#underrated.... Nissan Y32 (wait for it...)
The top one is the hideously ugly Nissan Leopard.
The bottom one is the average looking Nissan Cima.
The Leopard has heritage as Japan’s police car in the 80’s, while the Cima was produced as a top-of-the-range luxury car to rival the Toyota Crown, and both share the Y32 model name.
But that’s not all they have in common - they both have the Nissan VH41DE V8 quad-cam motor hidden inside that homely exterior.
The VH41DE comes straight out of the box with 248HP - that’s the same power as an RB25DET. It’s no wonder it was a popular drift car motor swap - I myself was looking at swapping one into my R34.
This the source of the motor featured in the upcoming Mighty Car Mods Stagea build, that we all know is going to be one giant monster of a car!
Comments
Hey mate, I’ve messed around with a few VH41s and 45s - I really don’t want to be that guy, but I can say from experience you’re in for a hard road ahead, and in my opinion, you’d be much better off going RB or JZ. I’m all for keeping it in the family and doing not-so-common swaps, but there’s a reason these things aren’t used so much. They’re physically a very big motor, suffer from a few different issues and there’s very little aftermarket support. I don’t know if you remember a D1NZ competitor by the name of Mac Kwok - he was running a VH41 in his S13 and had constant issues. I was the same with my VH45. There’s much easier and cheaper ways to get the same or more power. That said, if it’s what you want to do, go for it! Just make sure you know what you’re getting into before buying an engine etc. For an alternative option that’s still Nissan V8, the VK56 is an amazing motor, though the cost is obviously a lot higher. Of course, this is just my opinion, so don’t let it stop you!
I figured it would be better to manual convert mine and +t it. But MCM did re-ignite the spark - I was thinking of an F31 Leopard with a VH swap.