Words: Todd Wylie Photos: Danny Wood
Only a handful of people know how the story of Jonah Lomu and his Nissan Patrol started. Back in the early 2000s, he was well-known as a rugby player but lesser known as a car guy. However, those who knew him before fame and stardom took over will tell you he was always a car guy and most definitely a car audio guy.
After having various cars as his playing career progressed and the budget allowed, it was in the early 2000s that another Kiwi legend joined forces with the big man. Fusion Car Audio was in its prime, inflatable green aliens were everywhere, and Fusion gear was rattling neighbours’ windows all around the country.
At this time, Jonah had a Nissan Patrol that had slowly been added to with more and more audio gear, but the masterminds at Fusion had a plan: to use it to launch the Lomu range of audio gear. Of course, Jonah wouldn’t add his name to anything that wasn’t tough, and the gear that Fusion made with his name on it certainly lived up to his bulletproof reputation. SPL was the name of the game, and the gear was built to crank up the volume. Auckland-based installer Mark Buckingham was called on for the install that would see the car go from a five-seater to two-seater to allow more room for the boom. Mark worked his magic to fit the Patrol with no less than 12 12-inch subs, along with D-class amplifiers to match. Of course, several batteries were also installed, along with more fibreglass reinforcement than you’d ever want to think about.
The Patrol was used to launch the Lomu range of gear to the public, and as was customary for the time, that meant it travelled around the country, making appearances at countless car audio stores along with the usual automotive chain stores. While the big man himself wasn’t usually in attendance, that’s not to say he wasn’t ever-present. The thing is, he was a car guy at heart and would happily chat cars with people for as long as he was able to. After a few years of this, the Patrol was essentially parked up while Fusion, who had since purchased it from Jonah, focused on other equally impressive projects. Eventually, though, it was dragged out of the dust covers and treated to a birthday. As you can imagine, years of bass at this level had taken its toll on the car, even though most of the gear itself was still going strong.
Although it would be easy to replace everything with more modern gear, they decided to keep it largely nostalgic, although changes to the install did see it reduce from 12 subs to eight, These would be powered by three new D-class 1400-watt amps. Of course, it needed some treble to go with the bass, so it also received a bunch of Fusion Powerplant 6×9 speakers in the rear, along with four pairs of 6.5-inch components in the custom door panels. Fusion’s long-time general manager, Glenn Orr, was never one to do things by halves, so once the audio side was sorted, he turned his attention to the tired bodywork. Having a strong relationship with Moselle Panel and Paint, he had them bring it back to a show-worthy standard, which meant it could once again hit the road on promo duties.
For this reason, a bit more thought went into the battery and charging system. While previously the car had been known to run the batteries flat at shows, the new setup with a bunch of Exide batteries ensured that wasn’t about to happen again. The rebuilt car was unveiled at the 2013 V 4&Rotary Nationals, where a huge crowd gathered to witness Jonah pull the covers off and get his own first glimpse of the rebuilt machine.
In this state, Fusion toured the vehicle again before it got pushed into the corner again. The next time it came out, it was with a for-sale sign on it. While current owners Duo Haz and Aaron, father and son, didn’t buy it directly from Fusion, they did buy it in the same configuration they sold it in.
With so much weight in it, the first thing they noticed — besides the looks they get driving it — was how slow and uneconomical it is. Of course, that wasn’t going to stop them from driving it, and they can now regularly be seen around the Wellington region in it.
While they knew what they were getting, they tell us, “The reactions we get from the people are amazing and half the time they can’t believe this thing is still around and still banging! Still in mint condition! People just can’t believe how loud it actually is!”. And it is, as there’s no way you’d actually sit in it at full volume, as the cabin has been built purposely devoid of any soft materials, meaning the sound truly goes right through any occupants, as they are the softest surface.
Of course, with it being so iconic, they are also well aware they don’t want to actually blow up any gear, so as loud as it is, its competition days are over. That said, mechanically, they have half-heartedly talked about an engine conversion to make it a bit more powerful, and being good friends with the team at Forged Developments, we wouldn’t rule that out from beginning a reality.
The car truly is a time capsule of days gone by: a time when a Kiwi-based car audio company could take on the world, and a time when marketing managers were happy to throw endless cash into promo vehicles. Sadly the big man himself passed away back in 2015, otherwise we have no doubt he’d still be out there building audio cars that were as fierce as he was on the field.
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This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 309
SPEC LIST
Heart
ENGINE: TB42, 4200cc six-cylinder
BLOCK: Factory
HEAD: Factory
INTAKE: Factory
EXHAUST: Factory
FUEL: Factory
IGNITION: Factory
ECU: Factory
COOLING: Factory
EXTRA: Factory
Drive
GEARBOX: Factory five-speed
CLUTCH: Exedy
FLYWHEEL: Exedy flat flywheel
DIFF: Factory
Support
STRUTS: (F) Super-lows (R) Factory
BRAKES: Factory
ARMS/KNUCKLES: Factory
Shoes
WHEELS: 20×9.5 BGW Wheels TYRES: 275/45R20 Nexen
Exterior: Custom Fusion decal
PAINT: Black
Interior
SEATS: Fusion seats
STEERING WHEEL: MOMO wheel
ICE: Twin Fusion CA-CD800 dual USB head units, four PP-CM60s Powerplant 6.5-inch components, two PP-FR6920 Powerplant 6×9-inch, eight FJL-1211 Jonah Lomu 12-inch
subwoofers, three CA-DA41400 four channel 1400-watt D-Class amps, eight FJL-1211Ds Jonah Lomu 1200rms amp, two PP-CM650 Powerplant 6.5-inch components, two PP-FR6920 Powerplant 6×9-inch, six Exide high performance batteries, four MS-FR702 seven-inch marine outdoor speakers
OTHER: Custom door pods, custom vinyl wrapped dash, custom amp rack between seats, mirror interior roof, custom subwoofer enclosure, custom fibreglass green surrounds and speaker pods, custom Fusion window for battery viewing, green LEDS
Performance
POWER: A huge 130kW
TORQUE: 320Nm
FUEL TYPE: Petrol
TUNER: Nissan lol
Driver Profile:
DRIVER/OWNER: Haz and Aaron
AGE: 63 and 30
LOCATION: Wellington
OCCUPATION: Joinery
BUILD TIME: Jonah Lomu–built
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: Three years
THANKS: Jonah Lomu and Fusion for crafting such a wicked car that’s road-legal, allowing you to drive it to any venue and just crank it!