This striking example of a Nissan Skyline R33 GTSt is owned by Stu aka Stucowp on our forum.

This car has enough subtle touches so that every time you look at it you see something new, and with it's custom bodywork complementing the cars sleek lines, it's impressive graphics and it's finely tuned engine, it's a car worthy of a feature in any magazine.

One of the first things you notice about the car is the Pow-R carbon fibre bonnet. It's not the only carbon fibre mod on the car, the carbon fibre mirrors are made by Ganador, and the car has a carbon fibre spoiler, NISMO carbon fibre door trim and many other carbon fibre details.

The bodywork has been changed too, with after market bumpers and side skirts. Much of the fitting and spraying was done at Batcars in Carlisle. NISMO clear side repeaters tidy up the sides of the car and it has been dropped by 30mm on Ohlins street spec suspension.

The rear bumper is a modified Do-Luck replica. The modified skyline brake light is a nice touch which is neatly hidden away.

The rear spoiler is a twin blade GTR spoiler, but in keeping with the car's overall theme the blades are carbon fibre.

The front end has a GTR spec grill and GTR front mount intercooler. Behind the intercooler the radiator has been swapped for one with an up rated 33mm core, topped off with a NISMO up rated radiator cap.

The most striking aspect of the car is the graphics which run along the rear wings and the doors. These were created at Batcars, who extensively photo shopped them until they were perfect for the car. After being printed out at John Cooke Signs they were meticulously moulded around every contour of the bodywork when they were applied to the car.

The car was bought with some modifications already made, but since August 2004 Stu has been keeping us informed in the Pride and Joy section of the forum, with regular updates on the progress being made to the car.

Under the bonnet, the clutch has been replaced with an OS Geiken twin plate setup, and the flywheel has been lightened and balanced.

To keep the car safe from TWOCing scum, the car is protected by a Cobra alarm and an RAC Track Star.

To improve exhaust gas flow the car has an after market exhaust manifold and a de-cat pipe. These and the Kakimoto racing exhaust mean that the car makes a pleasingly deep throated growl, so it sounds as good as it looks.

The engine has been bored out to 2545cc from the original 2494cc. TOMEI 87mm pistons fill the extra space, running on NISMO race spec bearings. A TOMEI 1.2mm head gasket increases the engine compression and the ported and polished cylinder head with HKS 256 / 264 stage 2 cams, smoothes the flow of gasses through the engine. Not everything in the engine has been changed though, it still runs on the standard con rods (though they have been shot peened)  and standard crank shaft.

Oil, water and fuel systems have been modified with a Greddy oil catch tank, N1 oil pump, N1 water pump, and 550cc injectors. A

carbon fibre slam panel improves the airflow through the engine bay. Much of the engine work was done at The Garage Performance Tuning near Glasgow.

To improve the car's breathing, cold air is directed onto the HKS air filter through a headlight vent (daylight use only), as well as the cold air feed from the vent in the front bumper. The air is monitored by a Z32 air flow meter. The turbo is a Greddy TDO6 20g turbo with a Trust external waste gate. The wastegate screamer pipes exit through the passenger side skirt.

The ECU is a chipped version of the standard ECU, made by Rash Facture. The manufacturer has left an intriguing 'poem' on the ECU case. It might mean a lot in Japanese, but it's a difficult one to work out when translated into English. The engine now delivers 385bhp with 325 lbf of torque at 6200rpm with 0.8bar of boost, a respectable increase over the standard 250bhp.

The wheels are NISMO LM1 wheels, with a custom paint finish. The outer is a one off candy purple mixed to match the car. The inner spokes are TVR flip paint.

If you can see passed the exquisitely painted wheels, the brakes behind them are still the standard Nissan set.

The driver gains the advantage of an AVCR boost controller, Race Logic traction control, HKS boost gauge, HKS exhaust temperature gauge and an Omoni dual oil and water temperature gauge. The steering wheel is made by Nardi racing and the gear knob by Razo. A Pioneer Avic X1 sat nav and DVD head unit finishes off the interior.

In the boot, the Infinity speakers are supplemented by a 12" Ground zero boxed sub, powered by a Ground Zero 4 channel amp. Pioneer speakers are fitted in the front of the car.

A Wizards of NOS wet NOS kit under the bonnet provides a bit of extra power when needed. With a separate injector in the inlet manifold for each cylinder, maximum power and reliability is ensured. At the moment it's only running 25bhp jets, but will be upped to 50bhp jets when everything is running smoothly.

To supply the NOS, an 11lb chrome bottle is positioned in the middle of the back seats. In this position it is easy to open up when needed, although it does mean that you can crack your elbow if you change gear too enthusiastically!

So what's next?, well An Apexi Power FC ECU is in the pipeline, and a Greddy inlet manifold. A q45 90mm  throttle body is also going to be fitted to improve the engine power, and 80mm reworked intercooler pipe work will be added to compliment the throttle body.

If you like the look of the car you might be in luck, because rumour has it that it might be up for sale soon....