The Nissan GT-R is one of the most popular drag racing platforms out there, whether we’re talking about AWD monsters making the most out of the factory layout with top-end billet hardware or beasts like this 4,500 hp, which only has factory taillights and a few steel body panels left in it, but can deliver incredible numbers at the drag strip.
Freshly taken out of the over for last month’s Steet Outlaws: No Prep Kings event held at the Virginia Motorsports Park, this contraption is a collection of uber-impressive numbers.
We’re looking at a doorslammer here, the fastest type of drag car whose doors still open. Even so, as mentioned above, this is a purpose-built racer with a body perfectly resembling that of the Godzilla street car.
We’re talking about a tubular chassis, rear tires as wide as America, a V8, and a carbon fiber nose section. For the record, John Odom of Odom Racing, who runs the vehicle, also owns a Godzilla that’s still an actual GT-R, a 2009 example that can cover the 1/4-mile in 7.2s at 200 mph.
The numbers are out of this world
Comparing the two, we’ll start with the 60-foot time, which sits at 1.21s for the 2009 car, while this example only needs 0.97s for the task. It will also cover the quarter-mile in the 5s range at speeds of around 250 mph.
Motivation comes from a Brand Anderson 521 ci (8.5L) HEMI aided by a screw-type blower, which, as mentioned in the intro, can deliver about 4,500 hp at the crank. Of course, such a behemoth requires plenty of juice, with the car guzzling around 6 gallons (27 liters) of gas per run (for the pre-battle burnout and the race itself).
In the gearbox department, we have a Liberty 5-Speed unit sending power to the rear wheelsโno, the driver doesn’t switch gears during the run, even though the pre-race burnout does involve going between drive, neutral, and reverse while also making use the transbrake for the launch.
The machine packs carbon fiber brakes, with weight obviously being a key factor hereโall in all, this GT-R Pro Mod tips the scales at 2,780 lbs (1,260 kg).
Since this was the first event for the car, which is nicknamed “CEO”, the results of the various races held throughout the event were mixedโas the “No Prep” part of the event’s name suggests, nothing had been done to track to make it stickier for these high-horsepower monsters.
The engine is opened after each event
However, with the driver gaining experience on this particular vehicle and his team collecting data, they now have to prepare the race car for the next public outing. And this includes taking the engine and the transmission out, while redoing the motor (i.e., the minimal treatment involves installing new bearings and checking the compression).
Now, while the numbers above are impressive, the trick to winning a No Prep race lies in getting the optimal setup for the level of grip offered by the track.
Now, if you happen to be in a rush and wish to skip through the 45-minute video from That Racing Channel, we’ll list a few highlights.
You can see the 4,500 hp GT-R starting its HEMI at the 9:41 point, while the first race awaits you at the 23:10 timestampโthis involves the only other import body in the No Prep Kings series besides this GT-R, namely a 3,200 hp Lexus RC350 running a 520 ci HEMI with a Procharger and a Turbo 400 three-speed transmission. Note that other quarter-mile battles can be found at the 25:52 and 38:16 timestamps.