I drove up to Modesto today (45 minute drive) to see my friend Matt (93 Twin turbo – very modified and very fast). We drove to a Mazda dealer looking for a used 2001 Z06 Matt had seen on the lot a week ago. Well, the Z was sold and gone. So we drove to the Nissan dealer (across the street) to take a look and maybe a test drive the new Z-350. Salesperson told us they had no Z’s on the lot and the first 9 they receive were already sold, so it would be some time before they had a Z someone could actually test drive.
We then drove to Gerry Johnson’s shop. Gerry was not in at the time but we were told he would arrive soon. Gerry show up a short time later and we introduced ourselves. Gerry took us to the back of his shop where we checked out some of his projects and of course, his NSX.
His NSX appears awesome. It is very aggressive looking, and the air scoop on top does nothing but scream “This machine is capable of Mach 1”. Everything was professionally installed, manufactured, machined, and designed. All parts of the motor are still very accessible too. The single exhaust pipe took a little getting use to, but it sure frees up space under the car. The exhaust is of his own design and manufacture. It’s not very loud, perhaps a tad quieter than a Tiatec GT Competition exhaust. The Work Equip wheels are very cool and work well with the cars look.
He offered a ride and I jumped in. He got on it a little and I could hear the turbo spool up quickly. The blow-off valve was very audible too. At normal street speeds, there is no sign of any thing unusual about the motor. It sounds just like my NSX. Gerry drove to a road that was closed for repairs, but still accessible. Gerry looked at me and asked “Ready?”. I looked at him and nodded. All I could do is scream “SSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIII#######(#(#(#*#)$@)@)(#@%&#@%&@&$@)”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And that is an understatement. Any car that can break traction on 4th gear on dry, rough pavement is fast. And I’m not talking about “Chirping” the tires either, I mean BREAK TRACTION. Gerry told that traction is his biggest problem. If he had some slicks (he told me he just got some in) on the Work Equips, I’m pretty sure he could get into the 10’s at the drag strip. As it stands now, he turns high 11’s. Gerry tells me he has to be careful not to use full throttle even when he’s ¾ of the way down the strip – the NSX can still loose traction and the rear end gets squirrelly.
After I regained my composure, Gerry asked me if I wanted to drive. After a couple of moments thought, I accepted his offer. One thing I noticed about his NSX is that it’s much easier to turn than mine. I even asked him if he installed power steering. Nope, all stock 91 steering. I don’t know why mine feels so heavy. Also, his clutch is very light and smooth. Gerry tells me it’s a Clutch Master stage 4, I’m getting one for sure. Anyway, I drove it like a baby carriage for the first mile or so until Gerry commanded to “DRIVE!”. I found a open road and throttled up through first and second gear. Definitely the fastest car I’ve ever had the privilege to drive, or ever be in. I only hit 7k in each gear and it seemed like it lasted for only 4 seconds, and I bet I’m pretty close. FAST FAST FAST. His system will be the one I use when I can find the $$ and get permission from the commander-in-chief.
I’d like to thank Gerry again for spending so much time with me and Matt (about 2 hours). Gerry is a very friendly and personable. When it comes time to “accessorize” my NSX, I’m taking it to Gerry for sure. Not just because he’s close, but he’s very knowledgeable in his field of expertise and is willing to take the time to explain every detail of a system. Before you upgrade your NSX, I highly recommend checking out what Gerry has to offer.
None of my comments were paid for and this post was made of my own free will…blah blah blah….
We then drove to Gerry Johnson’s shop. Gerry was not in at the time but we were told he would arrive soon. Gerry show up a short time later and we introduced ourselves. Gerry took us to the back of his shop where we checked out some of his projects and of course, his NSX.
His NSX appears awesome. It is very aggressive looking, and the air scoop on top does nothing but scream “This machine is capable of Mach 1”. Everything was professionally installed, manufactured, machined, and designed. All parts of the motor are still very accessible too. The single exhaust pipe took a little getting use to, but it sure frees up space under the car. The exhaust is of his own design and manufacture. It’s not very loud, perhaps a tad quieter than a Tiatec GT Competition exhaust. The Work Equip wheels are very cool and work well with the cars look.
He offered a ride and I jumped in. He got on it a little and I could hear the turbo spool up quickly. The blow-off valve was very audible too. At normal street speeds, there is no sign of any thing unusual about the motor. It sounds just like my NSX. Gerry drove to a road that was closed for repairs, but still accessible. Gerry looked at me and asked “Ready?”. I looked at him and nodded. All I could do is scream “SSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIII#######(#(#(#*#)$@)@)(#@%&#@%&@&$@)”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And that is an understatement. Any car that can break traction on 4th gear on dry, rough pavement is fast. And I’m not talking about “Chirping” the tires either, I mean BREAK TRACTION. Gerry told that traction is his biggest problem. If he had some slicks (he told me he just got some in) on the Work Equips, I’m pretty sure he could get into the 10’s at the drag strip. As it stands now, he turns high 11’s. Gerry tells me he has to be careful not to use full throttle even when he’s ¾ of the way down the strip – the NSX can still loose traction and the rear end gets squirrelly.
After I regained my composure, Gerry asked me if I wanted to drive. After a couple of moments thought, I accepted his offer. One thing I noticed about his NSX is that it’s much easier to turn than mine. I even asked him if he installed power steering. Nope, all stock 91 steering. I don’t know why mine feels so heavy. Also, his clutch is very light and smooth. Gerry tells me it’s a Clutch Master stage 4, I’m getting one for sure. Anyway, I drove it like a baby carriage for the first mile or so until Gerry commanded to “DRIVE!”. I found a open road and throttled up through first and second gear. Definitely the fastest car I’ve ever had the privilege to drive, or ever be in. I only hit 7k in each gear and it seemed like it lasted for only 4 seconds, and I bet I’m pretty close. FAST FAST FAST. His system will be the one I use when I can find the $$ and get permission from the commander-in-chief.
I’d like to thank Gerry again for spending so much time with me and Matt (about 2 hours). Gerry is a very friendly and personable. When it comes time to “accessorize” my NSX, I’m taking it to Gerry for sure. Not just because he’s close, but he’s very knowledgeable in his field of expertise and is willing to take the time to explain every detail of a system. Before you upgrade your NSX, I highly recommend checking out what Gerry has to offer.
None of my comments were paid for and this post was made of my own free will…blah blah blah….
