PAYINGHOMAGE TOTHATRED, WHITE,ANDBLUE

DARREN KELLY’S GONE FULL VINTAGE THIS YEAR, AND WE DIG IT!

Arguably the most iconic name in automotive culture, the Nissan GT-R, is turning 50 this year. In a nod to this occasion, Darren Kelly has unveiled all new colours for the ’18/’19 season, paying homage to the GT-R that he holds most dear to his heart. “The inspiration for a retro throwback to celebrate 50 years of the GT-R came from the famous 1991 R32 GT-R that dominated at Bathurst, driven by Jim Richards and Mark Skaife,” explains Darren.

Taking the iconic colours from the Gibson Motorsport entry, bending them to suit the modern lines of the R35 and older R34 — and taking into account the need to reflect Darren’s partners — was no easy task. Darren, who is a signwriter by trade, tells us that it took quite some work to get it looking right. The R35 is now also sporting a few extra body pieces than it has in previous forms, including a full rear bumper and new carbon front lip. Mechanically, the car will remain unchanged from last season, as Darren feels the team now has a package that is not only reliable but also very competitive, which was solidified by trying out some new settings in off-season testing.

His championship-winning R34 is now also in matching colours and has been resurrected to take some of the pressure off the R35. “We are planning on having a matching driveline in the R34, so that I can jump in it and get as much seat time as possible while not putting extra stress on the championship car like previous seasons,” Darren says. “That car will now only do competitions, whereas the R34 will be at all the sponsors’ days and hot laps — this will let me get as much extra seat time as we can fit into the schedule.”