2008 marks the beginning of R35 GT-R tuning, but perhaps more importantly for those of us in the US it will mark the first time that we’ll be able to buy street legal GT-Rs without fear of dodging the law at every corner (my buddies with street driven R32s, 33s and 34s know this reality all too well). So…this is the first time that GT-R tuning for some will be more than just interesting entertainment, it can finally be a reality!

Because of my personal love of high quality Japanese tuning, the GT-R is conceptually vital to my interests and my businesses. Its Japan’s most dominant and high performing car, the perfect counterpart to the products that we’ve been introducing and distributing over the years. Such a car is worthy of a renewed and more specialized effort on our behalf, so www.gt-rr.com was conceptualized. Soon it will be a reality and will represent all of the world’s most legendary GT-R tuning shops and their products. Top Secret, Mines, and Amuse, (just to name a few) are companies that we represent in America and we’re proud to introduce their new GT-R parts which can be used first the first time on US spec production GT-Rs!

Its my promise to bring more “R” to the GT-R community in the US and abroad, www.bulletproofautomotive.com and www.gt-rr.com will be two destinations you can count on for the latest and greatest GT-R tuning parts.

So what tuning parts are we talking about? Afterall, the car’s only been out in Japan for two months or so! Well, you’d be surprised how fast people are working to get new parts developed. This posting and our future updates will highlight some of the things that caught my eye earlier this month when I was in Tokyo.

1. Exhausts: It’s hard to pick a favorite when there are so many incredibly built exhausts for the GT-R. However it’s a bit easier to categorize them. There were the usual Greddy exhausts which bore me terribly and motivate me to nearly enough to burn the 0.05 calerie it takes for me to depress my index finger on my camera’s button. Sorry no pics of the Greddy cars.
Here’s three exhausts that excited me in three very different ways:

1. ARC:

Their full titanium exhaust utilizes their usual mega chop/pie section welded titanium (I think their welders might go a little overboard sometimes on it, but I’m sure there’s a good reason). Actually, ARC exhausts are incredibly expensive so it wouldn’t surprise me to see a correlation between price and # of welds, maybe thats why they love their welders sitting down with a 64oz one-off Boss Coffee spazzing out with a table full of little bits of titanium section. At least thats what I envision their titanium exhaust division of their factory doing!

So, as I wrote this you’re probably looking at the photo wondering…shut up and talk about the tips! Yes, the tips are what make the ARC a love it or hate it piece. Its like if you took a Murcialago, built a burnt titanium version tip for it and then said…nah, one rocket launcher style exhaust just aint gonna cut it, we need two! (Picture the amount of crap Eddie Murphy could jam up these exhaust tips in Beverly Hills Cop X. ) But seriously though…it isnt easy to out do 4 of the hugest OEM exhausts tips ever made on the standard GT-R. I get why they did it and I think its cool. Originality is excellent on this, quality is great too and the finished product when installed looks appropriate. I’d recommend it…that is until I see the price later since ARC I always feel is overpriced.

2. Amuse:

Its no secret that I think Nippon Steel are Titanium gods. Its also no secret that Amuse designs the most beautiful and functional things known to man. So the only fault that I could find in the new R35 Amuse exhaust is that its too perfect. What does that mean exactly? It’s like a woman that dresses for the runway every day and you want someone with a little more “hood” in them. Amuse has the gold ring tips, the absolutely flawless titanium gradiation treatments and every weld is polished to a perfect finish. The only flaw is that if you want an evil GT-R, dressing it up as a runway model might not always be the gangster image you might be looking for. If I had one of these, I’d have a hard time not just mounting it on my living room wall and calling it a day. (The same words could be said for how I’d handle the aforementioned runway model) If I were to ever install it, I’d probably look for a way to blacken/burn my bumper right above it so that it looks a little dirtier. Maybe I just like a slutty exhaust…must be.

3. Mines:

So, if you’ve seen Niikura-shacho of Mines before, you know how he can rock a sweater like no other. The man represents extreme performance within a civilized package. His products are quiet, mind blowing quality and maximum performance every time. The Mines R35 GT-R exhaust is no different. It gets straight to business. Light weight, powerful and just a little swagger with the edges of the tips blued. Looking at the Mines exhaust off the car, I’m saying to myself…ok, another solid Mines part. Nothing more. It didnt make me drop my draw like the supermodel looks of the Amuse exhaust. But yet, when the Mines exhaust is seen on the R35 it has such a perfect balance of maturity, confident yet subdued aggression, function and quality. Being a little more raw on the finish than the Amuse, somehow just this once it might be my favorite exhaust over the Amuse for the new GT-R.

Of all three of these high end exhausts, there really is no justifiable way to rank them. They are all amazing. I just love them all for different reasons and ultimately I would only be 100% satisfied if they all came manufactured with quick releases and a personal mechanic to switch them out each day so you could rock them all!

PS: For sound, I know for a fact that the Mines and the Amuse are both very daily driver friendly since I’ve heard both cars run. They both sound INCREDIBLE, but not too loud.

I’ll check back in later with more GT-R tuning parts.