Down Shift Magazine

The Leaf NISMO RC marries a Leaf’s lithium-ion battery pack and 80-kW, 107-hp AC synchronous motor to a unique chassis that features body panels and a monocoque rendered in carbon fiber. The curb weight is a claimed 2068 pounds, some 40 percent lighter than a standard Leaf. Bride Racing seats, a pair of safety harnesses, a giant wing, and 18-inch aluminum wheels complete the illusion. The end result hits 62 mph in a claimed 6.9 seconds, has a top speed of 93 mph, and makes the ordinary Leaf look as sexy as a moldy Big Mac.

The Lexus LFA’s frame is made from an in-house designed and manufactured carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) center monocoque with aluminum front and rear subframes. The subframes, which can be removed and replaced minimizing potential repair costs, are joined to the monocoque using a newly developed aluminum flanged collar designed to create a stronger joint.

The Nürburgring Package LFA was tested at the Nürburgring in June 2011. Driven by Akira Iida, the LFA set a time of 7:22.85 (video confirmed), the 10th-fastest time ever for a production vehicle. Lexus confirmed that this lap video was recorded as a “warm up” video for the “ADAC 24-hours” for exhibition purposes. The LFA hit 292 km/h (181 mph) on the last straight uphill climb, which is one of the highest speeds achieved by a stock exotic supercar on that segment of the track.

The 2JZ-GTE is an inline-layout, six-cylinder, belt-driven dual-overhead camshaft, air-intercooled, twin-turbocharged, cast-iron block, aluminium cylinder headed engine designed and manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation that was produced from 1991 until 2002 in Japan. Development and evolution of the engine was, principally, a response to Nissan’s relatively new and then-successful RB26DETT engine which had achieved palpable success in FIA Group A and Group Ntouring car championships,

The Lexus SC 400 was never officially sold in the British Isles, but many examples found their way across the Atlantic as personal imports. The first generation SC coupes were assembled at Toyota’s Higashifuji Technical Center in Japan.

Built from 1991 through 2010, the Z32 SC cars featured a front engine, rear-wheel drive design and accommodated seating for up to four passengers. The first generation SC debuted as the V8-powered SC 400 in 1991, with the I6-powered SC 300 launching in 1992. Both first generation models were produced until 2000…

The first generation SC lasted in production until July 7, 2000, over nine years, quite long compared to the other cars of the 1990s. Even with the SC’s long production cycle, only minor exterior changes were made. New tail lighting and a modified spoiler design was part of the mid-cycle vehicle refresh. A front grille was added in 1997, along with a redesigned front bumper, side skirts and rocker panels.

The engine is a Toyota Supra 2JZGTE. There’s been a lot of questions as to why Driftworks chose the Toyota engine over a Nissan RB and their simple answer is reliability. Having had some issues with previous RB projects they just fealt the 3.0-liter Toyota engine offered more reliability without having to go for a fully built race engine. Capacity counts for a hell of a lot in reliability, so starting with 3.0 was a good base.