ST Hi-tec has never done things by halves, but when we caught wind of what a collaboration between them and Dodson Motorsport was looking to produce, we knew shit was about to get real. Unveiled for the first time at this year’s Chrome, the tube-frame, carbon-fibre-bodied, R35 is nothing short of gnarly. It’s based on one of Dodson’s GT1-spec cars, with the intention of claiming the World’s Fastest R35 GT-R title.
The current record is held by AMS Alpha 20, with a 6.93 at 196mph. To ensure that it has the power required, the team has assembled a drag-spec alloy VR38 block that houses alloy rods and a forged crank, with drag-spec heads and cams up top that will be fed by a pair of custom hybrid turbos that are said to be good for 1300hp (969kW) each — and the whole combo will run on methanol.
With a total power expectation of 2500hp (1864kW) on the drag motor, they’ve opted for a Dodson GT drag box with straight-cut gear set and Dodson front clutch. A killer set of billet bead-lock wheels wrapped in Mickey Ts down back and Hoosiers up front will deliver power to the ground. The team has ambitions to not only set the record for the World’s Fastest R35 GT-R but also claim the world’s fastest four-wheel-drive title, and then go on to set the New Zealand land-speed record, before returning it back to GT1 specification and taking it circuit racing.
We applaud the team for taking on such a mammoth task. So far, it appears to be delivering the goods to get there. We’ve also been given official word that ST Hitec owner, Iain Clegg — who currently holds class honors in NZ Superlap behind the wheel of the company’s previous R35 build — will step in to pedal the 2500hp machine. What’s more is that they intend to make the potentially-historic run on home soil. As always, we’ll be watching how things progress very closely …