GTi-R - most overlooked Jap car?
Discussion
NISR227 said:
The gearbox isn't that bad, no worse than an early scoob, most Pulsars are thrashed up places like Santapod becuase they launch so well, so as a result the boxes will go. Depends how its been treated.
All I ever heard about these cars way back was that they went like stink but had really weak boxes and brakes. It was actually Dave Perry who told me that about 8 years ago. As with most Jap stuff people have better knowledge now, and products have probably been brought out that cure the issues. Who rebuilds the box well for £500 for future reference?. Also what about the brakes, I see Wilwood sets for GTIR's kicking about, but I always considered Wilwood as the budget end of the brake market like Hi-Spec, but for all I know they my work really well?
The GTIR is possibly overlooked now which is a shame as I remember the impact it had when first brought out only too well.
Edited by Turbo T on Sunday 24th September 22:18
Poor old GTIR, its the forgotten warrior soon to be lost in the midst of time. Had mine for 5 years, or is it 4? Who knows, I will never sell it.
I have a quaife box, after two previous rebuilds went bang and I no that the paddle clutch was causing it to go. I dont see any other option for this rebuild for that sort of price.
I do love it when I spank most people on the road, running 300hp.
I have now got a flat bonnet and standard boot, with 1.4lx on the back, to go on the car. That should be fun!
LONG LIVE THE PULSAR!
I have a quaife box, after two previous rebuilds went bang and I no that the paddle clutch was causing it to go. I dont see any other option for this rebuild for that sort of price.
I do love it when I spank most people on the road, running 300hp.
I have now got a flat bonnet and standard boot, with 1.4lx on the back, to go on the car. That should be fun!
LONG LIVE THE PULSAR!
In over 6 years of owning the Pulsar, where only first year it was standard and now near 330, touch wood, i've neer broken the gearbox (only the transfer box). I put this down to organic clutch, MT90 box oil, 4.9kg 15inch wheels, and no stap-changing or regular launching, oh and less than 5k miles a year.
I personally think too many owners get carried away trying for high bhp figures or 1/4mile times. Just get it setup right and enjoy driving the car on the right road, unless you have the money (which you'll never get back) to aim really high.
I'm hoping that one or two of the puslar's do a 10sec 1/4mile run at the Pod in October, they deserve it with the amount of work the've put in to a privately owned car.
I personally think too many owners get carried away trying for high bhp figures or 1/4mile times. Just get it setup right and enjoy driving the car on the right road, unless you have the money (which you'll never get back) to aim really high.
I'm hoping that one or two of the puslar's do a 10sec 1/4mile run at the Pod in October, they deserve it with the amount of work the've put in to a privately owned car.
bint said:
Gazboy said:
Most overlooked Jap car is the Mitsubishi Eclipse....
IMHO only, that's because it was designed with the American market in mind.
All show and no go.....................
Looks very pretty, yes I'd have one for looks, but there are others I'd have over and above it.
More overlooked than the GTi-R is the 323GTR- 4WD turbo'd pocket rocket and when debadged no-one has a clue what it is. (okay okay so I played tag with one without realising what it was - I soon found out! :O )
The GT-R is somewhat of a poor road car though with it's big laggy homologation turbo, just like an Escort RS Cosworth 'big turbo' version, the GT-X is far nicer for a road machine. Both versions tend to destroy gearbox very easily though, far more fragile than the other AWD Japanese machines (which is saying something).
GTi-R gearboxes aren't anymore of an issue than similar AWD turbo machines, but they do handle poorly as standard, a well set up suspension should solve this (depending on your prference), also dump the top mount interwarmer they always were crap. There are a handful of lighter versions without the luxury getup and a few other bits and pieces that were intended for competition (rather like the WRX STi Type RA and Evo RS models) but those are fairly rare.
Perhaps the most underrated japanese machine is the Lancer GSR, and I dont mean the Evo GSR either. It's been around in a few models with the 4G93 1.8L Turbo and All wheel drive system, basically looks like a plain lancer on the outside. The 4G93 does have a habit of bending rods when highly tuned though. The ultimate stealth machine, I dont think they were ever sold officially in the UK though?
There was also the 1987-1991 Mistubishi Colt/Mirage Cyborg R with a 1.5L Turbo and AWD.
Another obscure machine, with very similar running gear to the GTiR in some models is the Bluebird SSS, this had the CA18DET and AWD running gear in the early models, later moving on to the SR20DET (154kW) and ATTESA AWD but with only a single throttle body and a smaller front mount intercooler, there were some FWD SR20DET versions as well. This is a nice discreet alternative to the GTiR, and noone will know what it is.
R998 said:
...Bluebird SSS attessa turbo...
One of my mates used to have a CA18DET version, went ok but was nothing amazing - not in the same league as a similiar age Legacy RS, let alone WRX/STi/Evo.
I don't think the brakes were very good though, the ABS tended to get confused by anything so he couldn't stop in a gravel-covered carpark and put it through a fence at the end. And after that couldnt stop on some wet grass and wrote the Bluebird off into the back of another mates Stagea. (not sure how much his driving was a cause though, he's a classic case of enthusiasm exceeding ability)
emicen said:
Mate, have you considered its because theyre just so damned ugly?
They are cheap and fast yes, but I'd only ever own one as a track car.
They are cheap and fast yes, but I'd only ever own one as a track car.
yeah that probably is the answer but then 99% of people on the road think all scoobs, evos, GT4's, escort cossie, grale's etc and anything with a large wing and/or bonnet scoop look crap, you don't buy a Pulsar for the looks, in fact you don't buy any of those cars for the looks.
NISR227 said:
emicen said:
Mate, have you considered its because theyre just so damned ugly?
They are cheap and fast yes, but I'd only ever own one as a track car.
They are cheap and fast yes, but I'd only ever own one as a track car.
yeah that probably is the answer but then 99% of people on the road think all scoobs, evos, GT4's, escort cossie, grale's etc and anything with a large wing and/or bonnet scoop look crap, you don't buy a Pulsar for the looks, in fact you don't buy any of those cars for the looks.
The WRC wing on the ST205 does it no favours, but otherwise they are sleeker, more attractive cars than their 3 box + big wing formula rivals.
The ST205 is a matter of taste, gotta be honest, I still dont like the front end on it, even after 2 years of ownership. The ST185 however, is one of the best looking cars ever to come out of Japland. Bulbous arches and pop-up lights for a sleek bonnet line, awesome.
The Integrale I'd say looks
ing awesome for the same reason, the wideness makes it look like a squatting wrestler. Just bulging with muscle. Evo's 5 & 6 were spot on. Before and after, they were too soft.
Impreza's I dont really like unless its a 2dr.
I can agree with you somewhat about you dont buy them for looks, rather performance, but thats not entirely true. I did buy mine for looks aswell as performance. They are more sleek and stylish cars. If you remove the GT4 element, Celica's are 9/10 cars driven by women, which suggests the females like them anyways.
The Pulsar just looked pony. Tiny wheels as stock that were little different from the hubcaps offered on mere Sunny L's. Granted the rear spoiler was quite sizeable, but ultimately it looked like a 3dr Sunny with some weird thing growing out the bonnet.
I dont want to totally slag off your car, I have mates with them and theyre fast and very capable cars, but they just werent designed or marketed right to appeal to the masses. I think they were doomed from inception pretty much by Nissans failure to properly indugle in a works WRC programme. IIRC from the 90's WRC summary DVD I picked up in Japan (emphasis very much on the Jap contingent with passing reference to euro marques) they only competed in the 1992 or 1993 WRC season. On the whole DVD, you see a Pulsar twice. Granted this is an overview, but they mustnt have made much of an impact to get that little coverage even after the event? Back in those days before Gran Turismo and F+F, the motor insustry hinged on "win on sunday, sell on monday". Maybe they had more success in the AsiaPacific champs and hence the Pulsar sold well in Japan?
Yeah its "if only" with Nissan. You look at how much Subaru started with the legacy, and kept developing the Impreza over many years. Nissan just started with an OK car in the 1992 WRC that had faults in its early developement but they didn't retrify them instead just pulling the plug the following year.
From a WRC view, there were three main probelms with the Pulsar, the top mount just didn't keep it cool so it lost power (it was deisgned to avoid stones! doh!) the weight of the WRC Pulsar was heavier compared to rivals, and they had a poor tyre contract that wasn't competitive at the time. So in 1992, except for one of the snow rallyes, it wasn't really to be seen. They could of changed all this the following year, move to a front mount, loose weight, add decent arches, bigger wheels with the same tyres as everyone else, improved the suspension and made it compeitive and popular, but no they just pulled the plug! Subaru and Mitsubishi, as road sales and in the WRC, could have had another competitior, it never happened.
From a road point of view, as mentioned before, the faults can be improved, and most are. There's even wide arch versions which show what they could of been like on the same level as a Grale (a car that looked boring like the standard sunny in 1.6 normal delta trim too, but awesome as you say in grale/evo).
The Gti-R Modifiers Club (different than the Owners Club) are hoping to have at least 60+ Pulsars on display at the Jap show on 8th October, you can see many different ways of tuning the car, speak to different owners who are all enthusastic, and maybe even see a 10. Either way, some are still keeping them alive.
From a WRC view, there were three main probelms with the Pulsar, the top mount just didn't keep it cool so it lost power (it was deisgned to avoid stones! doh!) the weight of the WRC Pulsar was heavier compared to rivals, and they had a poor tyre contract that wasn't competitive at the time. So in 1992, except for one of the snow rallyes, it wasn't really to be seen. They could of changed all this the following year, move to a front mount, loose weight, add decent arches, bigger wheels with the same tyres as everyone else, improved the suspension and made it compeitive and popular, but no they just pulled the plug! Subaru and Mitsubishi, as road sales and in the WRC, could have had another competitior, it never happened.
From a road point of view, as mentioned before, the faults can be improved, and most are. There's even wide arch versions which show what they could of been like on the same level as a Grale (a car that looked boring like the standard sunny in 1.6 normal delta trim too, but awesome as you say in grale/evo).
The Gti-R Modifiers Club (different than the Owners Club) are hoping to have at least 60+ Pulsars on display at the Jap show on 8th October, you can see many different ways of tuning the car, speak to different owners who are all enthusastic, and maybe even see a 10. Either way, some are still keeping them alive.
NISR227 said:
...the top mount just didn't keep it cool so it lost power (it was deisgned to avoid stones! doh!)
Subaru have made one work well enough for a good few years (In the WRC cars they switched to FMIC now, but the road ones still do fine with TMIC), were there some key design differences in the intercooler itself, or was it due to the Sub's boxer engine allowing a better position for a top mount? Any Idea?
NISR227 said:
There's even wide arch versions which show what they could of been like on the same level as a Grale.
Now that I like the sound of....got any pics?R998 said:
The GT-R is somewhat of a poor road car though with it's big laggy homologation turbo, just like an Escort RS Cosworth 'big turbo' version, the GT-X is far nicer for a road machine. Both versions tend to destroy gearbox very easily though, far more fragile than the other AWD Japanese machines (which is saying something).
The standard GTIR is not laggy at all, have you driven one?
The Escort big turbo was laggy because of groub b legislation, it was throttled by reducing the plenum width to try and slow the thing down.
gtir said:
R998 said:
The GT-R is somewhat of a poor road car though with it's big laggy homologation turbo, just like an Escort RS Cosworth 'big turbo' version, the GT-X is far nicer for a road machine. Both versions tend to destroy gearbox very easily though, far more fragile than the other AWD Japanese machines (which is saying something).
The standard GTIR is not laggy at all, have you driven one?
The Escort big turbo was laggy because of groub b legislation, it was throttled by reducing the plenum width to try and slow the thing down.
R998 is talking about the masda 323 gt-r not a sunny gti-r
gtir said:
The Escort big turbo was laggy because of groub b legislation, it was throttled by reducing the plenum width to try and slow the thing down.
Not group B, the Escort Cossie was a WRC/group A and group N car. The rally cars run antilag so lag wasn't an issue for them, but they could still use the benefits (more torque mainly) of a bigger turbo. (even with restrictors)
looks a bit more agressive without being tacky.yeah there are some better pictures of other widekit R's, but I can't host them. Check this white one out with a different kit than the pic above, complete with roll cage..
www.gtiroc.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=865&c=26
The Gti-R Modifiers club is now the largest and most used pulsar site/forum in the world, (although its UK based} it can be seen at www.nissangtir.co.uk/forum
Here's also a good review from Yahoo's site, written by Andy Enright (although I would disagree about getting one for £2500, it would be taty with problems for that, more like £4.5-£5k for the really clean ones with uk history)
http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Word of mouth is a strange thing. Certain products can, with little or no promotion from their manufacturers, rapidly build into items of cult status. Credibility counts here, and in the case of the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, this is a car with credibility oozing from every bulge, scoop and intake. Following in the footsteps of Nissans Skyline GT-R, the Pulsar or Sunny as UK cars were incongruously dubbed GTi-R shared the Skylines hardcore all-wheel drive and turbocharged ethos.
In many ways its the ultimate in function over form, and GTi-R owners tend to be a pragmatic bunch. No its not pretty, nor does it wear a sexy badge, but thats all part of the appeal. Call it inverse snobbery if you will, but the Pulsar GTi-R is refreshingly unpretentious. BMWs and Audis that can show this little Nissan a clean pair of heels are few and far between.
Used examples are relatively easy to come by if you look in the right places and most of them will be Pulsar models imported from Japan rather than the slightly less powerful Sunny GTi-R cars that were imported to this country between 1992 and 1994. Dont let that put you off. Do some research, buy from a reliable outlet and you should land a performance bargain.
Think of the Pulsar as a regular Japanese shopping hatch with a trick up its sleeve and you wont be far wrong. And thats part of the appeal. Its easy to get into and out of, it can seat five, it has a decently sized boot and you can see out of the thing. Okay, so the scoops, the firm ride and the throbbing engine may give the game away, but when the time comes to acquaint throttle pedal with carpet, the Pulsar switches personality and turns into a monster.
The interior is fairly ordinary with swathes of black plastic, but the bucket seats grip front passengers tenaciously and the increments on the speedometer remind you this is no ordinary hatch.
Prices start from as little as £2,500 for the Pulsar, making it one of the most outrageous performance bargains around. With comparable performance and handling to a Ford Escort RS Cosworth, examples of which are hard to find below £9,000, the Pulsar is rightly popular amongst keen drivers. Whats more, many of these imported cars are reasonably low mileage too, although mile for mile Japanese cars tend to have an even tougher time of it than British models due to crippling congestion. The 220bhp UK cars start at around £4,500.
Whichever model you choose, be prepared to be stung for insurance, most brokers rating the Pulsar at Group 20.
The engines on GTi-Rs tend to be very tough little units, easily capable of shrugging off 100,000 miles. At first they sound very tappety, but this is due to the fact that they use a cam chain rather than a belt. Many owners cant resist using a bleed valve or a boost controller as a cheap way of upping power. These cheap methods promise to raise power to around 260bhp but they have a downside.
The intercooler on the GTi-R is placed atop the engine in the hottest part of the bay and often struggles to supply air at higher boost pressures. A favourite modification is to move it to the front of the engine and to install a higher capacity fuel pump. In hot weather at low speeds the GTi-Rs response can feel a little sluggish. The gearbox and clutch tend to be fine for standard cars, although if youre uprating power, the clutch should also be uprated.
Suspension isnt a problem, although many owners will drop the ride height of the car by up to 50mm and add aftermarket alloys to get rid of the standard cars rather unfashionable gap between wheel and arch. When giving the car the once over check the clutch isnt squeaking. The GTi-R uses a hydraulic system so a squeak often indicates that the pedal box has broken away from the bulkhead. Engage the gears with the engine running and the clutch depressed.
If the clutch slips, walk away its a pricey engine out job to change. Brakes should bite well, but the standard Nissan discs and pads are prone to fade. Bodywork should be fine, although the one place to check for rust is around the rear arch extensions. The Pulsar wont be as corrosion resistant as Sunny variants.
Also check for crash damage. There are a few curious characteristics common to the GTi-R that you may want to look out for. The cross bracing in the roof can rattle against the roof itself. This annoying fault requires the headlining to be removed and the spar to be rebounded.
Cars with sunroofs escape this fault. Almost all GTi-Rs have lazy drivers window winding mechanisms and plenty suffer from vibrating doors at speed. Cures for this include partially opening the sunroof and replacing the door seals.
Parts for the Sunny and Pulsar GTi-R are commonly available on internet web rings. Trawl the message boards, join a few clubs and you should easily turn up the bits and pieces you need. A number of aftermarket tuners specialise in the GTi-R so you certainly wont feel alone!
Although it was the Ford Escort Cosworth and the Lancia Delta Integrale that raked in all the glory, the Pulsar GTi-R is arguably a better ownership proposition than both of these icons and it can certainly more than hold its own on the road. Take power to weight ratio. The Pulsar pumps out 189bhp per tonne whereas its contemporaries such as the Integrale 16v at 163bhp/tonne or the Toyota Celica GT4 at 134bhp/tonne dont stand a chance. Bear in mind that todays crop of super hatches cant beat this.
A Ford Focus RS manages 169bhp/tonne and a Honda Civic Type-R 166. Not even mega-money specials like the VW Golf R32 or the Audi S3 can touch the little Nissan. Performance figures for the standard car are 0-60 in 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 143mph although such cars are relatively rare.
A more indicative time for a 260bhp boosted car is around 4.9 seconds to 60mph and top speed nudging 150mph dependent on gearing. Handling is well up to scratch as well, with no nasty surprises in store. On wet roads the GTi-R will eventually understeer, but with more commitment will drift all of a piece.
On dry surfaces the standard tyres will squirm a little if cornered very hard, but most will run on low-profile rubber and will grip like a leech. The four-wheel drive system isnt as clever as that in the Skyline, being a mechanical 50-50 split front and rear, but its undeniably effective.
The Nissan Pulsar/Sunny GTi-R has to be the most cost effective way of putting a Porsche in its place. If you are prepared to shop around, look at a few and understand their characteristics, theres no reason why you cant have a giant killer in your garage for less than you think. No, theyre not particularly subtle and they can cost a fair bit to run, but the GTi-R is built tough and has a practical side to it. At least thats how you can sell it to your other half.
www.gtiroc.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=865&c=26
The Gti-R Modifiers club is now the largest and most used pulsar site/forum in the world, (although its UK based} it can be seen at www.nissangtir.co.uk/forum
Here's also a good review from Yahoo's site, written by Andy Enright (although I would disagree about getting one for £2500, it would be taty with problems for that, more like £4.5-£5k for the really clean ones with uk history)
http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Word of mouth is a strange thing. Certain products can, with little or no promotion from their manufacturers, rapidly build into items of cult status. Credibility counts here, and in the case of the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, this is a car with credibility oozing from every bulge, scoop and intake. Following in the footsteps of Nissans Skyline GT-R, the Pulsar or Sunny as UK cars were incongruously dubbed GTi-R shared the Skylines hardcore all-wheel drive and turbocharged ethos.
In many ways its the ultimate in function over form, and GTi-R owners tend to be a pragmatic bunch. No its not pretty, nor does it wear a sexy badge, but thats all part of the appeal. Call it inverse snobbery if you will, but the Pulsar GTi-R is refreshingly unpretentious. BMWs and Audis that can show this little Nissan a clean pair of heels are few and far between.
Used examples are relatively easy to come by if you look in the right places and most of them will be Pulsar models imported from Japan rather than the slightly less powerful Sunny GTi-R cars that were imported to this country between 1992 and 1994. Dont let that put you off. Do some research, buy from a reliable outlet and you should land a performance bargain.
Think of the Pulsar as a regular Japanese shopping hatch with a trick up its sleeve and you wont be far wrong. And thats part of the appeal. Its easy to get into and out of, it can seat five, it has a decently sized boot and you can see out of the thing. Okay, so the scoops, the firm ride and the throbbing engine may give the game away, but when the time comes to acquaint throttle pedal with carpet, the Pulsar switches personality and turns into a monster.
The interior is fairly ordinary with swathes of black plastic, but the bucket seats grip front passengers tenaciously and the increments on the speedometer remind you this is no ordinary hatch.
Prices start from as little as £2,500 for the Pulsar, making it one of the most outrageous performance bargains around. With comparable performance and handling to a Ford Escort RS Cosworth, examples of which are hard to find below £9,000, the Pulsar is rightly popular amongst keen drivers. Whats more, many of these imported cars are reasonably low mileage too, although mile for mile Japanese cars tend to have an even tougher time of it than British models due to crippling congestion. The 220bhp UK cars start at around £4,500.
Whichever model you choose, be prepared to be stung for insurance, most brokers rating the Pulsar at Group 20.
The engines on GTi-Rs tend to be very tough little units, easily capable of shrugging off 100,000 miles. At first they sound very tappety, but this is due to the fact that they use a cam chain rather than a belt. Many owners cant resist using a bleed valve or a boost controller as a cheap way of upping power. These cheap methods promise to raise power to around 260bhp but they have a downside.
The intercooler on the GTi-R is placed atop the engine in the hottest part of the bay and often struggles to supply air at higher boost pressures. A favourite modification is to move it to the front of the engine and to install a higher capacity fuel pump. In hot weather at low speeds the GTi-Rs response can feel a little sluggish. The gearbox and clutch tend to be fine for standard cars, although if youre uprating power, the clutch should also be uprated.
Suspension isnt a problem, although many owners will drop the ride height of the car by up to 50mm and add aftermarket alloys to get rid of the standard cars rather unfashionable gap between wheel and arch. When giving the car the once over check the clutch isnt squeaking. The GTi-R uses a hydraulic system so a squeak often indicates that the pedal box has broken away from the bulkhead. Engage the gears with the engine running and the clutch depressed.
If the clutch slips, walk away its a pricey engine out job to change. Brakes should bite well, but the standard Nissan discs and pads are prone to fade. Bodywork should be fine, although the one place to check for rust is around the rear arch extensions. The Pulsar wont be as corrosion resistant as Sunny variants.
Also check for crash damage. There are a few curious characteristics common to the GTi-R that you may want to look out for. The cross bracing in the roof can rattle against the roof itself. This annoying fault requires the headlining to be removed and the spar to be rebounded.
Cars with sunroofs escape this fault. Almost all GTi-Rs have lazy drivers window winding mechanisms and plenty suffer from vibrating doors at speed. Cures for this include partially opening the sunroof and replacing the door seals.
Parts for the Sunny and Pulsar GTi-R are commonly available on internet web rings. Trawl the message boards, join a few clubs and you should easily turn up the bits and pieces you need. A number of aftermarket tuners specialise in the GTi-R so you certainly wont feel alone!
Although it was the Ford Escort Cosworth and the Lancia Delta Integrale that raked in all the glory, the Pulsar GTi-R is arguably a better ownership proposition than both of these icons and it can certainly more than hold its own on the road. Take power to weight ratio. The Pulsar pumps out 189bhp per tonne whereas its contemporaries such as the Integrale 16v at 163bhp/tonne or the Toyota Celica GT4 at 134bhp/tonne dont stand a chance. Bear in mind that todays crop of super hatches cant beat this.
A Ford Focus RS manages 169bhp/tonne and a Honda Civic Type-R 166. Not even mega-money specials like the VW Golf R32 or the Audi S3 can touch the little Nissan. Performance figures for the standard car are 0-60 in 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 143mph although such cars are relatively rare.
A more indicative time for a 260bhp boosted car is around 4.9 seconds to 60mph and top speed nudging 150mph dependent on gearing. Handling is well up to scratch as well, with no nasty surprises in store. On wet roads the GTi-R will eventually understeer, but with more commitment will drift all of a piece.
On dry surfaces the standard tyres will squirm a little if cornered very hard, but most will run on low-profile rubber and will grip like a leech. The four-wheel drive system isnt as clever as that in the Skyline, being a mechanical 50-50 split front and rear, but its undeniably effective.
The Nissan Pulsar/Sunny GTi-R has to be the most cost effective way of putting a Porsche in its place. If you are prepared to shop around, look at a few and understand their characteristics, theres no reason why you cant have a giant killer in your garage for less than you think. No, theyre not particularly subtle and they can cost a fair bit to run, but the GTi-R is built tough and has a practical side to it. At least thats how you can sell it to your other half.
Edited by NISR227 on Monday 2nd October 09:21
I'm a bit late reading this as I've only just joined PH, appologies!
I've had mine over 5 years now & dont think I'll ever sell it. I bought it totally standard & un-thrashed. I knew there were people at the time playing with these but not knowing enough about them so I wanted an un-molested example. I loved everything about the car, the odd looks were a big part of the attraction! The brakes as standard are shocking & it scares me to see people these days pushing big power & having standard brakes.
I have since, spent a small fortune on all aspects of the car. I have got the wide arched version, mine gained front cover on Banzai years back as it was the first on the road with the full wide arch kit. Many look at me as being a chav/boy racer because of spending money on the styling/paint etc etc. I even got shunned by most of the GTiR OC when it first came out. What many never realised was I spent equally the same on (in my eyes) improving other aspects such as brakes, suspension, engine etc etc. I wont bore you with every detail.
I've actually had very few problems with mine, which I know is rare, & it has been a daily driver for many years. I've considered changing cars but to be honest I cant find anything that would put such a smile on my face as this does.
This is how it now looks, make your judgements & opinions. I used to it now lol
I've had mine over 5 years now & dont think I'll ever sell it. I bought it totally standard & un-thrashed. I knew there were people at the time playing with these but not knowing enough about them so I wanted an un-molested example. I loved everything about the car, the odd looks were a big part of the attraction! The brakes as standard are shocking & it scares me to see people these days pushing big power & having standard brakes.
I have since, spent a small fortune on all aspects of the car. I have got the wide arched version, mine gained front cover on Banzai years back as it was the first on the road with the full wide arch kit. Many look at me as being a chav/boy racer because of spending money on the styling/paint etc etc. I even got shunned by most of the GTiR OC when it first came out. What many never realised was I spent equally the same on (in my eyes) improving other aspects such as brakes, suspension, engine etc etc. I wont bore you with every detail.
I've actually had very few problems with mine, which I know is rare, & it has been a daily driver for many years. I've considered changing cars but to be honest I cant find anything that would put such a smile on my face as this does.
This is how it now looks, make your judgements & opinions. I used to it now lol
Edited by keith_gtir on Wednesday 4th October 21:50
Edited by keith_gtir on Wednesday 4th October 21:51
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