1,000HP Daily Driver: Nissan GT-R Ultimate Street Edition by Switzer

Oberlin, Ohio-based tuning house Switzer Performance has just lifted the lid on their new aftermarket package based on the Nissan GT-R.Designed to be a daily driver, Godzilla boasts 1,000hp and some new style, aptly dubbed the Ultimate Street Edition."Usable and practical is exactly what we wanted out of the USEs, and we've finally gotten these to the point we want them," said Tym Switzer.

Switzer's previous programs for the GT-R focused solely on power and performance. They suffered plenty of problems in normal daily use, such as overheating in traffic and the like.Switzer elaborated, saying of the USE that "This car idles smoothly. It shifts smoothly. There's no deafening exhaust or horrific gear whine. There is none of the harshness of most 'tuner specials', and we even managed to keep the highway mpg in the 20s."The Ultimate Street EditionNissan GT-R starts off in Switzer's shop as a standard R35 GT-R. They are then re-engineered "from the ground up."

Mr. Switzer continued "It's our customers' vision. For the most part, they're professionals. They have clients. They have families. They're busy every day. One thing they don't have is the time required to keeping a highly-strung tuner car on the road, order highly toxic drums of race fuel - not to mention taking trips to the chiropractor to fix their neck from the constant harsh shifts and stiff, track-oriented suspensions."He says that "These guys want a pussycat of a car that will purr along in bumper-to-bumper traffic with a reliable A/C, a reasonably quiet exhaust, and no worries about where they're going to gas up."

"When the road opens up, though, they want that pussycat to turn into a roaring lion. Right now. On demand. With no penalties, no compromises, and no excuses."Additions include Switzer-specific pistons, pins, rings, and connecting rods. Specially-ground camshafts were chosen to optimize the drivability and idle characteristics while maintaining transitional throttle response for a "broad, linear power curve."The 3.8-liter engine black has been left untouched, as the Ohioans don't want to compromise the reliability of Nissan's baby.

They have, however, added a pair of liquid-cooled turbochargers with innovative billet compressor wheels. Their own intercoolers are completely reliable and, say Switzer, they have been tested "In the Middle East in hundred-plus degree weather, [so] this cooling package and our intercoolers have made our reputation out there."A new stainless-steel performance exhaust system, Switzer-specific lowering springs, 'nano-carbon' brakes and more have been added to the GT-R USE. The modifications are so extensive that on regular pump gas, power output tops at 1,000hp.

No pricing has been released as of yet for the Switzer Performance 1,000hp daily driver Nissan GT-R Ultimate Street Edition.