Words: Deven Solanki Photos: Richard Opie
One thousand kilowatts. Not long ago, numbers like that felt way out of reach here in little ol’ New Zealand — something you’d only catch on YouTube, watching drag and roll race compilations from Australia and the States. Sure, 1000hp builds have been around for a while, but now we’re seeing more homegrown machines entering that 1000kW territory, and some of them are still street-driven, complete with full interiors. With better access to top-tier parts and local workshops stepping up, Kiwis are truly pushing the limits.
A big chunk of that progress comes from NZ-made names like Link, Kelford Cams, and Hughes Race Built, putting New Zealand firmly on the global map. Some of the world’s wildest and fastest cars are running parts and tech straight out of Aotearoa, and West Auckland’s Jayden Douglas has built a perfect example of what happens when it all comes together.
Jayden’s roots in the scene go deep, growing up around cars, helping Fanga Dan in the pits at D1NZ and wrenching on his first ride, an RX-8 at 15 years old, while doing a fab apprenticeship. These days, he runs JD Fabrication out of Henderson, West Auckland, where he’s pumping out quality builds for others as a full-time gig.
At just 26, Jayden’s no rookie when it comes to building high-power cars, and he’s no stranger to this mag either. You might remember his RB32-powered S15 that made headlines twice for smashing 1000kW while still street legal, ranking among the country’s highest-powered RBs. Now he’s back, with a weapon that’s bigger and better than ever and one he can finally tick off his bucket list.
He’s already owned his fair share of machinery — three R32 GT-Rs and a couple of Silvias — but his latest one came together in true Kiwi fashion: off the back of a casual yarn in his workshop. “This car wasn’t even on the cards. The old owner just rocked up to the shop for a chat, and next thing you know, we’d shaken hands and I was grabbing the trailer,” Jayden laughs. It was one of those right-place, right-time moments, and now he had his hands on a tidy R34 GT-R with solid bones and plenty of potential.
The plan was pretty straightforward to begin with: give it an overall tidy-up, maybe a respray, and enjoy it with the existing 650kW RB28. But things changed quickly. The motor was idling rough, knocking, and guzzling water. A bleed test on the hoist confirmed the engine was crook. So out it came, and with the tools and know-how at Jayden’s fingertips, the typical “might as well” spiral took over. What was meant to be a quick refresh was about to snowball into something much bigger.
Doing it properly meant starting from the bottom up. Jayden flicked Tom at Hughes Race Built a call, and soon enough they had a plan locked in for a serious 2.8L wide-journal billet build. Having already tried an RB32 in his S15, Jayden was chasing something with a different feel. “It’s the sound,” he explains. “The 2.8 revs to 10,200 rpm and has a crisper tone than a 3.2; it’s not as deep, but it absolutely screams, plus, it’s a bit different. Everyone and their dog goes for the 3.2.”
The Bullet Race Engineering billet block was fitted with a Nitto 2.8L stroker kit using wide journal internals, while up top, the RB26 head was ported, polished, and stuffed with Kelford gear to handle those high RPMs.
While HRB handled the engine work, the body got stripped back and resprayed in a custom white finish. Jayden and his mate Daniel Campbell also set up a hard and fast gazebo at JD Fabrication, giving the engine bay a fresh lick of paint so the engine would have a proper home to drop into.
Once the long block returned from Hughes Race Built, Jayden got stuck into assembling the rest of the bolt-ons at home base. The cold side features a full suite of Hypertune gear — V2 intake plenum, intercooler, and radiator, thanks to Lord Bemrose. A Precision 8085 turbo mounted to a 6Boost Pro Mod manifold handles boost duties, and it’s all brought to life by Link’s latest G5 Voodoo Pro ECU, with a custom loom wired by Ryan from OCD Performance, a long-time trusted go-to on Jayden’s past projects.
With everything in place, he called on Brian from NDT Developments to load a base tune to get it running and check for leaks. That first run delivered 650kW, which was more than enough to shake it down and get a few laps in at Mad Mike’s Summer Bash.
After giving it a proper run in, it was back on the trailer and off to NDT again. This time with an upgraded fuel system and a second set of 1650cc Bosch injectors fitted, resulting in a solid 718kW on pump gas, yet just shy of the four-digital goal that’s been lingering in the back of Jayden’s mind.
The GT-R was then parked up for a few weeks while Jayden was slammed with other projects, and that’s when that call came. “Brian randomly rang up one afternoon and asked what I was up to the next day,” Jayden recalls. “He wanted to throw E85 in it and see what the 2.8 could really do.” Next thing you know, the duo were back at NDT for round three — this time, ethanol entered the chat. As the numbers climbed, so did the tension. “It was intense watching the screen, a bit stressful even,” Jayden says. “But I knew the build was solid and I had full confidence it’d hold.” And it did. The dyno finally flashed the four-figures, and the GT-R had officially entered the 1000kW club courtesy of a staggering 54psi.
With a fully capable weapon now ready, Jayden can’t wait to unleash the power at the GT-R Festival and put it to the test. The newly installed Albins ST6 sequential means he’ll have no trouble plucking through gears and handing out a few chops during the roll racing sessions.
Now, with over 1000kW under his right foot, he’s joined the elite few who know what that kind of power feels like on the street. “It’s definitely a fun car to drive,” he laughs “It’s tough to keep it straight, but I’ve always been one to just put my foot down and see what happens. When the power hits, it hits hard — and at that point, you’re not really thinking about anything. You’re just holding on and riding the adrenaline.”
Looking back, this young buck is pretty stoked with how the build turned out. A few cosmetic touches are still on the list, such as swapping the skirts and rear bumper for OEM parts with Nismo extensions, plus adding custom JD Fabrication embroidery to the seats — but otherwise, the GT-R ticks all the boxes and is ready to wreak havoc on New Zealand streets. With builds like this pushing boundaries, it makes you wonder: just how far can Kiwi tuning go? Only time will tell …
SPEC LIST
1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR34)
Heart
ENGINE: RB28DET, 2800cc six-cylinder
BLOCK: Bullet Race Engineering billet block, Nitto wide-rod journal 2.8-litre stroker kit, Nitto pistons, Nitto rods, billet crank, L19 rod bolts, Nitto billet oil pump delete, single-stage external oil pump
HEAD: RB26DETT head, ported and polished, Kelford shimless buckets, Kelford split lobe 288 camshafts, HKS cam gears, Kelford Extreme Beehive valve springs, Kelford Beehive titanium retainers, Bullet Race Engineering head studs, Nitto headgasket
INTAKE: Hypertune V2, Hypertune billet throttle body
EXHAUST: Custom four-inch exhaust system, AdrenalinR muffler
TURBO: Precision 8085, 6-boost Pro Mod turbo manifold
WASTEGATE: Turbosmart 60mm
BOV: Turbosmart Raceport
FUEL: 700 Series Kinsler mechanical pump, twin Hypertune fuel rails, twin 1650cc Bosch injectors, custom surge tank, Teflon lines, flex fuel sensor, Turbosmart fuel pressure regulator
IGNITION: Platinum Racing Products R35 GT-R coil conversion kit, Platinum Racing Products cam trigger kit
ECU: Link G5 Voodoo Pro ECU, custom wiring
COOLING: Hypertune billet 135mm intercooler, Hypertune radiator, custom intercooler piping
EXTRA: Nitrous and purge solenoid, Black Box power distributor module (PDM), custom oil catch can, Hypertune clamps throughout, Hypertune cam covers, PRP billet waterpump, Franklin Performance LS alternator upgrade kit, Franklin Performance billet thermostat outlet housing, custom milspec engine wiring harness
Drive
GEARBOX: Albins ST6 sequential
CLUTCH: Direct Clutch Services twin plate
FLYWHEEL: Direct Clutch Services
DIFF: Nismo GT Pro 2-Way LSD rear diff 4.11 ratio
EXTRA: Alpha Omega Racing one-piece aluminium driveshaft, Gearhead Diffs titanium front diff brace
Support
STRUTS: HKS adjustable coilovers
BRAKES: (F) R34 GT-R Brembo callipers, slotted rotors and pads (R) R34 GT-R Brembo callipers, slotted rotors and pads
ARMS/KNUCKLES: Nismo arms throughout
Shoes
WHEELS: (F) 18×10.5-inch (+15) Nismo LMGT4 (R) 18×10.5-inch (+15) Nismo LMGT4
TYRES: (F) 265/35R18 Tri-Ace Formula R1 (R) 265/35R18 Tri-Ace Formula R1
Exterior:
PAINT: Custom white
ENHANCEMENTS: S Tune front bumper, side vent delete, Do-Luck side skirts, Do-Luck rear bumper, genuine Z-Tune fibreglass front fenders, carbon high-rise OEM spoiler, Nismo fender indicators, Nismo front indicators, V-Spec II front lip
Interior
SEATS: NZKW R34 GT-R–style suede bucket seats
STEERING WHEEL: Factory
INSTRUMENTATION: Nismo 320kph cluster, MoTeC C127 MFD display, MoTeC 15-button keypad
Performance:
POWER: 1005kW
TORQUE: 1232Nm
BOOST: 54psi
FUEL TYPE: E85
TUNER: Brian at NDT Developments
Driver Profile:
DRIVER/OWNER: Jayden Douglas
AGE: 26
LOCATION: Henderson, Auckland
OCCUPATION: Performance car builder and motorsport fabricator
BUILD TIME: Two months
LENGTH OF OWNERSHIP: One year
THANKS: Thanks to Brian at NDT Developments, Tom at Hughes Race Built, Ryan at OCD Performance, Kelford Cams, Reuben Bemrose at R’s Garage and Daniel Campbell
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This article originally appeared in New Zealand Performance Car issue 315
