My 1989 C33 Laurel - "The Ultimate JDM Street Sedan"

My favorite part of this car is the engine. It is a blend of oldschool rare parts and modern technology wrapped up in a OEM+ looking package. Every nut and bolt from the oil pan to the rocker covers has been refinished or replaced in this engine. It is now a fully forged RB20DET with a plethora of supporting mods all controlled by a Haltech 2500. Supertech pistons and Spool Rods spin up the Garrett GTX2060R gen II turbocharger and push this car down the road at an estimated 350 hp. I still have some tuning to do and have yet to run the car on E85, but that power figure will increase significantly. The full V band 3" custom MILC fab exhaust is a thing of pure beauty from the welds to the sound. At the 7500 rpm redline it sounds like the classic R31 GTS-R race cars of the late 80s. At some point I plan to drop in some cams and upgraded valve springs and let the engine sing at 8500 rpm, but for now I am enjoying the car as it is.

No build of mine would be complete without a few super rare parts. The two pieces that stand out on this engine are the Tommy Kaira coil pack cover and the R31 Autech exhaust manifold. The Tommy Kaira coil cover is a one in a life time purchase and sits sandwiched between a pair of refinished red top finned cam covers. The exposed tops of the silver fins complement each other very well and create a unique look I have not seen on any other RB20 builds. Contrary to that, the R31 Autech exhaust manifold leaves a lot on the table in the looks department. I originally was not planning to use the manifold in the build, but a few things where not fitting how they needed to and turns out the perfect solution was that manifold I had sitting on the shelf in my collection. Between the quick spool of the turbo and the sound that comes out of the exhaust I do not regret using the manifold at all and would do it again.

I believe that simple styling with well thought out execution is best when it comes to building a car. I styled this car to be a time capsule from early 90s Japan. I wanted a car that would have rolled up Diakoku Futo on a Saturday night after a day of carving mountain roads. The chassis and body mods follow the OEM+ style and with some modern performance goodies underneath to make the car feel brand new. The body is kept mostly factory C33 including the original Juniper Green Metallic (DH0) paint, OEM club S lip and even the original dealer sticker on the rear bumper (Nissan of Chiba if you wanted to know). The R32 GTR wheels, Z32 brakes, Dmax roof wing, dual 3" blast pipes and ARC intercooler peaking through the grill give the car a period correct sleeper look. Feal Coilovers and new poly bushings all around make the car feel phenomenal on mountain roads and do not sacrifice comfort or usability.

The interior is the same story, clean and simple. The factory seats are as comfortable as grandmas couch and a modern radio bring the car into the 21st century. The 340mm Nardi classic wheel is the perfect size and the perfectly tuned C's Shifter with a Nismo knob on top has the ideal amount of notchy and smooth. Little touches like the rare OEM optional "Cool box", built in dash clock, 110 kph speed chime and lack of cup holders remind you this is still a weird oldschool JDM car. This cars driving experience is everything I have ever dreamt of in a car. The crisp throttle, amazing noise, balanced handling and comfortable ride makes this the Ultimate JDM Street Sedan.