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
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
Steve Millen and the marketing crew here at STILLEN took some time out and traveled to LA to spend some time with Adam Carolla, and be a part of his CarCast show.
Adam’s shop is very cool, with interesting things around every corner, and numerous projects in various states of completion.
We brought out the STILLEN GT-R, STILLEN 2009 Maxima, as well as our in-house 370Z with all of the STILLEN bolt-on items, and that is being used for body styling for upcoming STILLEN urethane items, including the prototype 370Z rear wing.
The Adam Carolla CarCast podcast will release in a week or so, and is available for free through iTunes and their website. Additional video coverage of Adam and Steve discussing the cars will be available at the Motorator website.
Well, the STILLEN GT-R has made it across the country, and is currently settled in Maine, awaiting Steve Millen‘s arrival to drive it the rest of the way into Newfoundland for the Targa Rally. The FedEx Transporter delivered as promised, and everything arrived safe and sound, and ready for action.
We thought this would be a perfect time to introduce you to the STILLEN GT-R as it exists prepped for the Targa Newfoundland, with the full rally preparation finished. We also played with some of the testing footage, and as you’ll see below, this transformed GT-R is something to see.
After months of tearing down, shaving weight, developing new products, building and testing the GT-R, Steve Millen deemed it worthy and on the transporter it went. The Targa Rally introduces some very unqiue requirements of a car, it’s not the normal smooth racetrack most race cars are set up for. The Targa events are extremely demanding, covering city roads, vast landscapes, and varying road conditions (imagine the roads in your town). Pot holes, dips, asphalt issues, gravel, sand, water, mud.. all common throughout the course.
All of these obstacles require a very balanced car, capable of dealing with anything, and a driver experienced enough to push it beyond its limits. Meet the STILLEN R35 Nissan GT-R as prepped for the 2009 Targa Newfoundland Rally:
STILLEN GT-R Targa Race Car
Performance Numbers (As Set Up For 2009 Targa Rally)
As soon as the Nissan Cube’s began to hit the streets here in the US, we knew these fun little cars would spice up the Mini-MPV market, and STILLEN went to work in our R&D department to develop some bolt-on performance items for the enthusiasts looking to take their Cube to the next level.
The STILLEN Hi-Flow Intake System for the Nissan Cube features bolt-on installation, removes the factory baffling and creating a direct intake air path.
With most of the lightening done, including gutting the interior, Password:JDM dry carbon panels, and even subtle lightening of other components (see below.. hey weight is weight), it was time to get the GT-R into the paint booth.
We were in for a treat today as we got a chance to take a peek at a freshly painted R35 GT-R, done in a reminiscent blue that was so striking on earlier Skylines.
Several of us in the office had questioned why a blue wasn’t an option for the current GT-R, and this owner decided this wasn’t acceptable and took matters into his own hands, or rather the hands of extremely capable Wet Works Garage here in Costa Mesa, CA to handle the color change.
We knew Wet Works was working on one, and we first caught site of it from the guys at GT-R Blog who posted some pictures earlier today, and couldn’t wait for it to get here, which it promptly did earlier this morning. Quickly shot a horrible quality walk around with a point and shoot camera here in the office, and some additional photos.
Photos of the Blue Nissan R35 GT-R
For more information on the build, visit the owners blog here. There are photos of each stage of the paint, from initial masking to final polishing.
Unfortunately with the first go around on the sale of the STILLEN Supercharged 350Z, the winning bidder on eBay was not able to complete the transaction.. so we’ve decided to relist this car for another round.
STILLEN 350Z
Over $70,000 invested in this car, and has almost every STILLEN produced part for the 350Z. Click Here for the original blog post with all of the products, pictures, video and details of the car, and you can see the eBay auction here as well. Happy bidding!
STILLEN is proud to release our line of high performance STILLEN Lightweight Standard / Underdrive Pulleys for popular Nissan/Infiniti applications. OEM steel pulleys, especially crank pulleys, can be quite heavy, robbing horsepower.
Upgrading these pulleys to a STILLEN 6061 Aluminum set reduces rotating mass, allowing for easier and quicker revving of the engine, resulting in increased performance.
In the case of underdrive applications, the reduced outside diameter of the pulley allows for the accessories to run slower, freeing up additional horsepower from the drivetrain, and putting that recovered power to the wheels.
STILLEN has a long heritage of machining precision pulleys for our supercharger kits, and used that expertise to create pulleys with a bold new design. Weight savings is dramatic, up to 80% lighter than stock and up to 10% lighter than other aftermarket pulleys. We have seen power gains of up to 10+ HP at the wheels.
SSTILLEN Lightweight Standard / Underdrive Pulley Features:
6061 Aerospace Grade Billet Aluminum
Bold New Design Maximizing Performance, Strength and Minimum Weight
304 Stainless Steel Sleeves for Main Seal Contact Points For Durability
Stock Timing Marks Maintained – Keyways are Precision Broached
STILLEN built this 350Z as a showcase for all of the parts we manufacture. It has been featured in numerous media outlets, including several magazine covers, TV shows, online features, etc.
NOPI Street Performance Compact – December 2005
Click Here to Read
Here is the spec sheet and modifications list:
385HP in the Stage 2 CARB Legal configuration, and can easily be upgraded to Stage 3 non-CARB legal configuration bringing horsepower to 410.
This 350Z has just under 6,900 miles, and has always been warehoused indoors. Vehicle is only used for shows and special engagements.
$30,380 is the value of the parts, labor, paint and graphics installed onto this 350Z, in addition to the original cost of just over $40,000 with tax and license. Total investment of over $70,000!
This car is ready for the track, without compromising the ride quality for use as a daily driver. It has an excellent balance of performance, handling and styling, and features virtually everything STILLEN has available for the 350Z.
STILLEN and AP Racing are proud to announce the release of upgraded Curved Vane Front and Rear Brake Rotors for the R35 Nissan GT-R. These AP Racing R35 GT-R Brake Rotor are a track-proven upgrade to the OE Brembo components.
The STILLEN / AP Racing Curved Vane Rotors utilize a curved-vane core (48 vanes) which allow for better thermal management, providing improved cooling over the OE pillar vane design. They also have 12 curved slots which improve pad bite and not prone to cracking under severe use, which the OE rotors are plagued by.
The need for these rotors became evident quickly when GT-R owners in the UK began touring various race tracks, and having issues with standard discs only lasting 2-3 track days at the maximum. AP Racing was contacted, and within a couple of weeks rotors were available and testing began.
Results were all positive, with no signs of cracking, and consistency of pedal and performance were reported.
Highlights from the STILLEN R35 GT-R Brake Rotor Product Page:
Top quality, proprietary iron alloy with multi-stage thermal processing.
Curved-vane core (48 vanes) for better thermal management under extreme use. More expensive to make, but improved cooling over the OE pillar vane design.
12 curved slots (not drilled!) to improve pad bite and resist cracking under severe use.
Precisely balanced at high RPM for smooth operation at any vehicle speed.
Friction faces finished on the latest generation twin-turning equipment, better DTV (Disc Thickness Variation) and less runout than typical double-disc grinding machines.
Includes fresh hardware for track-day confidence every day.
Added bonus: Even priced less than the standard OE discs!
More product information and pricing available here.- items discontinued, article kept for information purposes.
R35 GT-R Brake Rotor
Items discontinued, article kept for information purposes.
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