Sunkist Cefiro

Drifters are an intriguing bunch of people.

If you’ve got a rear-wheel-drive vehicle with plenty of power, you’ve got all the equipment you need to jump on the bandwagon. You don’t need the latest and greatest set of rims or the wildest body kit. Heck, it’s even seen as cool to have massive dents in the rear quarter panels and a torn-off bumper – the tell-tale scars of a serious drifter.

But every now and then you come across a drifter that has the plenty of power, drive to the ‘right’ end and plenty of attention to detail. These are the drift show-stoppers.

Brendan Stone of Brisbane owns this Japanese-import Nissan Cefiro, which is a prime example of an upper-crust drift machine.

Although more than capable of hanging the rear out with the best of ‘em, this machine looks stunning with its custom flared wheel arches (which are a necessity if you want to fit 11 inch wide rear wheels!), ground-hugging body kit and 2-door body.

Brendan purchased his Cefie in December ’04 and says it was pretty much as you see it – all the hard work had been done in Japan. The Japanese body kit (of an unknown brand) had already been installed along with the flared guards and sealed rear doors. However, Brendan wasn’t happy with the quality of these mods so he enlisted Wizard Smash to re-fit the kit and re-weld the rear doors. Note that the rear doors are sealed and the rear quarter glass has been removed. And, yes, the bonnet is fitted properly – spacers are installed to the trailing end of the bonnet to help release under-bonnet heat. It’s also a bit of a fashion statement in drift circles. The existing gold paint was also given the flick for a fresh coat of Spicer Orange – it’s hard to miss!

Under the bonnet lives the factory-fitted Nissan RB20DET 2 litre DOHC six cylinder turbo. Incidentally, it’s curious that Nissan Japan released the R32 Skyline 4 door and the Cefiro with the same engine – both vehicles are very similar in size and design.

Factory rated at 151kW, this particular RB20DET has been gifted with an A’PEXi front-mount intercooler, HKS 25/30 ball-bearing turbocharger, GReddy oil catch can, a free-flowing K&N air filter and 3 inch exhaust. An A’PEXi Power FC plug-in programmable computer gives full control over a set of Skyline GT-R injectors, which are installed along with a Walbro pump and Malpassi pressure regulator. A big-bore Z32 300ZX airflow meter is also fitted.

Internally, the engine has received aftermarket camshafts and adjustable cam gears – both supplied through Zoom Auto Imports. Brendan says he might soon pull apart the bottom-end for a ‘freshen up’ - at the time of writing, a high-mount turbo was about to be installed.

As you see it, Brendan’s Cefiro is running just 8 psi boost. At this level, the car has recorded 205kW at the wheels (on a Dyno Dynamics chassis dyno) but the plan is to take it to 18 psi boost. Brendan is hoping for around the 250kW ATW mark.

Drifting is particularly tough on drivelines (and pretty well everything else!) so Brendan’s Cefiro runs a one-piece tailshaft and a 2-way mechanical diff. A 5 puck brass button clutch channels drive to the standard RB20DET gearbox. A short shift and heavy-duty gearbox mount are also installed.

The poise of the Cefiro is precisely controlled thanks to adjustable JIC coil-overs teamed with adjustable front upper control arms and aftermarket tie-rod ends. The steering is also enhanced with high-strength aluminium steering shafts and a low-compliance GT1 steering shaft bush. Wheels are 17 x 9 at the front and 18 x 11 at the rear wearing 265/45 and 265/35 tyres respectively. The huge wheel offset and flared guards allow Brendan to go for even wider rubber - if needed... Brakes have been upgraded using R33 Skyline front discs and calipers.

The car arrived in Brendan’s hands with a fairly worn and boring looking interior. These days, the cabin is enhanced with black/orange re-trimmed R33 Skyline front seats and a re-formed and matching trimmed rear seat. The door trims are also custom jobs.

In addition to the interior trimming, you’ll find a Momo steering wheel, a drift button on the handbrake lever, aluminium shift knob, AutoMeter boost gauge and tacho with shift light. A remote control JVC MP3 head unit is wired to a pair of 6 inch speakers in doors and another pair of 6-ers in the rear. A twin 12 inch sub-woofer box is about to go into the boot. Oh and, as you can see in this photo, the Michelin Man and Kermit the Frog are also along for the ride...

As you can probably tell from our pics, Brendan still has some finishing off to do under the bonnet but, after the latest bolt-on goodies have been fitted, there’ll be no holding back this Cefiro. It is certain to appeal to drifters, people into the show scene and the general car enthusiast.

A drift ‘pig’ it ain’t!

Contact:

Zoom Auto Imports                                   +61 7 3348 6939