Daigo Saito Unveils His New Formula D Nissan GT-R: 1000HP And RWD!


Daigo Saito Unveils His New Formula D Nissan GT-R: 1000HP And RWD!

The Nissan GT-R isn’t without faults. It’s not a great evolution of the Skyline. It looks like a chemically-enhanced 350Z. The exhaust note makes it sound like the world’s angriest Dyson vacuum cleaner. And it’s curb weight is about five hundred pounds more than the R34 Skyline GT-R that preceded it. But what the factory didn’t do, the aftermarket and the racers can do, and drifter Daigo Saito has done a lot of work in preparing the R35 GT-R for Formula Drift. This Nissan will be replacing his 2JZ-powered Lexus SC430 drift machine for the 2015 Formula Drift season. The gutted, stripped and carbon-fiber shelled Nissan gets its power from the VR38DETT V6 that has been modified with HKS’s GT1000 turbo upgrade kit. That’s just about a thousand horsepower going straight to the rear tires…goodbye, all-wheel-drive system…and that is good for turning sticky racing tires into two smears of rubber wherever this car goes. And unlike most GT-Rs, this one actually has an exhaust note worth listening to, with the exhausts venting through the hood. It’s not a V8 and it’s not our normal thing, but at the same time drift cars are beaten on hard, with little remorse for broken parts or body damage. That alone makes them worthy.


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3 thoughts on “Daigo Saito Unveils His New Formula D Nissan GT-R: 1000HP And RWD!

  1. Nick D.

    Interested to see how well Daigo does this year with his new car. He had to drop out of Round 1 at Long Beach due to power-steering issues. You also failed to mention that this car is running 21″ wheels.

    Also, who Daigo Saito is, is worth going into a bit of detail. The man has competed in just about every drift series in the world and has 3 championship titles in 3 separate series. His first year in the US Formula D he took Rookie Of The Year and the championship running with the relatively low-buck Achilles Radial team

  2. Ted

    As a lifelong gearhead/drag racer/motorcycle road racer and lover of all motorsports, I don’t see how anyone can get into this drifting thing. It’s like saying someone is the best at static burnouts. It’d be a lot more impressive coming onto the front straight at Portland with four tires hazing and tossing down some hot laps.

    Just don’t get it, but at least I can admit I’m the one on the outside looking in on this.

    1. Nick D.

      I think people tend to overthink it when watching drifting, Ignore the judging aspect and just enjoy the car control (watch two really good drivers in tandem, it’s pretty impressive how close they can keep two cars so close together while sliding sideways) and the driver attitudes (these guys absolutely hammer on these cars like they stole them

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