[PTA SC] Future Generation 1646 bhp Nissan Patrol

quote:

Text: Jon Saxon / Photos: Alejandro RodiguezOctober 2007


I'VE NOW GOT THE KEYS TO A MONUMENTAL 1646BHP NISSAN PATROL

Never wear odd socks. And don't ever wear them inside out. In a mad rush at 6am in the morning, I do not one, but two of the golden no-no's. They maybe silly superstitions, but I shouldn't be taking any chances today. My mum also told me I should always wear clean underwear every single day (as you would anyway) just in case you fall ill or have an accident, as the last thing you want is being pulled from wreckage dressed in dirty draws.

Still in my half comatose state I'm driving too slowly up the highway, as I'm beeped at three times and flashed by the Landcruiser behind me. My mind is half on the car I'm heading to test. The other half is a million miles away trying to work out whether I'm actually wearing yesterday's boxers, or not.

I really should have read my horoscope this morning, to see if it was safe to be on the streets today. I wouldn't normally worry myself about such matters, but today is no ordinary day.

Arriving at the gates of the Future Generation Auto Workshop, a stone's throw from Dubai's Mall of the Emirates, I notice the garage doors are already open to let in the morning light. Inside, amidst an array of stupidly over-powered Japanese cars of all shapes and sizes is a sofa. Draped across this manky brown velour two-seater is the workshop manager for Future, Mohamed Sarowar Hossain.

We've been pestering our Mo for ages, popping our head in through these very doors for the last week or so to check on the progress of one matte black 2-door SWB Nissan Patrol - with fibreglass bonnet, doors and wings, rear arches and a rather special engine. And every time Mohamed is beavering away tweaking the Motec M800 ecu of the boxy SUV. Now he's dozing off, next to one of his mechanics. Both have been pulling all-nighters for the last three nights just to get the car ready - in peak fighting condition - for us to see what 1000bhp in a people carrier feels like.

I'd received a text at 1am (literally six hours ago) stating that the car was 99.9 per cent complete. The dyno sheet for the car, documented earlier in the month showed a promise of the illusive 1000bhp, which with the boost being upped forced the new internals to deal with an insane 1400bhp. 'We ran it on the dyno on normal pump fuel last night and it produced 902.8bhp,' smiled Mohamed. 'At the wheels, too,' he adds ominously. A hasty calculation on my mobile phone throws up 1061.7bhp. They'd done it... Then there was another run, the run in the wee hours that was going to give the true figure. The Patrol strapped down (the boost now notched up from 1.9 bar to 2.7 bar) bearing the boosted brunt of the monster 4.5-litre V6, lifted from a 2006 Toyota Landcruiser, now running on top octane race fuel. The uncomfortable banging and popping from the exhaust and HKS wastegate gave the indication that it was about to blow a hole straight through the middle of Dubai's industrial quarter - bouncing off the rev-limiter the big numbers getting even bigger. The printer whirred into action, spewing out a piece of A4 paper with the immoral number of 1400bhp. Grabbing my phone again I do the calculation twice, then again. Can that be right? Handing my Nokia to Mohamed, he grins with his trademark braces catching the light. Holy macaroni... I'm wearing used underwear, mismatched socks (inside out) I've only had three hours of sleep and I've now got the keys to a monumental 1646bhp Nissan Patrol in my hand. Just a peak under the fibreglass vented bonnet is enough to worry most, the painted-red engine bay littered with wires, sensors, and the brutal turbo. It's what's I can't see that scares me the most.

Sat in the office, eating McDonalds, is Ahmad AlYaqoobi, the owner of this wild car, who still refers to his Patrol as normal. And from what he says his Nissan is quite low down the pecking order in monster UAE street-racing off-roaders. Seems 2000bhp is not unheard of, but for now (and hopefully forever more for me) 1600bhp or so will do. To achieve this sort of power takes time, money and a lot of custom components to contain the mini-explosion every time the airways are opened up.

Aside from the engine pulley, intake manifold and fuel rail - as well as the exhaust - which were custom-made in-house by Future themselves, the majority of the parts were sourced directly from America. It seems as the list goes on that pretty much everything has been replaced with something bigger, better, or more brutal. Standard? Yeah right. Compression has been lowered significantly, with custom US-spec pistons from Ross Pistons. Also from the States come the Crower billet steel connecting rods, Crower 272 cams and the RC 1600cc injectors, which sit within the Future-engineered custom fuel rail - topped off with a custom block o-ring. Up top modified custom head stud bolts and valve springs from Tomei are used, a company that prides itself on being one of the oldest and most highly respected companies in Japanese motorsport.

The massive parts inventory is rattled off over what seems like an hour. This is intimidating. I climb over the custom bolt-in rollcage into the red Sparco Evo race seat, buckle up the Sabelt harness, grip the three-spoke Sparco steering wheel and brace myself to finally turn the ignition key, only to be mocked for my squinting. I waggle the HKS 5-speed manual gearshift into neutral and turn over the ridiculous Nissan. The line-up of HKS gauges immediately light up, but there is no evil explosion, no savage shriek from the hardly-silenced custom tailpipe either. It sits and idles surprisingly well.

This is not as scary as I thought, even though it's had the final touches made to the ignition timing and fuel pressure by two men running on less sleep than me, and the dustbin sized turbo I notice has been notched up to 8 on the boost gauge - but hey it's just a late 1980s SUV, with factory carpet, a dashboard, a nice stereo and working AC. By all accounts it's a daily car, owner Ahmad using it most days. Well if he's game so am I.

'THE PYROTECHNICS ARE BACK IN FORCE AND THEY SEEM LOUDER THIS TIME'

It was at this point things started to go down hill. The reality of what I'd got myself into, literally, hit me at a rate of knots as the Patrol stalled with a vicious tug on the four-point harnesses. I wasn't expecting that.I offer the keys back to the owner, fearing I was probably going to demolish his toy in about two seconds. Now everyone is laughing including a random man wearing a skirt. Who is he to laugh? The OS Giken triple plate clutch has no sympathy for inadequate folk like me, demanding the clutch to be dumped to engage first gear. Once on the move it is easier, but still heavy and unforgiving. Banging through the gears around the Al Quoz industrial site we are now being jerked violently by the unruly power of this Patrol, the devilish delivery of torque from the flywheel surging through the clutch, to the drive wheels. Oh and we are running on the road with sand tyres. The Patrol's pyrotechnics are back in force and they seem louder this time, and more intense, once on the road with no holds barred.

New noises emerge; more whistling, popping, more creaking. And what that hell was that noise? The constant whir of a fuel pump is quite common on modified cars, but this Patrol has three very big Bosch pumps - and all three like to be heard all the time. I'm now a little under-refreshed, sweating and to be honest fairly shaky. It's not the exhilarating bumble of nerves that fuel your bloodstream either, but the end of the world is nigh and I'm precariously squeezed down the barrel of the canon that's going to make sure it happens in the next millisecond.

We've got the pit-straight of the Dubai Autodrome booked for around 9pm, for high-speed straight-line speed tests, so there is no need for any on-road heroics says me in unsuitable smalls. But a few moments after our first battery of static shots are taken Ahmad is behind the wheel again hammering the clutch, burying the throttle with apparent disregard for his own life. He is truly mad. He now looks committed, showing no sign of removing himself from the snug driver's seat. He hasn't got his seatbelt on, which in a weird twist of backward logic relaxes me. After all, who is going to shoehorn down the road, in search of the speed of light, with no belts on? But he does, proving my trust wrong.

He then starts telling me stories, none of which are entirely comforting at 7:28am strapped into a million horsepower Nissan, which is chatting away like one of the four apocalyptic horses. 'I raced a Corvette Z06 the other day, and won.' And when he says won, he means the Z06 topped out while the Greddy intercooled nose of his black beauty edged on with plenty more zoom to go. The Z06 will do 320kph I remind myself, stupidly. My curious nature prevails and I question the infamous Z06 confrontation, but he's already started on the Murcielago battle he won, recently. And again, when he says won he means beating it in a straight line off the lights. Not only to 100kph but way and beyond that of the appropriate speed limit. 'I built this street fighter for beating Murcielagos and SLRs, I hate them. Now I can beat them.' Scarier still is that with the wick turned up on the Garret GT45 charger he's changed his appetite to super bikes, the GSX1300R in particular. And what does it cost to build a fiercely fast fibreglass supercar/bike slaying SUV, which can be used everyday? The answer, you'll be surprised to hear is $ 72,000. Yeah I know that's showroom sticker price for the Corvette Z06, but come on look at it, in all its Mad Maxness.

Onwards to the safety of the Autodrome he's approaching 240kph and I'm starting to worry how quick it's got there. If it takes so little time to make an impression on the tacho, surely that extra 100kph he was talking about is easily obtainable before we need to brake hard for the roundabout traffic lights, which I can see from my damp passenger seat, have just turned red.

I'm not one easily unsettled in a car, but at this point I am feeling very nervy. I need to see my family once more at least, and I think I forgot to water Big O, the Pony Tail Palm in the living room. This is not my time to go, surely, I have so much to see and do. I can't think of what those things maybe right now as I'm slightly distracted by the whoosh of the turbocharger and the violent shaking that has taken hold of the cabin as we brake for that roundabout, the one which went from a pin-prick to filling the windscreen in a matter of seconds.

I am in no denial to how fast this thing will go, or for love or money in a position to question that theoretical 340kph top speed. Luckily we've run out of any real stretch of tarmac before we peel off to the Autodrome service road. But this is not the end of the road for ridiculous behaviour, as we are now two lanes abreast too sideways for my liking. Pulling up, thankfully, with all limbs attached and my head still glued to my spine I mentally kiss the ground. Ahmad is on his hands and knees too, at the rear of the Patrol. 'I only put those tyres on yesterday, new. That burn out on the roundabout just killed the rear left tyre - did you feel it go?' That's it. I'm committed to never get in that thing again. No way.

Out comes the Racelogic Performance Box, as we're here to see how damn quick this Patrol really is and if its owner is right when he says he can out run the 4.2sec Corvette, a 3.7sec SLR or a 4sec Murcielago, all tested by evo with this very same data recorder.

The black bomber shakes so much when it's given true beans that we have to tape the box to the windshield with lots and lots of gaffer tape. This is a first, I must say. Rolled out of the Technical Bay we wait for the Performance Box to pick up the necessary satellites. I think we are good to go. I can't imagine the little black box is positively pleased to be here either. Driven the wrong way up the pit lane the Nissan Patrol buckaroos up to the last turn before the pit straight and sits burbling away.

For what seems like eternity we sit strapped down, in silence, as the turbo-timer cuts the engine off. I feel like I'm here against my will. Off the line the Patrol managed a 4.2sec standing start to 100kph time, without even trying. The second attempt with much more verve, still in two-wheel mode, shaved a few tenths of a second off, to bring it under the time recorded by a Lamborghini Murcielago. Ouch. It'll go quicker, you could just tell, but by this time the rear tyres were seriously suffering.

Okay, that's me done chaps. I need to direct the photographer from the pit wall. Seriously, the first opportunity I bucked. I convinced Autodrome's James Burnett that Ahmad needed some taming, so best he rode shotgun. I have honestly never seen James so scared. It's funny how survival instincts kick in, and in this case me belting up again in the 1646bhp Patrol would have gone against my gut feeling.

Specification
Engine: 2006 Toyota Landcruiser V6, 4500cc, custom Future Generation in-take, Garrett GT45 turbocharger, Greddy intercooler, HKS wastegate
Location: Front, longitudinal
Max power: 1646bhp (race fuel) 1061.bhp (regular)
Transmission: Five-speed manual,four-wheel drive
Tyres: 900-16-9, sand-spec tyres
Brakes: Upgraded factory discs and pads
Weight: 2000kg
Power-to-weight: 833bhp/ton
0-100kph: 3.9sec
Top speed: 340kph (claimed)
EVO Rating: 5 STAR

Now notching 'it' into all-wheel drive, revving the nuts off the Nissan, Ahmad decides to dump the clutch and bang.... Trying to deal with the impossible, the driveshafts, differential and the gear linkage instantly twist themselves into a mass of gnarly metal. The bang wasn't as loud as I expected such an expensive clash of components to be, but the silence that followed gave me a sickening feeling. I'm standing a hundred yards away from the car, but it's a clear sign its game over today, as helmets are taken off, bonnet up, with James on the radio to race control.

Moments later the recovery truck is wheeled out. As the Nissan Patrol is towed down the pit lane, I notice that James (now behind the wheel) next to a very glum-looking Ahmad is smiling for the first time this morning. I think he's just glad it's all over, as am I.

'I am in no denial to how fast this thing will go, or In a position to question that theoretical top speed of 340kph'

quote:

Op dinsdag 21 september 2010 18:39 schreef Anne het volgende:
Ik reed gisteren wel even door een tunnel. En toen ik eruit kwam, kwam ik.

quote:

Op dinsdag 19 februari 2008 19:09 schreef BaraCuda het volgende:
Ik heb ook een piemel

quote:

Op woensdag 12 mei 2010 21:54 schreef Sounddragon het volgende:

[..]

sex en Lada in één zin

_{*mompelt iets over anticonceptie}

Op woensdag 12 mei 2010 21:55 schreef Alexxxxx het volgende:

[..]

de enige auto waarin enigzins sexuele dingen zijn gebeurd met mij is anders mijn niva

Op woensdag 12 mei 2010 21:56 schreef Sjoegerd het volgende:

[..]

Herinner me er aan dat ik niet in jouw Niva ga zitten

quote:

@2cv:
Op maandag 28 juni 2010 17:17 schreef Paladijn het volgende:
Met de hoeveelheid onzin die je verkondigd is het geen wonder dat je geen PTA-mod meer bent

quote:

Op maandag 12 juli 2010 21:43 schreef Alexxxxx het volgende:
mijn nagels zijn vandaag gelakt

quote:

Op vrijdag 13 augustus 2010 21:19 schreef BaraCuda het volgende:

[..]

Je hebt nog gelijk ook m'n rechter tiet is verrekt

quote:

Op vrijdag 13 augustus 2010 22:09 schreef Anne het volgende:

[..]


Nou en . Niemand komt zomaar aan mijn boobjens.

quote:

Op woensdag 9 februari 2011 21:33 schreef Barcaconia het volgende:

[..]

Heb jij soms zin in aids tijdens je chemokuur?

Op woensdag 9 februari 2011 21:37 schreef Alexxxxx het volgende:

[..]

nee,ik drink (vrijwel) geen alcohol.

quote:

Op maandag 29 augustus 2011 23:26 schreef Alexxxxx het volgende:

Icelandic Hillclimbing Crashes

vroegah was dit nog op eurosport net als trucktrial

quote:

Op maandag 29 augustus 2011 23:49 schreef FkTwkGs2012 het volgende:
[ afbeelding ]