Steve Millen's Nissan GT-R supercar heads for Speedshow

It’s been called the most famous Nissan supercar ever built and it’s heading for Speedshow in July just for Kiwi motorsport fans.

Expat New Zealand racing legend Steve Millen received one of the first examples of the Nissan GT-R to arrive in the United States last year. Utilising the aftermarket performance parts produced and sold by his own company, Stillen, Millen transformed what was already a sensational 357 kW (485 bhp) vehicle into an outstanding 456 kW (620 bhp) beast of a performance car.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have Steve Millen’s Nissan GT-R as one of our star cars at Speedshow in 2010,” says Keith Sharp who developed and organises the annual Speedshow, which takes place at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland over the weekend of 24 and 25 July.

“The Stillen GT-R certainly isn’t something you see every day in New Zealand, and it’s been a pleasure working with Steve, his team and our expert freight company, Jenners, to put together this package to show Speedshow fans one of the world’s most awesome road cars.

“The Stillen Nissan GT-R can go from zero to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds,” he enthuses. “It’s not like the ‘standard’ GT-R is any slouch, of course, with a 0-100 km/h time of 3.3 seconds, so it’s fair to say that the Stillen GT-R is something pretty special!”

Prestigious American car magazine Road & Track conducted a comparison between the distinctive orange Stillen upgraded GT-R and a 2010 stock version prior to Millen competing the car in the Targa Newfoundland Rally in September 2009. Here’s what they said: “The Stillen GT-R’s power advantage was obvious from the first drag launch. Even forgoing the car's launch-control system (at Millen’s request) – building revs to only 2000 rpm – resulted in 0-60 mph runs about the same as those of the stock car, which ran 3.5 seconds. When we increased revs to about 3500 rpm (still not invoking launch control), Stillen’s GT-R leapt out of the box spinning all four tires for a run to 60 mph in an astonishing 2.9 sec.”

After a successful career spanning more than two decades in New Zealand, the US and around the world, nowadays Millen’s competitive driving primarily comprises the fun, yet intense targa rallies. Millen has been returning to New Zealand virtually every year since 2001 to compete in New Zealand’s own highly-regarded Dunlop Targa event in a variety of Fords.

“Most recently he’s been driving his own Stillen-enhanced mid-engined Ford GT supercar with son Kyle doing the navigating,” says Sharp. “Like the new Nissan GT-R, you don’t see a Ford GT too often in New Zealand, so we’re also very pleased to have this distinctive and rare performance car at Speedshow in July.”

“Ford enthusiasts will want to make the most of the last opportunity to see this car before it returns to the USA,” adds Sharp.

The Millen cars being at Speedshow build on an established heritage for the annual motorsport and automotive expo to support and profile New Zealand’s most successful drivers, adds Sharp. “Shane van Gisbergen was at the very first Speedshow, Scott Dixon and one of his race-winning Indy cars at the second. Many other popular drivers and their cars – like John McIntyre, Angus Fogg, Jonny Reid and Mitch Evans – have appeared at Speedshow. We know Kiwis have followed Steve and Rod Millen and their phenomenal careers in the US, so it’s a real pleasure to highlight their ongoing link with New Zealand, local motorsport and world-class performance motoring.”

The line-up of top performance cars and motorbikes at Speedshow is growing daily as exhibitors and key displays are confirmed for the July event.

“We have nearly sold all the exhibitor space and we’ve got an amazing array of vehicles – from drag bikes to New Zealand V8s and virtually everything in between. There’s the live action arena and some great interactive entertainments inside the Speedshow halls. All in all, Speedshow is shaping up as a fantastic destination over the weekend of 24 and 25 July.”

News, details and competitions are updated on the Speedshow website, www.speedshow.co.nz, on a regular basis, or find Speedshow on Facebook and Twitter.
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More details on the Stillen Nissan GT-R
The Stillen treatment on the already awe-inspiring 3.8 litre twin turbocharged V6, All-Wheel-Drive GT-R involved gutting the interior, fitting lightweight race seats and replacing the bonnet, boot, rear wing and side mirrors with carbon-fibre versions. Carbon-ceramic brake rotors by AP Racing, sold by Stillen, theoretically make the brakes immune to fade, and are combined with AP Racing brake pads and a Stillen brake cooling package.

A re-flashed ECU and a free-flowing central-outlet Stillen exhaust (from the turbos back) add up to about 620 bhp on 91-octane fuel, versus 485 bhp for the stock 2010 GT-R, reads the Road & Track article. Millen says he retained the stock turbos “...because I wanted really good throttle response – a lot of the steering of the car is through the throttle, and I don't want to wait for the power to come on.”

Stillen also added a Stillen/Eibach suspension system, consisting of mega-adjustable shocks with 10 per cent stiffer Eibach springs along with three-way adjustable Stillen anti-roll bars. “We have a lot of adjustability in the car,” Millen says. “We can change the ride height, the rebound and so on. But we’re really trying to keep the tires on the ground – that’s the key.”

Read more on the Stillen Nissan GT-R: http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/comparison/gt-r-showdown-stock-vs.-stillen