“I WANT TO DO 400KPH [249MPH] IN MY R35 GT-R”
Just wanting to be the fastest, Smokey’s always been brand agnostic and often mixes a cocktail of different manufacturers’ components to make Frankensteined, bright gold (winners only get gold, see) vmax machines. Over the years, he’s been through every generation of GT-R, with an R32 being Top Secret’s first. Later, his R33 Skyline GT-R managed 0–300kph in 17 seconds at Yatabe and 204mph in the tunnel, arguably the kernel of the idea of the A1(M) run.
In the seat for the Aqua-Line run was none other than tuning bible, Max Power.
For younger audiences, Max Power was a modified car mag like no other. Along with Gatso jousting, car park racing and asking what your favourite-coloured orifice was, it had real sway and embedded itself within the zeitgeist, selling nearly a quarter of a million copies a month. So when it offered to pay to send Smokey and his car over for the Max Power Live show, he agreed. Then the idea of doing 200mph came up.
“I flew a video crew from a Japanese magazine – Option – over too, otherwise I would get bored,” he says, lighting another cigarette and slotting his Zippo lighter into his top pocket. “It was Max Power’s idea to go really fast, and the Supra could do it. It had an RB26DETT engine from a GT-R – Toyota’s 2JZ is great for low-end torque, but we needed high-end power and I could work on it easier – but the Supra’s bodywork and aero, which were great for top speed. I was very aware of what I was doing, and wanted as much attention as possible for the best photography and video.”
Hence a day of burnouts anywhere he could; next to a field of cows, on a busy roundabout and, eventually, in the middle of the A1(M), just before the 194mph run.
“I did what I did, and what happened happened. I know it’s morally wrong, but it is what it is. I got sent to the police station but, not speaking any English, I had to wait in a cell until I could get a lawyer and a translator and go to court. I admitted to doing 120mph and was banned from the UK for 10 years, had a one-month international licence suspension, a £155 fine and £35 court fees. I was lucky; I thought I was going to prison. I returned to my hotel and there were paparazzi and press everywhere, so
I sneaked out the back door to the airport. I was worried all the way until take-off where I thought, ‘I’m free – banzai!’”
Impressed by the brazen run, a Dubai Prince bought the RB Supra after the run. But Smokey didn’t hang up his high-speed boots. With the UK’s judicial slap on the back of his hands still fresh, Smokey built his most ambitious car yet to try to crack 400kph, or 249mph. Once again using a Supra as the foundation, he ripped out the engine and implanted a 5.0-litre V12 from a Toyota Century, then strapped two HKS GT2540 turbos to it, running all the cooling through the boot thanks to a bespoke, slippery bodykit. The result: 930bhp and a space in the tuners hall of fame. Smokey shipped the car to the Nardò Ring in Italy to see how fast it’d go, but only managed 358.22kph. So he took it to the Aqua-Line tunnel and did 370kph, or 229mph. On the street. But he doesn’t want to stop there.
“I want to do 400kph [249mph] in my R35 GT-R,” Smokey says, working on his third cigarette. “That’s the goal. I was upset by the lack of parts Nissan offered for the R35, and the more I’m suppressed, the more I’m motivated to do something. So I’m building my own. And I will have the fastest car.”
Handily, 20 years later, the A1(M) has just been resurfaced. Could that be the place to do it?
“Ha! Never again.”
Maybe he has learned his lesson after all. But don’t expect him to start vaping anytime soon.