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Mike's Top Secret G35
Even with the debut of the new Nissan Skyline GT-R eminent on the horizon, it’s hard to look at the current Nissan Skyline, the 350GT, and not see the resemblance to the legendary R34 GT-R. The Nissan Skyline 350GT Coupe, Infiniti G35 here in the U.S., retains the bulging rear fenders, a similar roofline and even the trademark circular Skyline tail lights of the previous models. The V35 Skyline did not leave the factory with a GT-R model, but it is still a Skyline, and it has the performance heritage in its blood.
Enter Top Secret and its founder Kazuhiko “Smoky” Nagata. Nagata has built a reputation for producing some of the most awe inspiring, fastest, and most powerful vehicles to ever hit the streets of Japan. When the Skyline 350GT was released, Top Secret quickly got their hands on the new Nissan and developed a number of amazing new products, including a now famous widebody kit, worn by Top Secret’s “V35 GT-R”, a car that took top honors at different shows and was featured in countless magazine spreads. The widebody on the Top Secret V35 GT-R makes many G35 coupe owners drool over its broad, flowing lines and array of air ducts and scoops. Mike Tran of Toronto, ON is one of these people. Mike envisioned his G35 with an authentic Top Secret widebody kit during 2005 as the JDM craze began to gain ground with American Tuners. Tran worked with Bulletproof Automotive to order the extremely rare and extremely expensive widebody kit you see here. From the bumpers to the fenders and even the carbon fiber rear diffuser, each and every authentic part was purchased and prepped to be installed on Tran’s G35. He even recently installed an even more rare JDM part, this time sourcing an ARC Aluminum under cooling panel to smooth out air flow underneath the car. Everything is in the details with Tran. After the widebody kit was received, Mike knew he wouldn’t be content with just looking fast. He wanted his G35 produce immense power to match the hard, aggressive lines of the Top Secret widebody. To accomplish this, he contacted the VQ engine building specialists here at Altered Atmosphere.
Tran’s engine received a full overhaul at Altered Atmosphere, receiving a cornucopia of fully built parts to support the astonishing power that would be produced by the engine. The parts include new AAM forged pistons, AAM rods, Darton Sleeves, AAM Head Studs, AAM Machine and Bore of all cylinders, full AAM Service engine balancing and much more. And that’s just the bottom end. The parts that actually produce the power vary from a GReddy Twin Turbo Kit, AAM Spec products including fuel return, 3 inch down pipes, 3 inch MaxFlow True Dual Exhaust, and an AAM Spec ECU flash. Of course, Tran included all the JDM goodies under the hood such as ARC titanium strut tower bar, oil filler cap, radiator cap and oil catch pan.
The end result is a staggering 650hp. Not quite the 720hp of the real Top Secret V35 GT-R, but pretty darn close. Since the build, Tran affiliated himself with Alpine Electronics of Canada and fully customized the interior of his car with a number of different Alpine audio products and custom fabrication that is color matched to the exterior color scheme of the G35. The car took around 4 years to complete, but the final product is a true testament to what can be done with enough patience, dedication and a true passion for building an incredible machine. Tran regularly visits Altered Atmosphere for tuning, installs and sometimes he’ll just drop in to visit. Even after the car was in the shop at Altered Atmosphere getting the engine built, every time Tran brings his car down it always draws a crowd. Special thanks go out to all his sponsors for their continued support, especially Alpine Electronics (special thanks to Shon), Altered Atmosphere, Bridgestone Canada, Bulletproof Automotive, Gray’s Custom Trim, Select Products and his R-Squadron car crew.
