Photography by RCH Designs
There is a fine line between a dose that will produce results and one that ends in a disastrous overdose. With certain substances, the difference can be between life and death if you don’t follow directions or mix ‘n match them wrong. Maybe it will land you a hospital visit or some other fun symptoms like: vomiting, nausea, seizures and comas. It isn’t just the bad-man drugs you find on the street corners either, but sometimes over the counter pharmaceuticals or household goodies too. However it’s mainly the heavy artillery like the Barbituates, Stimulants and Opiates that will bring the heat if taken incorrectly.
The crew over at High End Performance in Camarillo, CA never knows how to get the dosage right. No, not of narcotics... but when they are injecting some extra “go-fast” into their projects, they just don’t know when to quit. And when they try to stop and go cold-turkey ... just like a hardcore junkie we find them back at it again ripping apart what they just completed. We’re not exaggerating either, these guys have serious problems with addiction to modifying cars because this project is totally unrecognizable from where it was last year. The car was featured on a major import mag cover but it isn’t even worth mentioning since you probably couldn’t tell which cover anyways. Might as well be different car.
“Like I said, we only build cover cars” Owner of High End Performance Ben Abutin laughs. We had to fight over this one (again) even though we didn’t ink it last year. However, this time we put Abutin in a choke hold and gave him an offer he simply couldn’t refuse to lock down the feature. For us, we were fine with that, since the styling of the car was a tad unusual last year. This year, everyone was running their mouths about the badass G37 that was in the Cusco booth at SEMA, they weren’t doing that the year before as it sat in the Tanabe booth. Another notch in their belt, High End attracted the attention of Kazunori Yamauchi at this SEMA Show. Who is Mr. Yamauchi? Well, only the creator of the most successful racing simulator of all time, Gran Turismo. The popularity of the Polyphony video game prompted the team to scour the SEMA Show floor to award top builds. The award this year included a custom Sony Playstation3 in the form of a trophy and of course a slot to be immortalized in the game itself. So, when Gran Turismo 5 comes around, you will be able to unlock and drive this beast on the Playstation3 ... sick!
What turned Yamauchi-san to the High End G37 this time around? Well it was mostly due in part to the menacing features of the car. High End Performance Inc. has been developing a widebody kit for the G37 over the past year. They wanted to relly flex their design skills to promote all of their widebody kits. The G37 was created to showcase the innovation at High End Performance and create a vehicle that displays performance and styling in a striking package. Abutin, the designer of High End Performance aero kits, is responsible for the design of this car entirely. The focus of this project was to produce a one-of-a-kind bodykit that compliments the vehicle’s current design. The bodykit was molded to the exterior avoiding any unsightly bolts, rivets or trim for that matter. After the extensive mods were complete, Abutin added some off the shelf items that can be bought for any G37.
He worked with Seibon to supply a carbon fiber vented hood to reduce weight and improve airflow through the engine bay. Seibon also supplied a carbon fiber OE-style trunk that was fitted with an APR GT500 wing for improved downforce. To stabilize some of the air behind the vehicle a Top Secret carbon fiber rear diffuser was added. The exterior was drenched in several layers of BASF flat black with the carbon bits covered in a matte clear for the dry carbon look. Afterwards, they plastered the car in several layers of vinyl with title sponsor ‘CUSCO’ blazed across the side.
To make the G37 perform like it looks, High End worked alongside Aerodyne Industries of Industry, CA. They had taken on the task of winding-up the VQ engine to be able to handle the forced induction from twin turbos. The custom turbo set-up features dual top-mounted NISMO N1 turbos perched on tubular manifolds. These dual ball-bearing twins were made famous by the R34 Nür-spec for their capability of 500 instant-on horsepower. The compressed air heads into custom V-mounted Bell intercoolers lurking just under the hood.
The fuel system is amped up with two additional 550cc injectors to meet the needs of all that air flowing into the chambers. All of the moving parts and friction needed lubrication, so additional Setrab oil coolers were added along with an aluminum radiator to manage heat. For proper tuning, the ECU was completely remapped by Mine’s of Japan and is now configured as a standalone.
With the appearance dialed in, the focus turned to the wheel and tire package that had to make a statement. High End sponsor, SSR Wheels (owned by Tanabe) stepped up and offer a custom set of their SSR Professor VF1 wheels finished in a flat black with polished lip. Up front the 19x10-inch wheels are now wrapped in all new Nitto NT-05 ultra high performance tires sized 235/40R19, while the massive set of 19x12.5-inch wheels out back are wearing 305/30R19 Nitto tires. The stock Brembo brakes were relieved of duty by a set of beefy AP Racing 6-piston calipers with 380mm 2-piece rotors up front, which were joined by an AP Racing 4-piston rear set-up and 330mm combo.
The low-slung stance of the car was achieved by the engineers at Cusco working with the crew at High End. A set of Cusco’s 2e coilovers were bolted up to the coupe and an alignment given that would tuck the wheels as close to the bodywork as possible. The coilovers were also fitted with an in-cabin adjustable controller. The Cusco eCon allows the driver to adjust the dampening via the touch of a button, on-the-fly. Cusco is in the process of completing the R&D for all of the underbracing on this G37S. What is found underneath this car prototype and once their engineering process is complete these versions will be replaced with production pieces.
The focus of the project shifted to the interior where components had been completely reupholstered in Alcantara suede. The headliner and the the doors are a combination of red and black suede done by Gold Coast Upholstery in Ventura, CA. The carpeting has been re-laid in a carbon fiber look material that Abutin explains is very hard to find.
The stock seats were swapped out for a set of reupholstered Bride GIAS with the Mazora-finished shell. The steering column was replaced with a Splash hub and a Works Bell quick-release capped with a Nardi leather steering wheel. The shift knob, shift boot, and emergency brake handle were all upgraded to Nardi. A Blitz R-Vitz was added to relay engine vitals on LCD cluster. The entire package was then surrounded by a protective 6-point cage supplied by Cusco to finish off the cabin.
No project at SEMA is going to get the kind of notoriety the High End G37S received without a load of multimedia gadgetry. Memphis Car Audio stepped in to supply the gear for the project including Memphis Car Audio 12-inch subs, amps, capacitors and wiring. Then there is a 20-inch Samsung Television connected to a Sony PS3 and custom rearview camera. The headunit is by Pioneer, an AVIC-N3 that also integrates Nav, DVD and satellite radio.
With the prestigious Gran Turismo Award under their belt, the High End team has serious momentum rolling early this year. They will tour the car with Team AutoConcept Elite at various events across the country and plan on expanding the media coverage as much as possible. For now, the car has only seen 3,200 miles or so as its performance is being tuned and dialied in. However, now that the car is being digitized for the PS3 anyone can have a crack at the wheel.
ESSENTIALS
Owner: Ben Abutin
Location: Camarillo, CA
Vehicle: 2008 Infiniti G37S
Power: 450WHP (EST.)
Engine: Nissan 3.7L VQ37DE V6
ENGINE MODIFICATIONS
- NISMO N1 Turbos
- Autodyne turbo manifolds
- GT Style Exhaust System|
- ATL 12 gallon Fuel Cell
- Setrab oil coolers (3)
- Bell lay-flat intercoolers (3)
ENGINE MANAGEMENT
- Mine’s Tuned ECU
WHEELS, TIRES, BRAKES
- SSR Custom Professor VF1 Wheels; 19X10-in (f), 19X12.5-in (r) - Flat Black Spokes, Polished lip
- NITTO NT-05 UHP tires
- Light weight SSR Lug Nuts
- AP Racing 6-piston/380mm, AP Racing 4-piston/330mm
SUSPENSION
- Cusco-2e Coilovers
- Cusco eCon controller
- Cusco under-braces (3)
EXTERIOR
- 10-piece High End Performance Widebody (Front Bumper, Rear Bumper Sideskirts (2), Front Fenders (2), Rear Fenders (2), Mirrors (2))
- Seibon carbon fiber trunk
- Seibon carbon fiber vented hood
- Top Secret Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser
- APR GT500 carbon fiber wing
- BASF flat black paint
INTERIOR
- Bride GIAS Low Max
- Nardi wheel & shift knob
- Blitz R-Vitz LCD Cluster
- Gold Coast Custom Interior
- Bride Seats
- Door Panels
- Headliner
- Carpeting
- Cusco 6-point cage
AUDIO / MULTIMEDIA
- 20-inch Samsung Television
- Sony PS3
- Custom Rear view Camera
- Memphis Car Audio 12-inch subwoofers
- Memphis Car Audio amplifiers
Memphis Car Audio capacitors, wiring and accessories
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