This Guy Seamlessly Fitted a Nissan GT-R Front End to a Stagea Wagon and It Works
The two-year build is documented in detail via 38 videos. And if you like the result, you can buy the kit for about $4,000. The post This Guy Seamlessly Fitted a Nissan GT-R Front End to a Stagea Wagon and It Works appeared first on The Drive.
The R35 chapter of the Nissan GT-R book may have ended, but the Godzilla series is far from over. In the meantime, there’s still plenty of fun to be had with the Skyline, et al., and new stories to share. Like a painstaking but flawless GT-R front fascia transplant onto a Nissan Stagea.
The Stagea was a JDM-only station wagon that Nissan produced from 1996 to 2007. During its two-generation run, early models were equipped with engines from the Nissan RB inline-six family—the same ones powering ’90s Skylines. The second-gen Stagea was outfitted with the VQ-series V6, known to us better in the 350Z and Infiniti G35. GT-R and Nismo parts would not be out of place here.
Which brings us back to the intricate GT-R front-end conversion of a Stagea, among other mods. Chris at New Zealand-based custom shop Tofu Auto Works spent two years on this Nissan GT-R wagon build, and the entire project is documented via a 38-episode YouTube playlist.
The project car is a 2007 Stagea Autech Axis model. Under the hood is a 3.5-liter V6 rated at 276 horsepower from the factory, as many were. The four-wheel drive wagon is equipped with a five-speed automatic. Although an enthusiast-friendly wagon, according to JDMBUYSELL, automatics are more commonplace than the stick because of its heft and daily driver appeal. Chris agrees, saying the Stagea “is by far the most practical vehicle I’ve ever owned” in the first build video.
You will find no shortcuts here. There will be no annoying hyperbolic speeches or incessant random side chats, either. Focused on the business of the build, the Tofu Auto Works videos are peak vehicle-tinkering ASMR with subtitled explainers. If you’re looking for voiceovers, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a historical record and full behind-the-scenes access to a sleeper performance wagon build, stay a while.
For you impatient types, you can check out the finished build reveal at the 59:16 mark of episode 38. What do you think? Interested in building your own? Tofu Auto Works is offering the 11-piece conversion kit for sale with worldwide shipping. The starting price is $6,500 NZD, or about $3,736 USD at today’s currency exchange rate.
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The post This Guy Seamlessly Fitted a Nissan GT-R Front End to a Stagea Wagon and It Works appeared first on The Drive.
