Names: Blayne Roach, Bronson Porter
Age: 28 (both) // Location: Hamilton
Occupation: Owner, Platinum Refinishing; owner, Old School Holden
NZ Performance Car: Hey, guys. Tell us how this car came to be and why you chose the R32?
Blayne: Hi, NZPC. It all started as a low-budget drift missile for Bronson and me to have a crack at drifting [in] and eventually escalated into a soon-to-be-road-legal race car. We were originally looking for an old Holden of some description that we could stuff a 327ci V8 into; however, after scrolling through auctions, we came across this R32. It already had the RB25DET swap done, and, with parts readily available, it was a good buy.
So, it’s safe to say it hasn’t quite stayed true to the original plan?
[Laughs] definitely not! We started the build with an $8000 budget and planned on simply using all second-hand and generic parts, but, after stripping the car down, Bronson and I decided that, with our automotive backgrounds, we were too fussy to half-arse the build.
At that point, did style become as important as functionality?
Yeah, it goes both ways. With our combined backgrounds — myself as a car painter and Bronson coming from a motorsport background — we wanted a car that could be driven and perform as hard as it can, but also to turn up to the track every time looking like it had never been on one in its life.
How has it fared as a track car so far?
We’ve had it out at Evergreen Drift Park, Hampton Downs Club Circuit, and Manfeild Circuit already, driving in both drifting and grip disciplines. As a drift car, it’s proven to perform pretty good considering we’re a couple of newbies to the discipline, and as a grip car it was unexpectedly good!
We all know that a build’s never done, so what’s next on the list?
Next is E85, which means an injector upgrade and retune. We want to see how much more power we can push out of the motor before it reaches its limitations. We’d also like to do a bigger brake upgrade and add cooling tunnels for the grip sessions. But mainly we want to drive it as much as possible!
That’s where the fun is had. Cheers, lads!
1989 Nissan Skyline (R32)
Engine: Nissan RB25DET, 2498cc, straight-six turbo; front-facing plenum; 555cc injectors; reground camshafts; R32 GT-R intercooler; Garrett TA3410 turbo; TTT Auto Engineering exhaust manifold; Turbosmart 50mm wastegate; three-inch side-exit exhaust; Turbosmart Raceport blow-off valve; Mine’s adjustable cam gears; Link G4+ Monsoon ECU
Driveline: RB25DET five-speed manual, R200 limited-slip diff (LSD), R32 GT-R calipers, GKTech dual rear caliper brackets
Interior: Racetech seats, Racetech harnesses, TTT Auto Engineering six-point roll cage, Wang Industries door cards, Auto Meter gauges, Progressive shift light, Precision Wiring Solutions rewire
Exterior: Resprayed in OEM KH2 grey, M-Spec front bumper, M-Spec front lip, M-Spec side skirts, M-Spec
end caps, custom 25mm widened front guards, modified S14 rear spoiler
Wheels/tyres: 16×8-inch Autostrada Modena; 205/45/R16 Zestino semi-slick
Suspension: Hakon coilovers, GKTech Super Lock kit, GKTech front upper camber arms, Hardrace rear camber arms, GKTech rear toe arms, GKTech solid subframe bushes,
Power: 354kW on 16psi
Fuel type: Gull 98
Tuner: Chris McDell
