I’ve said it before, and I will say it again; the folk in the South Island know how to Nissan. What you are about to witness is one of the most badass workshop meets to date, and it was hosted by NZ Performance Car Issue No. 232 cover car owner Blake Harpur of Cany Customs. Blake told us that he wanted to show off a few customer builds that he and the team have been working on, some recently completed cars, and his own insane Nissan Silvia S15 project. Let's take a look, shall we?
There were many standout Nissans on display at the event, and a few you would have seen in recent issues of NZ Performance Car. Latisha Louise brought along her extremely sparkly Nissan Silvia S14, which Blake painted a year ago. “Latisha always gets pissed off when there isn’t enough light and you can’t see the glitter, and, as it was a gloomy day, we had to go out and buy some more lights to show off her paintwork,” Blake told us, laughing. This S14 packs an angry SR20DET with 320hp at the wheels, and is used for track and street duties.
Another lass with a modified S-chassis that you’ll no doubt remember is Chevenne Hassan, with her immaculate — and we mean immaculate — S15. Packing custom-painted Work Meisters, a beautiful engine bay, and a modified SR20DET, it pulled crowds all day. Chevenne is also currently building an S13, which she will use for drifting. If her S15 is anything to go by, it’ll no doubt be a well-presented vehicle.
If you remember Blake’s S15, you’ll know it was super clean. It has been under the knife recently, and now sports a new 326 Power kit from Japan and a set of tasty Work Meisters. Blake was reluctant to show this vehicle off, but said, “We wanted to promote our builds so far without giving away the detail secrets for this year’s shows — mainly the South Island Champs in Timaru.” So, there’s no doubt that some serious changes are going to happen from the form it is currently in.
The aforementioned tasty wheels on the S15 are a custom-painted set of Work Meister M1 3Ps, measuring 18x10 inches (-28p) up front and 18x10.5 inches (-31) down the back, all tucked into bed nicely with a crazy amount of camber. There is no doubt that this is going to blow the show scene away at the end of the year.
Blake’s other S-chassis is an S14, painted in matte black. This is what Blake likes to call his hack, which he can jump in and thrash. It sports the same wheels as the S15.
Another name you might be familiar with is Charlie Lam. NZ Performance Car featured her extremely tidy Evo V in the Weekend Warrior section of the magazine. Since moving down to the South Island, Charlie has long since sold the Evo, in favour of this 180SX. A member of Team SSHHH, Charlie was always set to have a fairly epic rear-wheel drive.
One car that we couldn’t get over, is Ryan Williams’ 2014 Holden Commodore drift project. It features a crazy amount of custom fabrication and a Nascar V8 engine. This is said to be ready for the circuit soon, so we’ll keep you posted.
Another non Nissan that looked extremely tidy was Elysse Milne’s Mazda RX-7 FD. Just recently painted by Cany Customs, it had an epic stance. Not your usual colour choice, which made this FD a standout.
Owen Trowbridge was another batting for the non-Nissan team with his Subaru Legacy B4. This isn’t your average B4, though, as it features a custom interior, Bride seats, and a 600kW engine.
If you read the cover story of NZ Performance Car Issue No. 232, you’ll remember that Jared and Blake became close mates after Jared crashed Blake’s 180SX (grab a copy here if you missed it — you’ve got to read the story, it’s hilarious). After buying it off Blake, Jared still owns it, and it now features a genuine Rocket Bunny kit, massive Work Equips, and it’s nearly ready for its new motor package. We aren’t allowed to know what it is yet, but apparently it’s going to be bonkers!
A Cany Customs meet wouldn’t be complete without a few skids. Who did it better, the Supra or the Skyline?
Check out the gallery below, as there are far too many cool rides to talk about in one post. With the calibre of South Island cars in the build, the 2016 4&Rotary South Island Champs is going to be one event off the charts — we’ll see you all there!
