Tags Posts tagged with "GT-R"

GT-R

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We recently met up with the guys at DSPORT Magazine at a local studio to shoot the STILLEN R35 GT-R for the cover and feature of their July 2010 issue.  We’re happy to announce that this issue is currently on the newsstands, and has been delivered to subscribers!

In addition to getting some fanastic studio shots of the GT-R with the beautiful Ariel Marie, DSPORT also shot Steve Millen’s Championship IMSA 300ZX Twin Turbo inside this issue.  Richard Fong also spent some good time with Steve Millen discussing both the exploits of the R35 GT-R as it tackled Targa Newfoundland, it’s plans for the rest of 2010, and some history of the IMSA 300ZX and racing stories of Steve.

This is the largest issue yet of DSPORT, their 91st in fact, with everything from event coverage, some very cool vehicle features, product tech and testing, model photos and interviews, and industry news.

 

Be sure to hit the newsstand and check this issue out before June 30th!

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Last month we celebrated Steve Millen’s birthday in the style that would only fit a bunch of car guys and racers… We gave him an exact replica remote control car of his Nissan GT-R Targa Rally car.

HPI Stillen Skyline GT-R by andyh753r.

After a bit of research online we found that HPI Racing has a 1:10 scale 2009 Nissan GT-R. After a few phone calls and emails of hi-res images the guys from HPI confirmed that they could take on the project and boy did they deliver!  The car turned out better than any of us had imagined!

HPI Stillen Skyline GT-R by andyh753r.

The car is a standard off the shelf car for HPI but it went through the transformation by Andrew Hilman, HPI’s R&D Graphic Designer.  With painstaking detail and precision Andrew matched all of the sponsor logo’s spot on!

Happy Birthday Steve!

 

HPI Stillen Skyline GT-R by andyh753r.

HPI Stillen Skyline GT-R by andyh753r.

HPI Stillen Skyline GT-R by andyh753r.

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Earlier this month we said goodbye again to the STILLEN R35 GT-R after getting the call from Nissan that they would like to bring the GT-R back into Canada for the 2010 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.

Nissan arranged for transport, and placed the Targa GT-R in the center of their booth, giving attendees a chance to get inches away from the Orange Godzilla and get a peek for themselves. The show runs through February 21, 2010. [Pictures & Video after the jump]

TBWA\Toronto, Nissan’s agency in Canada put together this video of the GT-R on location at the show:

OFFICIAL NISSAN PRESS RELEASE:

Mississauga, Ontario – The Stillen GT-R that competed at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland will be on display at Nissan’s booth at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto in February.

Race car driver Steve Millen and his Stillen crew completed a tear-down and build-up of the GT-R to compete in the Newfoundland tarmac rally race.

“Nissan is excited to provide GT-R fans with this special appearance,” said Jeff Parent, vice-president of sales and marketing at Nissan Canada. “The Stillen crew showed us all just how mean ‘Godzilla’ can be, so we wanted to give fans a chance to get up close and personal to this great machine.”

While many modifications were made, the major change was a weight reduction of 78 kilograms over the stock model, along with increased throttle response and appropriate suspension changes.

The Stillen GT-R reached 96 km/h in 2.9 seconds, compared to 3.5 seconds in the stock version.

Here’s some photos of the GT-R at the event, taken by Ryan Cash with rwdftw.com:

If you haven’t seen the STILLEN GT-R in action, here’s a couple of in-car footage of stages during the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally:

STILLEN R35 GT-R – Brigus Stage – Day 5

STILLEN R35 GT-R – Gander Stage – Day 2

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A little while back we had a chance to meet up with Matt Farah and his awesome crew from TheSmokingTire.com and show them around the buildings here at STILLEN.

Matt and Steve then jumped in the bright orange STILLEN GT-R and took a run through some of the local canyons.  See below for the video!

Matt started The Smoking Tire video series last year, and previous to that was the driving force behind Garage419. Two minutes with him is all it takes to recognize that he’s a true car enthusiast, and he’s as genuine as he comes across in his videos. Be sure to check out and subscribe to his video series here.

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After seeing Steve Millen and the STILLEN R35 Nissan GT-R tackle the Targa Newfoundland, STILLEN fan Alan G. from Montreal, Quebec decided he needed to recreate the car in his favorite racing game, Forza 3 for the XBox 360.

Alan took on the task using Forza’s in-game livery editor, and ended up requiring over 3 days and 500 layers to recreate the livery on the rally car.

We think it came out great, pretty accurate, and amazing since each logo had to be created using simple shapes to manipulate designs. Alan also included a brief video clip of the GT-R in action as well.

Alan included in his note that he’s been a fan of racing for close to thirty years as well as racing simulators, and this Nissan is his favorite car he’s replicated so far. Thanks Alan for sending this in, and we appreciate the dedication it took to get it so accurate!  A signed poster from Steve Millen and some other goodies are on the way!

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The December 2009 issue of Road & Track is out on the newsstands now, and features the full Targa Newfoundland Rally article written by R&T’s Feature Editor Mike Monticello, the Co-Driver on the rally in the GT-R with Steve Millen.


Check your favorite newsstand and see this issue, it’s a neat story from Mike’s perspective on taking part in this 6-day rally, and what it was like being at the mercy of Steve Millen pushing the STILLEN modified R35 GT-R to it’s limits over city streets and tarmac.

Excerpt from the ‘Tackling Targa’ feature:

“The second to last to start the stage, Millen launched the GT-R with fury into the waning light, carbon rotors a-glowing, belching blue flames from the exhaust and sending onlookers scattering for cover, the GT-R was in its element. And so was Millen, 4-wheel-drifiting through corners with near reckless abandon while I tried to keep up with the pace notes…”
– Mike Monticello, Road & Track

Here’s also a link to a video from Road & Track discussing the stories in this packed issue:  Road & Track December 2009 Video Preview

There are also tons of video and information on the build of the STILLEN GT-R, comparison tests against a stock 2010 Nissan GT-R, and information on the Targa Newfoundland at Road & Track website:  2009 Targa Newfoundland

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STILLEN Nada Guides GT-R shipping out for SEMA 2009

After spending only a short time back home, the STILLEN NADA Guides GT-R is once again going away. This time it is being trucked out to the SEMA show (Nov. 3 – 6 in Las Vegas), where it will be taking up residence in the BASF Automotive Refinish Solutions booth in the Racing and Performance area (booth 21442).

The Millens Look On As The STILLEN NADA Guides GT-R is Loaded
STILLEN NADA Guides GT-R entering it's new double-decker accommodations

Double Decker Accomodations
STILLEN NADA Guides GT-R entering it's new double-decker accommodations

Tucked In
STILLEN Nada Guides GT-R tucked away on the top level of the truck for the trip out to SEMA 2009

If you’re going to be at the show, stop by and check out the car and that Orange Sherbert Paint in person at Booth# 21442.

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Sorry for the delay in getting the final day’s wrap-up onto the site, we took some time after the rally and celebrated with the rest of the Targa folks. It was then up first thing to get the car situated, and everything packed up for shipping back to STILLEN HQ, while Steve and Jodi drive the GT-R all the way back to Maine.

STILLEN GT-R at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally

We’re proud to say that we finished up winning our division.  The results speak for themselves in regards to the overall scores.  This rally is without question designed to be won by classic cars.  We knew there would be handicapping, but it would seem there is no way that a modern car can win.  We won the majority if not all of the stages by putting down the fastest times but we still lost.  In one of the stages on Friday, Steve and Mike actually passed three cars, and still missed their goal time and incurred a penalty.

2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally Results

The main reason for Team STILLEN coming to Targa Newfoundland was to race our Nissan GT-R.  We knew that this was the first race for the car and we knew that it would do well but we really had no idea that the car would do so well!  If it weren’t for that CV boot we would have only needed to fill the car with fuel and check tire wear all week long.  We could not be more excited about the fantastic performance of our Nissan GT R as well as our team.

Video: Road & Track Racing Day 5 Recap – Steve Millen & Mike Monticello

We are happy that we came and competed in the event.  We met some great people and saw a beautiful part of Canada that we otherwise would have never visited.  It was a pleasure watching some great drivers artfully handle their cars, especially Sprongl in the Audi.  He was a blast to watch!  I wish I could say that we’re excited to come back next year but I really don’t think we’ll be coming back unless there is a serious overhaul of the timing and scoring.

Also, we had a great time with Seth and Glenn, our sweepstakes winners.  They were a lot of fun and true race/rally enthusiasts.  Seth, let’s get that Z going and ready for the rally bud!

Road & Track also has additional information, interviews with Steve and Mike, and all kinds of content back to the build of the GT-R, and is located here:  http://www.roadandtrack.com/stillen

NOTE: We have tons of video, including in-car camera coverage of virtually every stage of the rally.  Check back next week as we begin to edit and upload this video!

See All of the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Coverage:

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Well, it’s Thursday night and we have some great news!  We’re in the hotel room at 9pm!  The new CV boot swap the guys made last night worked perfectly today and the car ran flawlessly.

STILLEN GT-R during Racing Day 4 at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally

We were back on the road a few hours after getting back to the hotel but it was worth the effort.  The crew have been absolutely amazing this week and they are doing an incredible job!

STILLEN GT-R during Racing Day 4 at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally

There have been a few mix-ups today and the scoring situation is a bit odd.  We’re currently being shown in 5th overall and the first modern but it says that we have more than a 20 second time penalty.  So, we’re going to look into that and see what that’s all about.

STILLEN GT-R during Racing Day 4 at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally
Look how tiny the road is!

Today went very well.  The car ran great and Steve and Mike were able to meet nearly all of their goal times.  We’re still a bit confused about the goal times as we are consistently the fastest car on the road yet we’re ‘losing’ to cars who have goal times 30+ seconds slower than ours.  But, I guess that’s the unique rules of this event and we’re just trying to live with it.  It is very frustrating though.

So last night I mentioned that there are some very interesting stories here.  Story one:  The red Porsche 911 that was here on day one broke on day one.  The owner of the car is also the owner of the Halifax Porsche dealer.  He called his wife and told her to bring out the Boxster.  Well, she was able to make the last ferry over and arrived in time for the guy’s to carry on in the GT touring class.

Story two:  The Audi (not the rally spec. Audi) from day one wrecked hard on day 2 in the early stage.  The co-driver broke his arm and we all thought their week was over.  Well, morning the following day came and they arrived in a rental (red Dodge) car that they picked up and have re-entered the rally in the GT Touring class as well! Can’t stop these guys from racing!

The white Subaru that rolled a couple of days ago had a “yard sale” sign out front of it the other day.  The driver and co-driver are already talking about coming back next year.

I am going to try to download a video tonight and email it off but I’m not sure how it’s going to work.  Hope it turns out well, worst case scenario, I will be back in the office on Monday and we will have the videos up shortly thereafter!

[EDIT: Videos didn’t work, the source files were very large, but below is some video that Road & Track have put together for both Leg 3 and Leg 4!]

Road & Track Video: Wednesday Leg 3

Road & Track Video: Thursday Leg 4

See All of the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Coverage:

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Well, we have officially made it through the first half of the week.  As expected the GT-R is running very well and if it weren’t for the worries about the CV boots, the only service we would be performing to the car would be filling it up with fuel.  This car is truly incredible.  Steve is having an absolute blast and after each stage has a huge grin on his face.

STILLEN GT-R during Racing Day 3 at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally

Mark and Joe are really doing a great job and working hard.  They had a bit of a problem today when the service van started filling with the fumes from the fuel and was messing with their heads a little.  We have taped off the back half of the van with clear drop cloths and a lot of duct tape so it should be well sealed from here on out.

STILLEN / Road & Track Team at the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally
Mike, Julie, Jodi, Steve, Kyle, Joe and Mark – Team STILLEN / Road & Track
Photo courtesy Marc Urbano / Road & Track

Now for the updates.  The original CV boot which has been patched and massaged a couple of times has held up well.  Fortunately we received the correct replacement this evening and the boys worked late to put it on.  It’s past 1am as I write this and I’m still down at the center with them as they finish up.  We have all decided that when we get home we will be getting that CV boot bronzed and building a mahogany display case for it.  We can’t believe it held up to four days (three rally days and the proglogue.)  We’re all going to sleep a little easier tonight knowing the new boot is on there.

Today went very well, as you might already know we took a six second penalty today.  Steve and Mike were doing so well in the first two stages that they had to slow way down towards the end of the stage so they did not exceed their 135 KPH stage average.  Because of this they took Stage 3 a little easier and unfortunately a little too easy.  They ended up doing really well the rest of the day and cleaned every other stage.  No worries, Mike and Steve have agreed that from here on out they just go flat out and see what their time is like at the end of the stage and slow down if they need to.  I’m actually curious to know how they estimate the times for these stages based on the class.

Targa Newfoundland 2009 Standings after Day 3 of Racing

One thing that we are extremely proud of is the fact that we are one of the few if not the only top ten team who is driving everywhere.  A lot of the teams are packing up every night on trailers and towing to the final parking area.  You might remember that our car drove from Bangor, Maine to St. John’s Newfoundland and when the rally is over Steve and Jodi Millen will drive the car back to Bangor, Maine.  This thing is a driver!!!

There are a few interesting stories about some teams who are really persevering and show true Targa spirit, continuing on in rental cars or helping out other teams after their cars crash out or break down.  Unfortunately it’s a bit late tonight and I’m really tired so I’ll have to share those stories tomorrow.  Plus, Mark is telling me they need a hand.

Hope you enjoy today’s pictures I was able to get:

See All of the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Coverage:

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Founded in 1986, STILLEN is recognized as one of the premier tuners in the world. With Engineers and a full R&D department on location, STILLEN has long been engineering big brake kits with Brembo and AP Racing, developing superchargers with Magnuson, Edelbrock, Whipple, Vortech, and under the leadership of championship race car driver Steve Millen, trusted by thousands of enthusiasts, manufacturing STILLEN branded products and upgrades, as well as wholesale distribution and retail partners.
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