Wednesday was the last day for Smoky Nagata to dyno tune the last batch of Nissans in Houston which happened to be open to the public as well. Fans from all over stopped by Secret Services Auto to see the legend doing what he does best.
The guys from Baker-Jackson with Nagata san strike a pose
Mind the ashy elbow, fans were delighted by Smoky's presence.
Something to note from this day is this was the time that Project Mothra from Baker-Jackson Nissan made it’s debut. Crowds gathered as news spread that this 370Z was coming to SSA straight from Underground Graphics shortly after just having the PowerHouse Amuse Vestito kit installed. This aero kit, thought to be the only one in the United States gave everyone in attendance a “broner” (JohnP’s word, not mine).
Project Mothra coming in hot.
Damn, that kit looks great!
Even from the side, the Amuse aero looks oh so right.
The aggressive rear bumper actually flows very well
Don't act surprised, you knew this was coming
That's a massive wing to go with the huge bulging fenders
The car looked great. It was a unanimous decision. Now it was time to match those good looks with some power. The only trick though was to make it up not one, but two semi-steep ramps to make it into the shop. With the newly installed, straight-from-Japan aero, it was understandable not to want to scratch up, or even (GASP!) crack it! An expert was called in to have the car guided in ever so slightly up the incline.
First ramp, done. Now for the tight one
Now you know why Jason Langley was sweating bullets!
The fans were just starting to gather
Getting strapped down by the guys at SSA
Smoky making adjustments to the Top Secret Intake
Nagata-san about to make some passes.
The numbers don't lie, Smoky's tune was unbeatable
Smoky had been tuning cars from the previous night all the way till after 2am, so it was a surprise to me to find out that he was back in the shop at 10am! The man is a machine! Never once did he stop. Well, maybe once. An ice cream truck had come by, and I thought this was a great time to get some ice cream as the day was starting to get a little warmer. Another guy (sorry, forgot your name) was kind enough to buy Smoky and his head tech a round of ice cream too, to which I suggested only the best for our overseas guest. Ninja Turtles.
Smoky is all smiles at the thought of "Ninja turtle!" ice cream.
We gotta tweet this!
Michelangelo would be so proud.
Well actually, you would think that a man could sit and enjoy his ice cream, but we ARE talking about a machine here. So that didn’t stop him from getting work done.
Smoky tuning and eating ice cream. It doesn't get any more JDM than that.
Notice he doesn't eat and tune in a customer's car. How respectful!
As the day quickly turned into night, the much anticipated tune for the R35 GT-R was about to take place. The car had a few problems with a boost controller that was installed, and the guys did their best to correct any issues. There were talks about COBB tuning having a great tune for GT-R’s so it was interesting to see how Smoky’s tune would stack up against it.
The dynamic team that is Top Secret
Smoky sorting out the boost controller.
The GT-R on the dyno
Everyone eagerly awaits the results
If Smoky gives the thumbs up, then everything in the world is right
The results are in.
Wow. Look at that midrange. (click to see it bigger)
Stock vs. Cobb vs. Smoky (click to enlarge)
The owner of this particular GT-R was ecstatic to say the least. Jason Langley also gave it a test drive, and both said exactly the same thing, that their hands were still trembling and that their tunnel vision had been reduced to the size of a pencil top.
Everyone was all smiles.
cheeeeeeeese!
The planet-zero G37 sits outside SSA
Don't worry, you'll see this car at Import Reactor Unlimited
So as we close on this epic journey from Japan to Houston, Maydaygarage would like to thank everyone who was involved in getting this legendary tuner here including (but not limited to) Secret Services Auto, Planet-Zero, Baker-Jackson Nissan, Swat Performance and of course, Top Secret Japan.
But it doesn’t end here! Smoky will be at Import Reactor Friday and Saturday night as he anxiously awaits to see the show cars here in the States. He also wants to see how many people love our car scene so don’t let him down and give Smoky a reason to return!
All photos were taken exclusively for Maydaygarage by Donnell McAllister, our newest edition to our Team! Visit his website at www.mcallister-photography.com
And don’t forget to add us on Facebook by clicking HERE!
See you guys at IR2010!
–David–
David@maydaygarage.com