SP Rides: Driven to Succeed
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Year, make, model: 2009 Nissan GT-R
Owner: Nestor Canada
Age: 40
Occupation: owner of Nestor Motors
Hobbies: Cars, gaming
Color: Pearl White
Engine: 48.50/60.00mm turbo vanes, 1200cc IDX injector, Twin AEM fuel pump / Visconti hanger, Walbro third fuel pump for nitrous, nitrous Kit 12 pounds, 30 shots used for lag, 60 shots for speed, COBB intake pipe system, Turbosmart BOV, AMS Ti exhaust, ECUTEK management, Engine Dress Up CF kit, Password JDM
Exterior: WALD International rear diffuser, ZELE sideskirt, front lip, Tommy Kaira with wing paint match, Overtake trunk with paint match
Wheels/tires: Custom COR EnCor 21-inch wheels, Pirelli Zero tires
As I pulled up to his shop, Nestor Canada was obviously busy getting down and dirty with one of his customer’s vehicles. He’s worked out of his shop at the current location, Nestor Motors, for about five years now but back in early 2000s, he was earning $120,000 a year as a manager for a computer company. But just after the dot-com bubble, his company was bought out, and as a result his paycheck was slashed to a paltry $35,000. Talk about a shock to his system.
He’d always been into cars — racing and working on Hondas to include Civics, Del Sols and Accords. Then it was lifted Nissan hard bodies and eventually a full-on, high horsepower Toyota Supra. At the time, he decided to make a choice and start over. He got his certifications and became a fully legitimate auto mechanic and opened his own shop. Eventually, the Supra was sold as collateral to help expand his business alongside his garage partners, Usman Auto and Bobby Motor Works.
Soon success began to build and normalize — leaving him with that nagging feeling that scratches at the back of every automotive enthusiast. He wanted to build a ride again. He purchased an STi and began to build. Then he looked beyond and asked himself — what if I was to go bigger? That’s when he set his sights son the ultimate AWD monster — Godzilla — the Nissan GT-R. It is arguably just as impressive, if not more capable, than the Supra thanks to the all-wheel drive system.
So enters this 2009 Nissan GT-R. It’s first generation, however, you wouldn’t know it to look at it. The Pearl White paint is immaculate. And it’s enhanced by some exterior modifications that really update the ride into a rocket-ship. Fitted with ZELE sideskirts and a sick front lip, it also features a WALD International rear diffuser that goes quite well with the Tommy Kaira wing which is full carbon fiber. The Overtake trunk has also been masked and painted along with the lower lip and sideskirts to match the black-and-white-themed bodylines. The result is one sexy supercar.
And yeah, this is no doubt a supercar. With his mechanical expertise, one of the first things Canada did was upgrade the turbo to larger vanes. This mod alone adds about 40 percent more air into the system, which then requires more fuel, which was fixed with the addition of a 1200cc IDX injector and twin AEM fuel pumps. A third Walbro fuel pump has been added with a relay that allows it to kick in when the Nitrous kit comes online. Yeah, this baby shoots nitrous with a 30 shot for lag and another 60 for additional power. All of this power is managed by an ECUTEK system and powers all the way down to a gorgeous AMS Ti Exhaust, which has been heat-wrapped from the front to the back. All told, we’re talking 800-plus horsepower from this flame snorting, fire-breathing demon.
Along with the engine work, the ride is lowered on an Airlift Performance air suspension system that lies over a custom set of enormous COR EnCor 21-inch wheels fitted with Pirelli Zero tires.
When it comes down to it, this is one heckuva fire-breathing lizard — but it didn’t come easy. Canada attributes his success thanks to his colleagues, his loved ones and his customers. It didn’t hurt that he was driven to succeed, either.
