IF YOU HAVE 9.88 SECONDS YOU HAVE TIME TO WATCH THIS Earlier this week, a few enthusiastic clients rented out South Florida's excellent PBIR to run a few friendly "grudge match" drag races. Among the attendees was one awesome R900 GTR on 20" Switzer Tech 107 rims and DOT rubber and a screaming yellow, twin-turbo Gallardo.
They lined up. The lights turned green. They blasted down the track.
If you've been following the exploits of our R-package GTR Nissans over the last few years, you already know who wins!
It was a great day, a great event, and we met tons of great people from PBIR, Dragtimes, and Audio Advisors - we can't wait to get back to Florida and do it all again soon!
WHAT 800 EMISSIONS-COMPLIANT HP LOOKS LIKE Porsche's 996 model was, arguably, the most significant product launch in the company's history, making the flagship 911 a modern car, instead of an air-cooled anachronism.
The 996 was initially shunned by many Porsche purists, but quickly became a favorite tuning platform for tuners. As we mentioned before in these pages, the 996 featured an engine derived from Porsche's cost-no-object GT1 program, which was shelved at the end of the 1990's, and the engine's bullet-proof construction has allowed us to push the stock internals of the 996's successor - the 997 - to incredible power levels, far beyond what was possible with the older air-cooled cars.
A robust platform is just one part of the puzzle, however - rapid advancements in both machining, software, and rapid-prototyping technologies is another, and development partners like TiAL Sport have made the most of these new tools, providing us with state-of-the-art turbine housings that manage airflow and heat more efficiently than even the most advanced racing turbos of just a few years ago ... which got us thinking.
Our primary focus has been on the newer 997 model Porsches (more on those, later), but what if we revisited that platform with current knowledge, using a new turbo based on TiAL's latest Alpha housings (plus a few Switzer tweaks to optimize it for the 996 TT)? What would that car be like?
The results (below), speak for themselves ... SMOOTH AND LINEAR AND NEVER STOPS PULLING ... over 670 whp on 93 octane with 200-cell catalytic converters in place, and a super-smooth curve that gives the car a "Jekyll and Hyde" duality of smooth cruising and easy driving around-town, followed up by Veyron-baiting performance when the nanny-controls are off and the pedals hit the metals.
Considering the current market prices for 996 turbos, Tym feels a car like this delivers the ultimate daily driver/weekend track-day experience by offering a reliable driveline, capable suspension, and excellent braking with the stability and confidence of AWD. He says it best himself,
"This is an 800 hp pump-gas Porsche that can be driven to the track, run hard all day, and driven home. In short: I couldn't be happier with the results, and - most importantly - neither can our clients."
Pricing for this new "P800" 996 TT PKG starts at 18990 USD for Tiptronic Porsche 996 TT, and replaces our existing PREMIUM POWER 996 packages. These prices reflect the same "best bang-for-the-buck" philosophy as our BEST VALUE POWER packages, which start at $3995.
Last weekend's Moscow Unlimited could have been a commercial for our bolt-on kits, with the top 3 cars running Switzer tuning packages.
The 997 TT that took top honors in the 1/4 mile drags featured our 997 TT L4 PKG and lightweight signature series wheels, while the mile-winning GTR Nissan featured our off-the-shelf P800 plus cooling kit.
We are very proud of our Russian teammates out there - they are great guys, brave guys, crazy guys, and we're proud to have them as customers.
Check out the times, below. Mile: 1.(10) Nissan GTR R35 Switzer P800 (Oleg) - 26.928 seconds.(310.88 km / h) 2. (26) Porsche 911 Switzer SPI 750 (Dmitry) - 26.959 seconds. (307.95 км/ч) (307.95 km / h) 3. (09) Nissan GTR R35 Switzer P800 (Yuri) - 28.005 seconds. (289.38 км/ч) (289.38 km / h) 4. (29) Koenigsegg CCX (Andrei) - 28.267 seconds. (306.90 км/ч) (306.90 km / h) 5. (24) Corvette ZR1 (Andrei) - 28.731 seconds. (298.50 км/ч) (298.50 km / h) 6. (46) Nissan GT-R R35 HKS570 (Vladimir) - 29.446 seconds. (291.02 км/ч) (291.02 km / h) 7.(49) Dodge Viper SRT-10 (Sergei) - 29.551 seconds. (282.79 км/ч) (282.79 km / h) 8.(13) Audi RS6 Evotech (Yuri) - 29.818 seconds. (286.62 км/ч) (286.62 km / h) 9.(65) Mercedes SL65 FAB Design (Miguel) - 30.272 seconds. (284.13 км/ч) (284.13 km / h) 10.(43) Audi RS6 MTM (Yegor) - 30.280 seconds. (276.92 км/ч) (276.92 km / h) 11.(14) Audi RS6 Evotech (Vladimir) - 30.340 seconds. (285.26 км/ч) (285.26 km / h) 12.(30) Audi RS6 Evotech (Gregory) - 30.756 seconds. (277.13 км/ч) (277.13 km / h) 13.(11) Jeep SRT-8 (Tigran) - 30.786 seconds. (264.12 км/ч) (264.12 km / h) 14.(27) Mercedes SL65 AMG Evotech (Andrei) - 30.820 seconds. (284.58 км/ч) (284.58 km / h) 15.(07) Jeep SRT-8 (Flaubert) - 31.000 seconds. (263.54 км/ч) (263.54 km / h) 16.(18) Jeep SRT-8 (Dmitry) - 31.026 seconds. (264.12 км/ч) (264.12 km / h) 17.(51) BMW M5 (Leonid) - 31.081 seconds. (282.13 км/ч) (282.13 km / h) 18.(44) BMW M5 (Eric) - 31.214 seconds. (275.22 км/ч) (275.22 km / h) 19.(56) BMW M5 (Igor) - 31.330 seconds. (258.80 км/ч) (258.80 km / h) 20.(32) BMW M6 Evotech (Oleg) - 31.383 seconds. (279.72 км/ч) (279.72 km / h) 21.(48) Mercedes S55K AMG (Oleg) - 31.384 seconds. (276.49 км/ч) (276.49 km / h) 22.(50) Chevrolet Corvette (Bogdan) - 31.480 seconds. (166.89 км/ч) (166.89 km / h) 23.(53) BMW M5 (Catherine) - 32.025 seconds. (260.68 км/ч) (260.68 km / h) 24.(16) Ferrari 575M Maranello (Andrei) - 32.069 seconds. (268.85 км/ч) (268.85 km / h) 25.(57) BMW M5 (Nikolai) - 32.246 seconds. (269.66 км/ч) (269.66 km / h) 26.(61) Audi RS6 (Oleg) - 32.486 seconds. (258.06 км/ч) (258.06 km / h) 27.(19) Chrysler 300C (Roman) - 32.815 seconds. (267.06 км/ч) (267.06 km / h) 28.(63) Chevrolet Corvette C5 (Ilia) - 33.778 seconds. (242.42 км/ч) (242.42 km / h) 29.(41) Dodge Challenger (Alexander) - 33.976 seconds. (251.39 км/ч) (251.39 km / h) 30.(54) Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Vladislav) - 35.091 seconds. (236,06 км/ч) (236.06 km / h) 31.(55) Mercedes ML63 AMG (Olga) - 35.148 seconds. (234.52 км/ч) (234.52 km / h) 32.(21) Mercedes ML63 AMG (Alexander) - 35.535 seconds. (234.22 км/ч) (234.22 km / h) 33.(42) Jeep SRT-8 (Sergei) - 35.649 seconds. (228.13 км/ч) (228.13 km / h) 34.(59) Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Sergei) - 35.731 seconds. (226.27 км/ч) (226.27 km / h) 35.(47) Ford Mustang (Andrei) - 36.026 seconds. (230.03 км/ч) (230.03 km / h)
1/4 Mile
1.(26) Porsche 911 Switzer SPI 750 - 10.303 sec. (213.39 km / h) 2.(10) Nissan GTR R35 Switzer P800 (Oleg) - 10.418 seconds. ( 218.31 км/ч ) (218.31 km / h) 3.(09) Nissan GTR R35 Switzer P800 (Yuri) - 10.566 seconds. (210.03 км/ч) (210.03 km / h) 4.(46) Nissan GT-R R35 HKS570 (Vladimir) - 10.807 seconds. (205.36 км/ч) (205.36 km / h) 5.(49) Dodge Viper SRT-10 (Sergei) - 11.573 seconds. (199.00 км/ч) (199.00 km / h) 6.(11) Jeep SRT-8 (Tigran) - 11.575 seconds. (187.59 км/ч) (187.59 km / h) 7.(50) Chevrolet Corvette (Bogdan) - 11.588 seconds. (211.39 км/ч) (211.39 km / h) 8.(13) Audi RS6 Evotech (Yuri) - 11.595 seconds. (195.12 км/ч) (195.12 km / h) 9.(24) Corvette ZR1 (Andrei) - 11.602 seconds. (208.45 км/ч) (208.45 km / h) 10.(29) Koenigsegg CCX (Andrei) - 11.608 seconds. (212.89 км/ч) (212.89 km / h) 11.(18) Jeep SRT-8 (Dmitry) - 11.633 seconds. (186.14 км/ч) (186.14 km / h) 12.(07) Jeep SRT-8 (Flaubert) - 11.670 seconds. (185.28 км/ч) (185.28 km / h) 13.(43) Audi RS6 MTM (Yegor) - 11.745 seconds. (192.00 км/ч) (192.00 km / h) 14.(30) Audi RS6 Evotech (Gregory) - 12.057 seconds. (187.01 км/ч) (187.01 km / h) 15.(14) Audi RS6 Evotech (Vladimir) - 12.107 seconds. (189.27 км/ч) (189.27 km / h) 16.(65) Mercedes SL65 FAB Design (Miguel) - 12.114 seconds. (195.54 км/ч) (195.54 km / h) 17.(51) BMW M5 (Leonid) - 12.197 seconds. (192.00 км/ч) (192.00 km / h) 18.(56) BMW M5 (Igor) - 12.281 seconds. (186.04 км/ч) (186.04 km / h) 19.(44) BMW M5 (Eric) - 12.382 seconds. (187.01 км/ч) (187.01 km / h) 20.(48) Mercedes S55K AMG (Oleg) - 12.530 seconds. (185.37 км/ч) (185.37 km / h) 21.(27) Mercedes SL65 AMG Evotech (Andrei) - 12.602 seconds. (194.17 км/ч) (194.17 km / h) 22.(32) BMW M6 Evotech (Oleg) - 12.711 seconds. (185.28 км/ч) (185.28 km / h) 23.(61) Audi RS6 (Oleg) - 12.762 seconds. (178.04 км/ч) (178.04 km / h) 24.(16) Ferrari 575M Maranello (Andrei) - 12.796 seconds. (183.86 км/ч) (183.86 km / h) 25.(53) BMW M5 (Catherine) - 12.840 seconds. (183.29 км/ч) (183.29 km / h) 26.(63) Chevrolet Corvette C5 (Ilia) - 12.866 seconds. (173.32 км/ч) (173.32 km / h) 27.(57) BMW M5 (Nikolai) - 12.931 seconds. (181.36 км/ч) (181.36 km / h) 28.(19) Chrysler 300C (Roman) - 13.072 seconds. (182.18 км/ч) (182.18 km / h) 29.(41) Dodge Challenger (Alexander) - 13.308 seconds. (171.91 км/ч) (171.91 km / h) 30.(42) Jeep SRT-8 (Sergei) - 13.335 seconds. (162.38 км/ч) (162.38 km / h) 31.(54) Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Vladislav) - 13.382 seconds. (164.38 км/ч) (164.38 km / h) 32.(55) Mercedes ML63 AMG (Olga) - 13.402 seconds. (164.75 км/ч) (164.75 km / h) 33.(59) Porsche Cayenne Turbo (Sergei) - 13.445 seconds. (164.30 км/ч) (164.30 km / h) 34.(21) Mercedes ML63 AMG (Alexander) - 13.542 seconds. (163.71 км/ч) (163.71 km / h) 35.(47) Ford Mustang (Andrei) - 13.618 seconds. (162.74 км/ч) (162.74 km / h) The most amazing part of all this? These are not one-off builds or "shop" cars - these are off-the-shelf customer kits that ANYONE can buy and run! Great stuff, and congrats to Tym, Mike, Dmitri, Yuriy, and Oleg.
A few weeks ago, some other shops started posting 10.4 sec. 1/4 mile runs and 134 mph trap speeds and claiming GTR "records" at sanctioned tracks.
We've never claimed our GTR tuning packages would be record-breakers, and we certainly haven't set them up to be drag-racers (in fact, we developed the GTR PKG specifically as a road-course trackday PKG!) but that doesn't mean our 800 hp pump-gas car P800 GTR Nissan can't get down the road ... witness the runs above, consistent 10.4xx second runs at 132-133 mph.
I know, I know: these runs are not on a track, not sanctioned, etc. They're also not too far off that record, considering this is an off-the-shelf package that's been proven in 20-odd customer cars around the world, either!
A few weeks ago, we released the first tuned 2010 Nissan R35 GTR into the wild, and sent to Russia. We've seen a number of videos to date, and the car had experienced some teething problems (blown vacuum line), but now it's up to speed and running strong ...
... against a Lingenfelter (LPE) prepared Corvete ZR1! The 'vette is putting out nearly as many claimed horses and weighs a lot less, for sure - but Godzilla has a way of making physics bend to his will.
Who wins? You'll have to watch all the way to the end!
Our Russian dealer, Tuning-Technologies, has recently updated their website with new graphics, photos, and more (home page shown, above).
It's still something of a work in progress, but they'll be 100% by 01 June. Click the link above to visit the site. It's got lots of great information (assuming you can read Russian!!).
Our good friend Mike from Tuning-Technologies Russia just got back from last weekend's informal top-speed tuner event in Russia, where he took his Switzer 700/750 997 out to "race" against twin-turbo Ford GTs, Ferraris, SLR McLarens, and more.
The pic above shows the car in motion, leaping off the line ahead of a twin-turbo Ford GT from Heffner - our own VBox shows this package produces over 1.5g under acceleration, so maybe this shouldn't be such a surprise?
You can get a quick glimpse of Mike in this photo, below. More links to the action below - and we'll post video as soon as it's available. Enjoy!
Another clip from Mike the mad Russian, this time his Switzer-tuned 997 TT takes on another car very near dear to our hearts: Nissan's R35 GTR.
Keep in mind, this is no ordinary GTR - equipped, as it is, with a stage 2 Cobb tune and a 5Zigen catless exhaust system (but it's not a P800, either). Street launches are usually inconsistent, which would seem to give the GTR a slight edge off the line - but once the speed builds, well ... you'll see.
Some of our Russian customers recently had the chance to run a local Evotech E55 AMG Kompressor - in this clip, the Switzer Porsche (running our 700/750 Tiptronic package) easily walks the Benz, flashers on to "encourage" the Benzo's pilot.
