a road trip along the west coast of the US.  Yes, my funds may be short by that time so if the BC racing coils have to wait then wait they will.  I have no problem with that for the car is not leaving me any time soon.

At this time in addition to assessing the motor’s health, I am looking to upgrade to an FJ20ET exhaust manifold for my future turbo plans.  I plan to run low boost at that time but who knows what happens after that.  Most assuredly, it will be fun.  Next year I want to take the car to other tracks participating at track days such as the Belgium circuits Spa Francorchamps and Zolder in addition to a Dutch track, Zandvoort.

Be sure to keep an eye out for Part Two of Mark’s blog.  It covers his experiences on the Nordschleife in both the Sunny and his Grand Prix S12 along with some downloadable content about the Nordschleife.

Pictures go credit to: Jorg Jakowski, Ring-bilder.de Photographer: Jörg Jakowski, Ringbilder.de Photographer: Christian Wolf, Carphotos.nl Photographer: Martijn Huiskes, Member of SXOC.nl  Photographer: Paul Krauth (Anu on SXOC.nl), Member of SXOC.com Photographer: Jim_S13 on SXOC.com, and Roy Zweers for the use of his pictures from his photoshoot.