Marks S12 Grand Prix 1986

[sunny1600]

The small one is for the headlight washers.

[S12NUT]

I didn't think of those ...thanks

[sunny1600]

Some pics of the photoshoot I did last weekend

http://s130.photobuc...mview=slideshow

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Soon more.

[sunny1600]

http://www.wanganwarriors.com/blog/inde ... e-art-s12/



[size=14pt]Spotlight: The art of the S12[/size]
We of Wangan Warriors are all into everything regarding the Japanese automotive culture out here. That means we are no strangers to some of the most classic models and projects. Actually, we adore them! This beautiful Silvia S12 Grand Prix rolled of the lot in 1986. Twentysix years later it is owned by gearhead Mark van der Velden. His life is all about travelling to visit race circuits and drive them. He’s also a Nurburgring addict and thats where we did this photoshoot back in August at the annual nissan Silvia meeting in a small village near the famous Nürburgring.



Mark changed quite a bit on the Silvia since he imported it. In February 2011 he picked it up with a trailer in Stützengrun in Germany which is near the Czech border.



After a few months the engine blew up because of a coolant failure so Mark needed to fix that with an engineswap.



The FJ20e under the bonnet runs about 145 hp with 184,4 Nm of torque. In the interiour there are Recaro recliner seats with a 4 point QSP safety harness.



When I took a further look at the interior I was expecting a sport steering wheel as well but the Swiss edition S12 comes with special Grand Prix steering wheel, German ones just got the stock S12 steering wheel like these.



Because driving on a circuit is no joy without some handling modifications, Mark installed a BC racing coilover setup on his car. And on the front there is also a s13 strutbrace customized to fit the S12. There are also S13 facelift brakes with DS2500 brake pads mounted instead of the stock brakes.



Mark didn’t do anything fancy with new wheels but is running on OE Grand Prix Edition Gotti 3- piece rims. With 7j on the front and 8j at the back.



As you can see Mark is not scared to drive overseas. Some people would be paranoid after some big engine failure and would only go to places or meetings near their hometown in case anything happens. Mark is almost a regular at JAE.



The GP edition Silvia is quite exclusive. However the exact numbers today are unknown. Nissan Germany says that there are 4.400 sold in total. Most people doubt these are all Grand Prix’s, others say only 50.



Mark has been an active forummember of ours for a long time and off course he’s got one of our stickers on his ride. In fact it’s an honour to see it next to the Japan support sticker which were designed after the tsunami in 2011.



Another cool detail about this car is that even the models in 1986 had headlight rain wipers. Even the later Silvia models don’t have those, how cool is that!



Mark made me open my eyes for these classic Silvias and this will sure as hell not be the last feature we will share of a cool classic JDM car. I would also want to say to all the classic owners out there that if you read this, feel free to drop by our end of year meeting. We’re not only fond of performance and stance orientated cars but we love classics as well!!



I know for certain that Mark will visit some tracks in the future and if I spot him out there I will try to capture him! Thanks to Mark for his enthousiasm and activity on our forum. I had a lot of fun at the Silvia meeting in august! Hope you appreciate the spotlight blog.

- Rens Adams

Tags: Grand Prix, JAE, Nissan, Nürburgring, S12

[sunny1600]

Some pictures made from Paul from Wangan Warriors during the Nürmeet.

[motodd]

Nice pictures. And really nice car. I'm still looking for Grand Prix version but it is almost impossible to find them. Good job, take care of body condition !!!!

[sunny1600]

Topic resurrection.


 


Last year


 


I noticed some pictures arent working anymore. So here is a summary of last years track time with the S12.

 

2012: tracktime of Marks S12 Grand Prix in bird's eye view

 

Last year I have been to two tracks. On the 8th of July 2012 I drove the S12 on Donington national circuit in the United Kingdom and I have been four times to the Nürburgring/Nordschleife in Germany.

 

 

Japfest 2 8th of July 2012

Donington Park

The weekend of the 8th of July me and a buddy have been to the UK for a Japanese car show with tracktime, called Japfest 2. This is in the midlands of England and held at a historic racetrack, Donington Park. We arrived a couple off days before the event to make it a decent holiday trip. We visited the local pub quite occasionally, because it was raining a lot. 

 

We decided to go and visit the track, it was not open but we were still able to get a glimpse of the circuit and feel the atmosphere. Donington national circuit is not as long as the more famous Nordschleife, but it also has height differences and it looks like a fun circuit, more about that later.

 

As a regular visitor to JAE for the past four years I have been used to the British Japanese car scene. It was nice to see old friends again, and make new. Japfest is different from JAE, it is more track oriented. There are still show and shine cars, but a lot more cars that are there just to race. Thats what I am talking about, I met some of my buds from a UK based group, Cable tie racing and I have met them also this year at the ring. Cool bunch of guys, with the same interest so that bonded very well. 

 

More about Donington national circuit. 

At Japfest I drove the short version of the race track, the Donington national circuit which is 1.957 miles. I drove in the intermediate class, which is for the more serious track tools. I knew I would get overtaken a lot with my 145 bhp on a stock car but I rather drive in this class then with tupperware drivers where I have to watch out for people that cant drive. I did 4 sessions at Japfest 2, drove 33 laps so that was quite a good value for money. Loved some parts of the track especially the right left Goddards and the Old Hairpin. My favorite is Coppice. A hard blind right corner. You see it on the video I made at 2.53. 

A strange thing is due to the close presence of the airport you see planes taking off at the horizon. Very cool.

 

 

 

As said above, Donington race track has a bit of height difference, nice corners and some fast corners. It is a fun track to drive on. However it was Japfest and not trackday only so between the sessions in the intermediate section I returned back to the paddock where the S12 stood between my friends of the Nissan Primera Owners Club. During those time it happened a lot that people came to me for a chat about the car on track or that they had a S12 before. There was even one guy that came to check the VIN if this was originally equipped with a FJ20 (noticeable by the codename RUS in the VIN plate). They liked it in particularly to see such an old car in such a good condition lapping the track. 

I drove at Japfest on a totally stock car, the BC racing coilovers I had ordered where in back order for two weeks so next year I expect to put down some better times. 

 

Here is a link to the pictures I have put on my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... ba971f930d

 

 



Bird eye view of Donington race track

 



Entrance to Donington Park

 



Me and my buddy Wout entering the track

 

And off course some action shots



 



 



 



 

 

 

And to finish it off two video's

 

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcQ6kAZik6I[/video]

 

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W5XcbACC_4[/video]

 

 

It is a fun track to drive, I have only driven my car on the Nordschleife but had plans to visit other tracks. Next year I will go to some other circuits as well. England has a lot of small circuits, but there are some in a few hours away from my place that are also quite well known. I think the most know apart from the Nordschleife is Spa-Francorchamps with the famous and the notorious bend eau rouge. 

 

 

 

From next years plans back to another famous and also notorious track. .

The Nordschleife / Nurburgring

One of the most famous tracks in the world. A track with some dark clouds overneath it, nearly bankrupt due to mismanagement. However I am confident the Ring will survive, with or without the latest additions. 

 

A track with a lot of history and a mindblowing experience every lap you drive there. 

Last year I have driven as much as in 2011. That is 11 laps. In contrary to last year I didn’t do this in one morning. There were a lot of track closures, I went four times last year. The last time I was with Colin, and I am sure he will mention it in his blog regarding his eurotrip.

 

So back to my experiences. I have driven the Ring only with a stock car until the last two times I have been. My last three laps where with a modified suspension. BC racing BR-RA 8kg front spring rate and 5kg rear spring rate coilovers. I must say this is quite the improvement. The car is a lot stiffer now and it handles so much better. For next year there are the plans to finally polybush the subframe and do some handling mods, but most important is to visit more tracks and do more track time at the Nordschleife. 

 

Here are some pictures made of the 12

First some comparison pictures of my car with stock suspension and the bc coilovers





 





 





 

And some random action shots

 



Here you have a good example of the height difference. Which is 300 meters from lowest point to highest point.

 



Sometimes it is very crowded on the ring, as you can see on this picture.

 

Links to all the Nordschleife 2012 pics

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 2348b99413

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 79d343dc6d

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 80f9dcb38c

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... eb8eef6963

 

I also have some videos

 

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrfgC7atdSY[/video]

 

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vVSVA4FrSk[/video]

 

 

It is all about having fun, and you have the most fun among friends. The understand me and they understand my passion, drive the tracks around the world. My best weekends there are the ones with my mates. It is the combination of going shotgun with a buddy on a lap, doing a barbeque with some beers besides the track or just take a walk on the track when it is closed. This mixture makes it something to look out for every time again. 

 

So looking forward to next year, the plan is to attend more different Euro tracks and I can say that the Trip has started last July at Donington Park.

 

Hope you guys enjoyed it, and remember if you ever go there.

Don't forget to 

 

Have fun with friends





 

While you are there take a walk on the Ring





 

Drive the famous Nordschleife

 





 

Find out why the Carroussel is so famous.





 

Place that deserved decal 



 

Enjoy the great roads near the ring



 

And fix your car



 

 

And if you want to read more about the Nordschleife 

http://www.nuerburgring.de/en/ueberuns/ ... leife.html

 

I hope you guys enjoyed it

 



 

I know I did.

[sunny1600]

Annual  update   

 

Last year I had a hose leak again. So I decided to take off all the hoses and have them all remade. Which cost some time but eventually I found an UK company (JSperformance http://www.jsperformance.co.uk ) that is able to reproduce the correct form of the hoses. They are from silicon and are a bit thicker that original. Which fits perfectly most of the hoses. Only the two hoses under the inlet manifold are too big in outer diameter and they cannot be fit properly. If you want more info reg. the hoses contact them, I don't have more info.

 

Some pictures

 



Old hoses



New silicon hoses

 

After this was fixed the car was ready to be driven again. 

 

I had custom floor mats made, but wasnt happy with them so version 2 arrived 





With the original Grand Prix font.

 

And there was a local groupbuy on the dutch SXOC forum





If anybody wants floormats for their LHD S12 and cannot find locally.

Here is the link

http://www.pasvormautomatten.com/automatten/nissan/silvia/1984-1989.html

And don't be fooled of the picture of the S15. They come without brand/club name on them.

 

I also bought some new rims, work emotion XD9 front 9x18 et20 and rear 10x18 et18 but sold them because I believe they are too big on an S12 and not easy to be fitted with some decent rubber unless in 4x4 mode.







 

Bought some new stuff





 

Went to JAE in the UK for the fifth time in a row.



S12 FJ20 and K10 SR20



 

After this I brought the car to a buddy of mine that welded a new floor pan in. The stock one has a big bump in it and that gives problems with aftermarket seats. They cannot be mounted low enough.







Seat is much lower now and much better for track use. 

 

Then I went twice to the Nurburgring/ Nordschleife with the S12

First time was during the Nuermeet (A SXCE international car meet weekend at the Nurburgring). This was my second time and had alot of fun again. Although it was pretty cold in the Eifel at night. 

I did only 2 laps on sunday and it was insanely crowded at the track, which can be seen on the picture below.







 

Second time was a week later, on a quit monday. Lovely to drive it then.







 

Some videos

http://youtu.be/YvtMueBCEZ8

http://youtu.be/Rn3J86ZmZBU

 

After this I also went for a track session at the local track Zandvoort in the Netherlands. The track is so wide compared to the ring.

Unfortunately no pics or footage of this. Hopefully next time.

 

To do list for next year

- new clutch

- revised gearbox (which is at my buddy atm)

- floor pan adaption version 2

- cross/ bar welded between the rear struts for mounting points of the 4point camlocks and extra chassis improvement

- polybush the subframe

- adjustment for toe and camber on the rear subframe

- mount the setrab oil cooler

 

Optional

- bigger brakes (perhaps r33 GTR front)

- 5 lug

- new wheels

- semi slicks

- respray

 

There will be one small update this year.

[sunny1600]

Last time it appeared like the S12 was running on 3 cylinders, so we checked the spark plugs. They where fastened way too much and only came loose with alot of effort. Unfortunately the ceramic on one off the plugs was damaged and was laying in the bottom off the spark plug hole, so next problem. The spark plug wasnt completely screwed out of the hole so we could get the ceramic out with a compressor. We put in new plugs and it was running alot better instantly. 





 

Also mounted a deepdish LTEC steering wheel and because I have driven on circuit Zandvoort recently I have also placed a sticker of that track on the back of the windshield.

 



 

Like I already said there was coming a small update.  I have a few pictures and a webpage where you can see more of it.

The story begins like this. I saw a scale model of a local Supra that looked alot like the real deal. 



 

I wanted a scale model of my S12 for some time now, and it had to be a replica of my Grand Prix S12. Only problem is those arent made. So I asked Kris if he could make it for me and he liked the idea.

 

It started like this.











 

If you want to see more about this project, take a look here: http://www.modelbrouwers.nl/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=40973

It is in Dutch but google translate can help and the pictures are pretty much self explanatory.

 

To top it all off here are a few pictures of last sunday when I attended the Wangan Warriors meet which is a Jap car only meet which attended 400+ cars. Not bad for some guys that have a forum and do this for the hobby.

 







 

For now the S12 is in wintersleep mode, waiting in the garage for next years plans.