GTspirit was recently offered an opportunity that was too good to refuse, a look behind the scenes with aerodynamic tuners RevoZport. Little detail was given by the carbon fibre specialists prior to the event, but all was revealed as we entered a cold garage in a dull industrial estate in London. Sat before us was a menacing black Nissan GT-R. This car was soon to be fitted with some very special carbon parts that would complete the first JCR Edition RevoZport GT-R.
What is the JCR Edition? This car is a 2011 Nissan GT-R that will be tuned and tinkered with by up and coming racing driver, Jonny Cocker who is sourcing the finest elements for his own car which he will present as a complete package in the coming months. Variables include the cars brakes, wheels, exhaust systems and even smaller details such as the shift paddles behind the wheel. RevoZport are involved in the project to help with aero parts that later on proved to be a vital tool on the Jonny Cocker Racing Edition.
From the outset the company’s director Charles, himself an amateur race driver, architect and head designer of RevoZport, was clear on his intentions and goals for the GT-R and the aero parts that he and his team had developed. Only the finest quality materials were used and it was very important that the fit and finish were not only perfectly suited to the GT-R, but could also be removed without damaging the original body parts. There are no new holes drilled so owners can swap parts as they desire or return the car to its stock condition without leaving a trace. Charles went on to explain that we were going to see the car transformed in just a few hours from its predominantly stock guise into a race inspired machine that would not only focus on form, but also function.
The parts built are not designed to look outrageous and brash, but instead to either dynamically enhance air flow. For example the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta parts are very simple and minimal. Charles went on to say that Ferrari have optimised the aero on the car and as a result the changes are minimal but where Ferrari have used plastic, RevoZport use carbon.
The newly designed parts that were to be tested focused on three boot lid wings and dive planes that would be matched in different configurations based on the customers needs. For instance, the duck tail DN trunk looked clean, streamlined and would be optimum for a high speed set up in contrast to the RZ GT1 wing that has mounts above the wing resulting in fifteen times more downforce than that of the stock wing, but more on that later!
First up the engineers at RevoZport, all of whom have worked on race cars at some point in their careers, got to work on removing the stock boot lid and wing to fit the vicious looking RZ GT1 wing, a design that was inspired by the racing world to maximise downforce.
The fully carbon lid and wing weighed substantially less than the standard piece and looked like a part stolen from the batmobile in its un polished carbon finish. With the fitting and holes matching that of the standard part, fitting took all of about ten minutes with the help of just two engineers, no extra parts or screws ensure a snug and natural fit. On the road the GT-R turns necks wherever it went, the wing giving this car a look that only a handful of cars can match with the support arms joining on the top of the horizontal section rather than underneath it.
Adding to the visual drama was a heavily vented and sculpted hood that was again finished in uncoated carbon fibre. This part transformed the look of the entire car. Again, weighing a lot less that the standard Nissan part the RevoZport hood presented a number of benefits, lighter weight, increased cooling and a much more muscular look.
Back into the workshop and it was time for another wing configuration to be installed, the RZ GT2, a more conventional looking fixed bolt wing but on that is very effective none the less. One final modification was made as race style dive planes/canards were tactfully attached to the lower section of the front bumper. Additionally a double diffuser sat under the front lip, protruding round from the front arches.
Having shot the most extreme configuration it was time for the final set-up featuring a much more subtle boot lid, the duck tail styled DN Trunk, a lid designed to create a relatively small amount of downforce allowing maximum amounts of straight line speed.
With that the end of our first day with RevoZport came to an end, the next day promised to be even more exciting! The parts that had been swapped on and off the project car, owned by Jonny Cocker himself, were prototypes and it was time to test the structural and aerodynamic properties of them. There was only one thing for it, a trip to the UK’s most advanced and technologically advanced wind tunnel.
The fans began to whir and the gentle breeze developed into a ridiculously strong wind that was unrelenting in knocking over tripods laden with thousands of pound of equipment whilst hair was messed and cheeks flapped! Behind the glass all was very quiet as figures of weight and downforce were examined by the racing engineers, team managers, racing drivers and composite designers who scratched their chins and stroked their beards as the others joked about what they though would happen if a wing was to structurally fail, something that thankfully did not happen. The car was even being constantly detailed by puredetail.co.uk to make sure the car was kept looking at its best and to reduce resistance from debris!
What did happen was remarkable. The wings exceeded expectation, producing huge levels of downforce, the dive planes, splitters, and Duck tail justified the time and effort Charles and his team has pumped into their development. The results were compared to that of a standard 2011 car that was tested just before the JCR car. The parts had proved themselves not only to be aesthetically pleasing but aerodynamically spectacular.
For a little more understanding of what was going on for those who did not have degrees in aeronautical engineering (such as myself) smoke was used to illustrate the effects of the wings and parts that had been installed. The process left us gobsmacked as the smooth flow of the smoke over the body of the car was then redirected over the carbon additions as if they had always meant to have been parts on the car.
Having spent such a long period of time with RevoZport a few thing were made clear to us as bystanders. This small team that grew out of Hong Kong had a passion to improve the good to make them not only look, but to dynamically be great. The meticulous attention to detail is something that we have only ever seen at manufacturers with names such as Pagani or Spyker.
Never before have we seen tuners spend such time and effort perfecting aftermarket parts to such levels. These are levels that very few will fully appreciate but it was refreshing to see that there are still organisations that will never put a product to market until they have been approved by such a number of highly-qualified individuals.
This is RevoZports first project where they are producing parts to fit one persons vision and it is set to make the JCR Edition GT-R one of the most compelling packages for the GT-R available. The company are rapidly growing and the designers are coming up with fantastic ideas not only related to the automotive industry but lifestyle to. RevoZport are pushing the boundaries with carbon fibre creating functional items from bath tubs and dog houses.
We cannot wait to see what they plan on doing with future cars such as the BMW M4! Stay tuned with GTspirit for the latest news on RevoZport and other tuners.
