Review of the TKR

A good review of the TommyKairaR1 - link to the site with pictures and full article here:

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/features/0502scc_skyline_tommykaira_r/index.html

tommykairaR

One of the coolest, and certainly one of the rarest, Skylines in America

writer: James Tate

This is a special car. It's a Tommykaira R, a car so rare it would be sacrilegious to refer to it as a mere R33 Nissan Skyline. Only 400 R33 TKR Skylines were produced from 1995 to 1998, and this is the only one to ever reach U.S. shores. It's number 357. You're more likely to see a Ferrari Enzo on the road than one of these.

Tommykaira is a Japanese tuning company named for its two founders, Mr. Tomita and Mr. Kaira. It received 400 bone-stock Skylines directly from Nissan and hot rodded them from the ground up on its own terms. Each was even autographed at the factory by the people who built it and a Tommykaira owner's manual was stuffed in the glovebox. Then Tommykaira sold the cars directly.This one belongs to Charles Juckett of Tampa, Fla. He added it to his collection just two years ago in a quest for uniqueness. Charles identified the car as a Tommykaira when he saw it pop up on eBay.com and quickly snatched it from the owner, who was unaware that it was more than just another Skyline. After Juckett had the car shipped all the way home to Tampa, he performed a few tweaks at his workplace, Z Fever. Charles was even foolish enough to let us take it for a spin.

This tossability is a result of the Tommykaira suspension, which is fully adjustable, from ridiculously stiff to bumps back seat passengers around like popcorn in the microwave. The Skyline also sports ATESSA-ETS Pro, one of the most technologically advanced all-wheel-drive systems ever designed. This dynamic duo results in confidence-inspiring handling that urges the driver to push harder and harder. This is one of a few high-horsepower cars in the world that all but the most ham-fisted can squeeze epic performance out of. Aim the car at a corner, jab the brakes and turn the wheel, let the electronics sort out the details of the motion, stab the loud pedal, and exit looking like Colin McRae every time.

The rev-happy 2.6-liter zings to 8000 rpm in the blink of an eye, but there's no need to keep the inline six screaming. The Tommykaira ECU has been tuned for a linear powerband, and Charles added a GReddy Profec B Spec II boost controller to get those twin turbos up to full boost (14.5 psi) at around 3500 rpm, and keep them there all the way to redline. The twin-plate Tommykaira clutch has an easy uptake, and the lightened flywheel helps contribute to an impossibly fast-revving engine, by lessening the rotating mass at the end of the crankshaft. Every part of this car is there not simply to do its own job, but to complement the other parts on-board. Which is exactly how it should be.This is a special car.