- Top Secret is legendary in the JDM car community, having built and modified countless high-horsepower Toyota Supras, Nissan GT-Rs, and Nissan Silvias.
- Founder Smokey Nagata is most famous for shipping a 1,003hp Japan-registered Toyota Supra to the UK where he attempted to reach 200mph before being pulled over and banned from the country.
- This R32 Skyline GT-R is Smokey’s latest project car, which won an award at Tokyo Auto Salon 2019, and has since been imported into the States with the help of Toprank Vehicle Importers.
TOP SECRET CLEARANCE
If you’re anything like me and grew up flipping through JDM car magazines like Option and Super Street, then you’ll know the significance of the company Top Secret and its importance in the tuning scene. Founded by Smokey Nagata in 1991, Top Secret’s early days included competing in professional drag racing, road racing, and drift, campaigning D1GP for six years. What made them perhaps most memorable was their attitude, which sometimes led to insane 1,000hp sports cars partaking in illegal high-speed runs. Smokey himself was caught by authorities after shipping his Mk4 Supra to the UK and attempting to surpass 200mph on public roads. The end result wasn’t just a slap on the wrist but being immediately deported, followed by a ban from the country that would last 10 years. It’s the type of tale that cements Top Secret into the history books and makes Smokey one of the most notorious and idolized individuals in the tuning scene (if you haven’t already, check out Top Gear’s article on Smokey).
CARS N CAMERAS
A couple weeks ago, I caught wind of a certain Top Secret car recently imported by Toprank Vehicle Importers. It wasn’t long until the entire Southern California car community was clamoring at Toprank’s doors to get a peek at the R32 GT-R that’d freshly been shipped over. So naturally, I was itching to check out the BNR32 myself. Luckily, Steve Ellis of Behind the Wheel invited me out to a special event called Cars N’ Cameras (CnC).
The idea behind CnC is to unite photographers and videographers and allow them to create content on a high-profile car, a car to which these shooters wouldn’t usually have access. The last event featured Paul Walker’s R34 GT-R; this event at Toprank follows the same high caliber of vehicle with a one-off Skyline owned by Smokey himself and rumored to be valued at over $300,000 USD.
SMOKEY’S GOLDEN CHILD
I’ve known Top Secret to produce some epic JDM builds that are still imprinted in my brain, most notably the 1,000hp twin-turbo V12 Supra that dates back to 2007. Top Secret has also made news in the GT-R community, as they’ve swapped an entire R35 powertrain into an R32 Skyline a few years back. This particular golden child is just another one of Smokey’s impressive creations, a 1994 Skyline GT-R, which still retains the RB26DETT underneath the hood but has been stroked to 2.8-liters. The twin turbos are replaced by a single GReddy T78, and there’s a ton of JDM goodies to go along, such as the HKS internals and Tomei cams. A complete chassis refresh and restoration can also be found from head to toe, not to mention this is the only R32 GT-R from Top Secret ever painted their signature gold color. Other highlights include the Recaro SP-G seats, OZ Forgiata GT wheels, Brembo/Autech brake setup, Ohlins suspension, and of course, Top Secret aero. Codenamed “650R,” the all-wheel-drive Skyline makes 650hp, as you might have guessed. Still, it’s the fit, finish, and connection with Smokey that genuinely make this a phenomenal machine and worthy of its supercar price tag.
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