The S14.

A first project car with the dream engine already in it

John chased JDM magazines and videos through high school and, like everyone, wanted an R34 Skyline. The realistic version of that dream was a Zenki S14 bought after graduation — one that already carried a straight-six RB25DET swap.

Days after the eight-hour drive home from Tennessee, the RB let go internally. That failure is the reason the shop exists: it sent him to an engine-building program in Houston in 2011, then into six years on the tools at the city’s exotic and tuner shops before coming home to start Affinis.

Four engines, four turbos, two ECUs

Super Street called it a decade-long build that only became a standout in its last two years. TimeAttackR counted the cost: four RB25s, four turbo setups, and two engine-management systems on the way to the current combination.

The turbo saga ran through Precision and Holset units and boost creep from cheaper manifolds before landing on a BorgWarner EFR 8374 on a billet twin-scroll manifold — the setup that finally held. Engine management went from seven years on an A’PEXi Power FC to an AEM Infinity, which John wired and configured himself before handing final tuning to MA Motorsports.

The dyno said 466 whp and 350 lb-ft. The next weekend it was taking trophies at First Class Fitment.

Kouki face, JDM aero, TE37SLs

The Zenki became a Kouki: JDM headlights, GP Sports G-Four front and rear covers and skirts, a URAS Type 1 grille, Chargespeed fenders pulled +20 mm front and +50 mm rear, a vented Yashio Factory carbon hood, a SARD 1700 mm GT wing, Anointed Aero splitter, and RIZE Japan canards. The aero sat unpainted for a year after a body-shop failure before Eastern Wake Collision finished it.

Under it: 18×10.5 and 18×11 Volk TE37SLs on 265 and 315 Falken RT615Ks, FEAL/Megan race coilovers, a full Voodoo13 billet arm set, GKTECH and Peak Performance tie rods, and a SIKKY RB-swap sway bar. Project Mu 355 mm two-piece rotors and four-piston forged calipers up front, Z32 hardware at the rear.

John’s favorite exterior mod, per Super Street: the hand-made Car Shop Glow LED taillights.

Built by hand — except the cage and the paint

Everything but the roll cage and paint was done by John himself, tuning included until the Infinity swap. Inside: Recaro SPG seats, Takata six-point Profi harnesses, a MOMO MOD70 on a Cusco hub, a Pride Motorsports / Robot Racing dry-carbon dash, BadFish Performance sheet-metal panels and cage, Autosport Labs Race Capture Pro telemetry, and a K-Sport air-jack system.

Driveline is R34 five-speed with a NISMO G-Max twin-plate clutch, KAAZ two-way LSD, and a Driveshaft Shop aluminum shaft. The plan at the time of both features was the same: HPDE days first, then time attack, then a GT-style next phase.