TIME-ATTACK BUNNY
This out-of-the-ordinary creation — being a 180SX that’s not intended for drifting, shock-horror! — was spotted being built at Quest Fabrication. The boys there were completing the last bits of fabrication needed ahead of panel, paint, and wiring. The owner, Daniel Jones, told us that he intends to run the 180 in NZ Superlap’s Open Class once it’s complete, and he’s set a goal of a mid-February shakedown.
Not unlike its drifting counterparts, the suspension package features a mix of Hardrace and GK Tech adjustable and rose-jointed arms with GReddy coilovers. The engine is a dry sumped RB26, which Daniel assembled himself using a new R33 N1 crank, Wossner pistons, Carrillo rods, Cosworth race bearings, and ARP hardware. Up top, the now ported-and-polished head is an all-Tomei party, crammed with Tomei dual valve springs, retainers, and valve sleeves, plus Tomei 260-degree intake and 270-degree exhaust pro-cam — the factory ITB intake manifold has been retained in the name of boost response.
That boost will be provided by a Garrett T04Z with a .8 rear housing and Invisible Man Racing (IMR) equal-length manifold with twin 38mm TiAL wastegate combination. Quest Fabrication has built the stainless-steel exhaust that follows on from the system, along with handling all the pressure side of things. A TTi five-speed sequential with Tilton triple-plate backs the RB and has been solid-mounted by Quest.
The car was purchased with the subframe bent, which provided the perfect excuse to switch it for an R33 item, complete with R200 and Cusco two-way head. The eight-point roll cage was crafted by Quest a few years ago, while an alloy false floor hides the RCI fuel cell that lives within the cabin. Easy to miss at first glance are the little details, such as the lightweight alloy pre-pump filter mounts that actually tie off the fuel-cell brackets.
Daniel has opted to run a full Rocket Bunny V1 kit, sourced through Dodson Performance; however, it wasn’t quite wide enough for the custom Work Wheels — measuring 18x10.5 inches with a ridiculous -57 offset — that are on their way to New Zealand, so he has also added 80mm wide rear fenders.
The car’s close to completion, and we’ll make sure to follow up with Daniel once it has hit the track, but, from what we’ve seen so far, it’s shaping up to be a monster, and a very good-looking one at that.