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After reading Mike’s post about the Team Orange cars and their converted EVO’s and Impreza’s, I started thinking about a well known Z33 which was converted the other way around, from rwd to awd: this JUN-built Hyper Lemon 350Z R. The rumor is, it was built for someone who lives in Hong Kong and wanted to use it as a Time Attack car, but nothing has been seen of this Z33 since it was finished and delivered. So I’m not sure what happened to it in the end, but I hope to see it again tearing up the Tsukuba circuit.

The pictures you see here were taken from a test day during the build of the 350Z R; at its debut it featured a different exhaust system and stickers. In the opening shot you can see they needed to modify the fender to accommodate the exhaust system… and when I say modify, they just cut it in half. The side skirt also needed some work – in the final version they used a different skirt and placed the silencer further back.

In the front we see a part of the complete Ings+ N Spec bodykit. The front bumper is a special long nose edition, aided by two carbon canards.

Check out the exhaust pipe setup! It’s going straight out of the fender… the airjacks are also a great addition to this already extreme build. The wheels are one of my favorites, the Advan RGII in 18″; behind them you can see the upgraded Endless braking system.

Here’s a better view of the brakes, revealing the rear 4 pot calipers and 332mm rotors. In the front, Jun used 6 pot calipers and 380mm rotors. This picture also reveals the ZEAL suspension system.

Could this be the most extreme VQ engine in the world? The standard VQ3.5 liter engine has been treated with a full JUN upgrade including a 3.8 liter stroker kit, I beam connecting rods, crankshaft, JUN camshafts and Cosworth pistons. The intercooler setup is also quite interesting – it features a twin setup on both sides of the car below the headlights.

This custom made Intake manifold is a one off made by JUN themselves. Right next to it are the Trust TD05H turbos. You can see the heat wrapped exhaust pipe that runs down to the side. You can also spot the signature green and yellow paint on the engine block made famous by JUN.

The hood has been reworked to allow for as much air as needed to pass through it.

Inside the car, it’s all business with the 16 point roll cage and fully spot welded interior. The driver sits in a Bride seat and he can monitor all the vitals on the Lapcom data logger right in front of him.

But probably the biggest achievement on this car is the AWD conversion made possible by a complete R32 Skyline drivetrain connected to a M35 Stagea front differential case. One the most expensive parts on this car must be the Hollinger six speed sequential GT-R transmission. Don’t ask me how JUN and their ex-builder Koyama-san made all these parts work together! It’s quite the feat of engineering and is one of the most ambitious builds to come out of Japan in the past couple years.

-Jeroen Willemsen

More pictures of the JUN AWD Z33

AWD features on Speedhunters