Godzilla: Shake the North Coast

There aren’t a lot of people that can say they own a slice of history, but Nelson Ferreira is one of them.

Thirty years ago, the Australian Bathurst racing competition was finally devastated by the arrival of the Skyline R32 GTR, with its distinctive all-wheel drive, its technologically astute rear-wheel steering and its bulletproof RB26 straight-six turbocharged motor – so much so that the rules of the racing series were changed to outlaw the car from participating.

Years later, the name ‘GTR’ still brought along warm memories of proven, untouchable street cred in the hands of the late Paul Walker in the Fast and Furious movies.

Cut to the current day, and the legendary three letters have their heritage badged right here on Durban’s north coast on Nelson’s 1993 Nissan Skyline R32 GTR.

Imported directly from Japan in 2013, the car has been lovingly re-engineered into one of the most charismatic and rare vehicles that this side of the N2 freeway has ever seen.

Nissan had deliberately strengthened the chassis in the early era to handle almost 1000 horsepower for track racing, and Nelson takes full advantage of this: almost every bit of the motor and drivetrain has been carefully fettled with thoroughbred, purpose-built parts imported from pedigree Japanese tuning houses – paid for with what he calls ‘GTR-tax’ when people learn what legendary car the parts are for.

Nelson, an IT manager from Glenashley, has tweaked the GTR to run on high-octane race fuel, and together with the twin N1 Nismo turbochargers, HKS EVC boost controller, GReddy Trust large intercooler and Kakimoto 130mm exhaust system – the ‘Beast that ate Bathurst’ churns out almost 330kW at the wheels – a generational leap over the power of the Ferrari F360 Modena, which was made almost ten years later.

Strapping all this down means that Nismo is at work again with rear camber arms, end links and rear sway bars, Mines strut braces keep the motor firm under tense acceleration, and a SABELT 5-point racing harness preserves Nelson himself safely in the cockpit.

Cross-drilled rotors and EBC brake pads ensure the classic car is brought to a short stop, while Federal semi-slick racing tyres guarantee the GTR hugs the tarmac like a slightly warm wine gum. Just don’t expect to hear any music apart from the flame-spitting exhaust, as all the speakers and entertainment systems have been removed: in Nelson’s own words, who needs music when you have the wail of an RB26DETT motor to listen to?

Having been captivated by the GTR’s allure through the 90s racing scene, Nelson decided that bringing a specimen of the global motoring icon home was also a foundation to pave the way for people like him who would do the same, running a YouTube channel and Instagram feed where he gives insight about importing cars from across the world, details updates with his vehicle modifications and keeps the spirit alive for early 90s Japanese motoring enthusiasts in the country.

In addition to the GTR, Nelson also retains two 1997 Mazda RX7s and a 1991 Toyota MR2 – but his most fond experiences are always with the ‘Godzilla’.

An electronic limiter that restricted the top speed of the GTR held it back from showing its creed to an eagerly waiting crowd at ODI Raceway in 2014, and as a result, the IT specialist himself quickly learnt to speak the car’s language on the computerized tuning side.

“Things have moved forward exponentially since then, now most cars that dare to measure up their testosterone against the GTR are quickly humbled back to their level – from C63 AMGs, tuned Golf 7Rs and Subarus to popular supercars.”

The car can often be seen wearing its distinct blue Plasti-Dip cruising the backroads of Ballito to Westbrook and Umdloti, as the beautiful scenery is where Nelson enjoys taking rolling shots and other cinematics for his social media, which you can follow on YouTube and Instagram by his handle @NelkelJDM.

Let the exotic sports cars patrolling the coast be warned – this GTR may be from the 90s, but it can still put its fingers in its belt and head bang with the best of them when the rock and roll begins.

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