feature:

If you had told me back in 1981 that I would one day be participating in a similar event across America in a Datsun (the Nissan brand did not exist outside of Japan yet) that had 400hp more than that Countach, I would have pronounced you certifiable. And yet, here I am, 28 years later, having done exactly that...

Like many of you, my only exposure to the Gumball 3000 rally has been the various TV spots, including the notorious Ruby Wax BBC documentary filmed on the 2001 event. It has to be said that the overall impression of the event conveyed by that programme was not exactly positive, with many of the participants appearing to "compete" whilst still virtually incapacitated by a mixture of drink/partying/lack of sleep from the previous night's revelries.

Certainly there were more than a few who had blatant disregard for their own or anyone else's safety, as most memorably illustrated by the driver of the white F355 Spider (with appropriate number plate spelling L100NY or something similar) who managed to flip it nose over tail multiple times across a ploughed field with the miraculous outcome of only his co-driver's ear becoming mildly detached.

Most tragically of course, there was a fatal accident involving a "civilian" car in Macedonia in 2007. (Once the initial media frenzy dissipated, independent reports ascertained that the Gumball car was doing no more than 47mph and the civilian car pulled out of a crossroads when it did not have right of way.)

I mentioned both these incidents to Gumball organiser Maximillion Cooper when I met him at a car event in London earlier this year [see Feature "Now the party's over"] and how I felt they had adversely affected the event's image, at least in the UK.
He did a remarkable job in convincing me that those outlaw days were behind the Gumball and it was now a motoring "establishment" event done with the explicit cooperation of local law enforcement and governing agencies.

However I had never conceived of myself actually participating in the event, not least because the entry fee was $44k per car this year, and was therefore dumbfounded when a last minute opportunity came up for me to co-drive, and not just in any car, but "the world's most powerful" R35 GT-R!

Although I knew the offer and the car were for real, I was still in disbelief right up until the point where I walked into the Viceroy hotel in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and my name was there on the list.
After registration and being weighed down with countless Gumball goodies from various sponsors, I found myself sipping champagne and making my acquaintance with some very decent, regular car-nuts. Ok, so a couple had Veyrons and another had flown his SSC Ultimate Aero over from the UK especially for the event, but fundamentally, the thing they all had in common, was that they were genuine car enthusiasts, relishing the opportunity to spend a week driving across a continent with like-minded individuals.

Amongst the last to register was my co-driver, and owner of the GT-R, Jon Silva, whom I quickly nicknamed "Long", both in reference to his name and his unfeasible skinniness.
He initially came across as quite shy and geeky, but his boundless enthusiasm about his monster GT-R meant we soon got on.
Although only 25, he is the marketing director for a number of tuning companies, most notably South Side Performance - SSP - who did the mechanical upgrades for his R35.

He showed me around our ride and word had already spread around the Gumball car park that this Nissan - always pronounced the correct, Japanese way in the US: "Nee Sahn" - was no ordinary GT-R. One enthusiastic gawper asked "is this the Bugatti killer?" which tickled us.

Here is the list of mods that Jon's car was running for the Gumball:

Power Mods:
SSP GTR820RR Turbo UPGRADE
SSP RS Downpipes
SSP Front Mount intercooler
SSP Large Bore Hardpipe Kit
SSP EXT Coolant Reservoir
SSP Teflon Gaskets
SSP Cold Air Induction kit
HKS SSQV blow off valves
HKS Kansai Titanium Exhaust
HKS Kansai Ti Mid-Pipe (no cats)
HKS EVC6 Boost Controller
HKS Spark Plugs
Denso 710cc Fuel Injectors
Cobb AccessPort w/ Custom Tunes

Suspension:
JRZ 3 way adjustable coil overs
Custom Eibach Spings
Cobb Front and Rear adj Sway Bars

Braking:
AP J Hook 2 Piece Rotors
Custom AP Racing race compound pads
Custom Ducting

Exterior:
Aeromotions Active Aero Carbon Fiber Custom R2 Wing
PasswordJDM CF Trunk
PasswordJDM CF Hood
PasswordJDM CF Induction system
Still Side Skirts
Zele Rear Under Spoiler
Zele Front Grill
Zele Fender Duct Set
Zele Front Lip

Interior:
Alcantara Full Interior and Headliner
Status 5 point harnesses

Wheels and Tyres:
HRE C90 20in Competition Wheels
Nitto Nt05 Tires

When it is competing in Time Attack events, it normally runs bigger 820cc injectors, more boost, race seats etc and in that trim, his GT-R has been rolling roaded at over 820hp (flywheel) and timed at 0-60mph in 2.7s and 0-100mph in 5.9s!

If my l'il old GT-R back home is Godzilla, then this, surely, is Megazilla...

After having the extensive sponsorship stickers applied, the GT-R was parked in pride of place at the entrance to the Viceroy's car park alongside the eclectic collection of metal, ranging from Max's matt grey XJ220, the two Veyrons and two Phantom Dropheads to a full sized truck (minus trailer) that was driven by a Playboy Playmate and her husband.

That opening night's party was a loud pool-side affair and I was glad to have the company of my brother Edward and his wife who came to visit from their home in nearby Orange County. Edward knew a couple of the guys on the rally, so it was good to meet them and get acquainted.
Although we didn't get to witness it, that party claimed the Gumball's first casualty, as David "Knightrider" Hasselhoff allegedly ended up getting alcohol poisoning and was taken to hospital...

The rest of us convened the next morning and after a welcoming briefing by Max, his wife Julie (who is VP of Gumball 3000 and does most of the actual organising nowadays) and Santa Monica's Chief of Police (who told us all to behave, but have a good time), we formed up at the starting grid next to Santa Monica pier.

There was a large crowd of onlookers gathered around the parking area and with some of Santa Monica's finest holding the traffic back on the famous Pacific Coast Highway, we launched through the tunnel and onto the first leg of our adventure.
This was probably the least interesting part of the drive as it was simply the unchallenging highway to Las Vegas via a lunch stopover at the Angel Stadium in Anaheim to watch some D1 drift racing.

My first stint in the car was mildly disappointing as I expected Jon's GT-R to be terrifyingly fast whereas it actually only felt slightly quicker than my standard R35 back home. Jon sensed my disappointment and blamed the "shitty Californian gas" that whilst rated at 91 (PON, vaguely equivalent to our 95 RON) is apparently often well below that.
I tried to keep an open mind but was naturally sceptical...

Would Megazilla eventually impress? Indeed, would it make the journey without blowing up? Would either of us get arrested? Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon!