Extreme Nissan R35 GT-R Dominates Hillclimbing in South Africa

Nissan R35 GT-R - front corner view
Custom Nissan R35 GT-R Hillclimb Race car - Source: Franco Scribante Racing

There is no competition. This is absolutely the most absurd aero pack you’ll find on a Nissan GT-R. It’s the product of Franco Scribante Racing – a motorsports team from South Africa.

They started with a 2016 Nissan R35 GT-R and a set of design blueprints from Dodson Motorsports, then re-engineered everything into this one of a kind Hillclimb monster.

Nissan R35 GT-R - rear corner view
Custom Nissan R35 GT-R Hillclimb Race car – Source: Franco Scribante Racing

The car made a debut at the Jaguar Simola Hill Climb event at the Knysna Festival of Speed last week. Piloting for his team was Franco Scribante himself.

They dominated the event – first winning the Classic Car Friday race with a Chevron B19 with a lead of 0.123 seconds.

On the second day, Franco drove the R35 GT-R to victory winning best in class and the main event – King of The Hill. He made the winning run in 39.342 seconds with a full second lead over the competition. His best run overall was even faster – 38.5 seconds.

Nissan R35 GT-R - engine bay
Custom Nissan R35 GT-R Hillclimb Race car – Source: Franco Scribante Racing

Scribante claims the 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine is capable of producing 2,200 horsepower at the wheels and 1,200 lbs-ft of torque. Too bad it only goes up to 1,600 WHP in the Hillclimb configuration.

Moving on to the elephant in the room, every aerodynamic surface of this Nissan GT-R is taken to the extreme. If you though McLaren Senna GTR had bonkers aerodynamics, you’re in for a treat.

Nissan R35 GT-R - side view
Custom Nissan R35 GT-R Hillclimb Race car – Source: Franco Scribante Racing

In the rear, there is a 3-plate wing with massive side planes. Below it – a sufficiently large diffuser.

At the front, there is a second 2-plane wing, producing downforce for the front axle. A giant splitter directs the air to the huge intercooler. Vents in the hood and at the back of the fenders supplement the airflow, expelling hot air from the engine bay.

Nissan R35 GT-R - front view
Custom Nissan R35 GT-R Hillclimb Race car – Source: Franco Scribante Racing

Together, the body develops more than 4,400 lbs of downforce at 100 mph. In the video footage, you’ll see the car is firmly stuck on the pavement, despite going full speed through some very sharp corners.

It wouldn’t be far fetched to say each wheel gets as much power and downforce as an entire stock Nissan GT-R.

The construction uses a chromoly tubular space frame chassis wrapped in carbon fiber and a floor out of aramid (Kevlar). The interior is all business – carbon fiber dash, race seat and steering wheel, and a number of components usually found in the engine bay. As a result, the whole car weighs less than 3,000 lbs.

Nissan R35 GT-R - front corner view
Custom Nissan R35 GT-R Hillclimb Race car – Source: Franco Scribante Racing

There is no spec sheet of the car, but we made out some top of the line parts, including:

  • Brembo brakes with carbon rotors and pads
  • Ohlins Advanced Motorsport suspension system
  • Alpha Performance R35 GT-R Carbon Fiber Intake Manifold
  • Dodson Motorsport developed the chassis, engine, and transmission
Nissan R35 GT-R - suspension
Custom Nissan R35 GT-R Hillclimb Race car – Source: Franco Scribante Racing

Hill climb events are awesome because they rarely impose significant restrictions, allowing teams to build the best machines they can. And when you let engineers loose, you end up with a car like this one – ridiculous, yet proper.