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October 2007 - essNchill (P11)

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    Posted: 25 Sep 2007 at 12:37pm

Congratulations go to Shaun (essNchill) for winning Car of the Month October 2007.  His fantastic P11 Nordic GTLE Saloon is a perfect example of how to modify with style.

 

 

Well done Shaun, how does it feel to win the CotM award?  Our first ever Nordic CotM to be precise!!

 

Well in short, I'm truly honoured and a tad embarrassed too! As much as I love my Nordic, I've always been one to happily sit in the background and admire other peoples Primeras. It's been a long hard year behind the scenes at NPOC (and worth every minute of it), so to get a COTM slot is an amazing end to the year for me and my car. Many thanks for asking me!

 

 

Before we discuss the car, tell us a bit about yourself?

 

I am 36 (and as sexy as my car), happily and long term married to my wife Caroline (Biojoba). We hooked up as 16 year olds. We have a 15 year old daughter Stefani Jean and our latest recruit to the family is a 1 year old Shih Tzu puppy called Marley. I work in I.T. for an American Express GNS Partner Company. If I told you what I do above that, no one would like me. I've been working the night shift (w00t to the massive!) for 15 years now. We live on the South Coast in Gosport / Hampshire. I married Caroline at aged 19, had Stefani at 21 and bought a house at 23.. No point hanging around I guess!

 

 
What's your NPOC story, can you tell us how you first started in the club right through to becoming a club owner?

 

I guess like most of the NPOC members, I bought my first Primera (P10) in 2000, started looking for bits and bobs a while later and stumbled across the NPOC website. It was the end of 2002 that I started with NPOC. I was a normal member and a feisty little bastid at best. I got my fare share of bollockings for being a bit too clever with my mouth from time to time. I finally got silenced when at the start of 2004, the then current owners of NPOC invited me to channel my anger as a forum Moderator (instead of attacking them). Being a member of the NPOC Team meant I had to behave myself. I embraced and loved my role as a Moderator.

 

In 2005 cracks started appearing throughout the club and things were happening all over the place. After JAE 2005 the current owner of NPOC put the club up for sale, 4 of us (it was originally 5, until he got too greedy and tried to negotiate sole ownership behind our backs, so we popped a cap in his ass) put our hands in the air and hands in our wallet and bought NPOC. In October 2005, we officially took over and NPOC started a new chapter.

 

 

How did you come to buy the car you have today, can you tell us about your previous Primera also?

 

I'm not a big believer in fate or owt but I first saw a Nordic GTLE surface from one of NPOCs meets in 2003 (I wasn't there but saw the pictures). It was the first time I ever knew a Nordic GTLE even existed! My research established Nissan made 100 saloons and so I set about looking for one. During this time I was a very proud owner of a silver P10 saloon.

 

I spent about 18 months checking the Autotrader every week for a Nordic GTLE saloon to come up for sale, yhere was none! I wasn't being picky either, there just wasn't any coming up for sale full stop. In late 2004 my P10 had inherited some nasty running issues and I'd thrown a lot of money at it trying to remedy the mystery problems. In all honesty, I'd had enough and was all set to buy an ST24 or ST200 (thanks to Ant-Dat for keeping me sane!). Then a few nights later I was online and as a Moderator I received a PM from a member, who wanted to sell his car on the forums but was stuck scratching his head, trying to upload pictures. I replied to his PM and said I'd be happy to help and he can email me the pictures and I'll upload them for him. You all sooooooooo know what's coming and yep you're right. I opened up an email containing pictures of this gorgeous Nordic GTLE Saloon. Fate?? Who knows? Needless to say, I bought the car a couple of weeks later.

 

My old Ten saloon (bless her cottons) was pretty secretive, only a few members saw it. Like I started this interview off, I've never really been an In yer face geeza, look at my car etc! type of person. It was modified with twin exhausts (now on Eds car), SSAC header, front reclining buckets and several sets of alloys LOL.

 

 

Your car was shown in Banzai magazine and you even got name checked, that must have felt good?

 

I was sat on the stand and clocked the Banzai photographer taking pictures around the area of my car but figured glory boy Mike had had his lovely Mystic snapped. I pointed out the photographer to Mike who subsequently set off in Linford Christie styleee to find out what the Banzai fella had been up to. I was truly amazed when Mike told me the photographer had actually taken a liking to my car (he'd never seen one in that colour before) and had snapped a picture, Mike did a sterling job of explaining to him what the NPOC was about and gave him my name. In all honesty I didn't believe Mikes run of events in the slightest, cos he's always pulling my chain! When the news broke about my car being in Banzai on the forums, well I was made up! So I owe my name being mentioned in the magazine to Mike, as well as the mention the club got.. Cheers Mikey!

 

 

Can you tell us the specification of the car please?

 

I'll get the official (and last power stats) out of the way first. Last time on the rollers it made 160 BHP and 157 lbft torque. Some of the performance modifications since then have changed and I'll not even guesstimate an increase or decrease in power etc.

 

As I write this today, the car has the following modifications:

 

Performance

A&S Performance CAI Kit
SSAC Manifold (this also removes the pre-cat cat)
Complete custom pipework from the manifold to the bazooka twin 4" pipes at the end (including decat)

Magnecor 8.5mm performance leads

FSE FPR

 

Wheels & Suspension

18" Inovit Hunter Gold alloys

H&R Springs

 

Styling

Toyota Supra front splitter

Open mouth and meshed front bumper (centre bar removed etc)

3" additional air feed hole in NS front corner of bumper

Door pillar strips removed

Nissan OE gold badge set

Subaru JDM gold GT badge

 
 

 

We read on the forums earlier this year, that you had removed the Superchip from your car. Perhaps you could explain why and what effect has this had on the car?

 

I bought the car with the Race Ikon Superchip installed and in all honesty, in the colder months of the year it caused no problems whatsoever. But a pattern was starting to develop! During the summer months when the weather was warmer (come on, it's happened occasionally LOL!), the car would develop a misfire and then start dropping cylinders, next it would lose all power and die! A simple off and on with the ignition would cure the fault immediately. Online references highlighted other marques suffering from the same symptoms with Superchips fitted etc. When a friend of mine Superchipped his car and had the same symptoms as me in the heat, then had the Superchip removed and was given an 'off the record nod' by the Superchips dealership that they knew about the problems and his problems went away. It was just a matter of time before I plucked up the courage to remove mine. The first sign of warmer weather this summer and my car started misfiring and with a confidence pick me up from Ant-Dat that I could take on the removal.. I did and to date it's been the best de-modification I have made! The cars MPG has increased, it passed the emissions test first time (in its recent MOT), it no longer smokes at WOT and overall I can honestly say I have noticed no decline in performance. I always believed that the Race Ikon was limiting the excellent self learning Nissan ECU and was therefore limiting performance potential with the addition of new modifications. We'll find out in October! Superchips are a massive and respected company, I'm not saying their product is toss, purely that on our NA Primeras, please save your money and put it towards something else.

 

 

What's your fascination with alloy wheels all about then and you like induction kits too?

 

Seeing as I'm a reet tight fooker, I too am amazed at how many sets of alloys I've actually stuck on my 2 Primeras! It's been 6 sets from 15"s, 18"s in 7 years. I've only ever bought brand new alloys the once (my current 18"s). The truth of the matter is, I've never actually looked for alloys (apart from my current ones), I just can't refuse alloys at the right price and in the right condition LOL. If you buy a quality alloy, they'll always sell on. All my previous alloys bar one set of 15's have been sold on to other NPOC members.

 

Induction kits are just fun, plus having had so many now.. I can advise on what's shite and what's right. Induction kits and alloys should be on a mans monthly shopping list, change is fun, change is good. I currently have no ambition or desire to change my present alloys or CAI kit though.

 

 

 
So do you have an all time favourite modification?

 

Well right now, I'm secretly loving the A&S Performance CAI Kit, strangely enough before that one, it had to be the twin exhausts on my old Ten (also a work of art by Cherry Ade!). I guess in summary, if it's crafted by Ade's fair hands.. It's all good.

 

 

We must talk about the colour!  It's a fantastic colour and works amazingly well with the gold.  Was that a scheme you were planning right from the start?

 

The car came with gold badges when I bought it and I loved them. The gold worked well with the Nordic blue and I always had plans to end up with some gold alloys. I wanted to try a full gold alloy but was worried I'd be called a scoob wannabe. My last set of 18's (ADR Racing Phase 1's) were ex shop display alloys and needed the lips refurbing. I used that opportunity to experiment with some gold paint and I liked the results (my thanks to MysticMike). When it was new alloy time, I was on the lookout for a majority gold coloured alloy and thankfully I bagged the Innovite Hunters in gold and I think they work well.

 

The Nordic blue colour is always a talking point on the car and probably 80% of the comments from strangers will always be about the colour. It's been called green, turquoise, sea blue, sea green, sky blue and so on.. IT'S NORDIC blue (is Nordic even a colour?). I've driven and owned a few funky vehicles over the years, the attention this one gets is truly unreal.

 
 

 

Let me get this right, your car was a former ICE demo car?  Can you run us through the audio you have?

 

Well I only know what the previous owner Joe passed on and once me and Mike got stuck into the car, we drew our own conclusions. I do know (from the paperwork / receipts) that the owner prior to Joe was a Greek guy (who allegedly has created some monster Jap feature cars), he clearly had a lot of money as the receipts for the car show. It is believed the car was a demo car for possibly his ICE shop (IIRC Joe bought it from him at the shop). The car had some serious wiring in place for audio. In all fairness me and Mike ripped it all out, as there was so much and it didn't help matters etc. When we first got to looking at the wiring, we found 3 sets of Rockford Fosgate RCAs plumbed in and coming out at 3 different positions within the car. Amp cabling (with breaker) installed and then professionally split to feed 3 sources located throughout the car. More speaker wire than you can shake a stick at. Additional wring all over the place that we didn't know what it was for! All the doors have been dynomatted and so on.

 

 

As it is now, I am running the following setup:

 

2 small amps, each powering front and rear components.

Up front there are Alpine Type R speakers (the tweeters are set in the mirror backs).

At the back there are Helix speakers and Alpine tweeters installed in the corners.

My head unit is a JVC Exad KD LHX501 (touch screen).

I have an additional lead wired through to the back seats to play external sources (MP3 players / IPODS etc).

 

My setup is aimed at more up front (than the back), I'm not a bass or sub junkie and the Helix speakers in the rear (apparently a very expensive brand a few years back) do push out a lot of bass should I crank it up at the back!

 

It's a nice sound overall and I'm more a quality over quantity type of ICE person.

 

Have you got any upcoming plans for the car you can give us an exclusive reveal on?

 

Being honest.. No not really. I've never had windows tinted on any car and whilst it's been on my list to do with the Nordic for nearly 3 years now, who knows, If I found £200 tomorrow, I'd get some light smoke applied all round. I've settled down in my ambitions with modifying cars nowadays and just appreciate the GTLE as the cracking car she is. I intend to own the car until she fits to make me pass her on.

 

 
If money was no boundary, what would be your ultimate project for the car?

 

I didn't buy a GT to play with the blown Jap marques, I bought it to fill my requirements. So it's not silly power or dump valves I'm after. But if I became Richie Rich and wanted to do something different to the Primera, it would be a RWD conversion or ultimately, transplant a Nordic GT shell on a GTR (I've got a good welding mate!).

 

 

You actually developed the CAI on your car from scratch along with Ade, how difficult was that to do and it must be exciting to be so close to producing a UK made performance part through NPOC?

 

It's very exciting.. Too long have our cars been overlooked! Working with Ade has always been fun, we're two picky old gits (me prolly more so!). Ade is without doubt the most chilled out hands on bloke I've ever met, I've never seen him defeated or not finding the solution. I constantly throw ideas at him and some of them he tells me to sod off, some of them he'll entertain. We discussed the idea of a CAI (and from the start it was to 'roll it out') back in the 1st quarter of the year, he left all the research to me and in summary after buying some varying pipes, couplers and clips. I just had to get my car to his workshop and we'd thrash it out. The result (as seen by many) is simply awesome. I'm also enjoying the modification!! I have a very good relationship with Ade both offline and online and he's someone I have a major amount of respect for. Let's hope the CAI Kit performs on the RR in October, so we can share the benefits with all Primera owners.

 

 

It's been great catching you at just about every meet this year, can we hope for that trend to continue?

 

I've enjoyed and always will enjoy getting out to the meets. Owning the car and sluffing about on the forums is one part of Club Membership but getting out and meeting fellow members is where it's at! As long as my GT can get me to meets, I'll be there. As a club the core of our success is our community. We strip back the faceless properties of the internet and so having a good laugh with your club mates at meets is just about as good as it can get. We've smashed last year's attendance records for all our meets this year and long may it continue!

 

 

On the subject of meets. You have now won 2 consecutive trophies, as voted by the members at the last 2 JAE shows. Can you really make it 3 in a row?

 

Well this year I nearly ran out of £20 notes but luckily I scraped enough votes with my bungs! Can I make it 3 in a row?? I really hope so, it would be an honour to know that you peeps are still finding my car to be of a high standard. Pretty much in the same breath as the previous question, being there for the weekender with you lot is reward enough in itself. Winning a trophy is a big bonus on top. We have such a gathering of top shelf Primeras in this club at the moment, the judging of our cars at JAE next year is going to be tough.

 

 
One final question from me. I've worked alongside you in the 'back of house' for several years now. In your opinion what is the key to running a very successful Owners Club? The car or the members?

 

This is one of those chicken and the egg questions I guess. Well Nissan made a good car but does it make for a successful owners club? For me it's the members. In simple summary, without members we have no club. So it's you people that are reading this, that make NPOC what it is today (now you just need to decide if you want to be a chicken or an egg LOL)! There's a lot of owners clubs out there in the interwebnet and most of us visit other forums. You can call me biased by all means but I've yet to find an online car forum that comes close to the vibe we have here at the Nissan Primera Owners Club. So yeah deffo the members for me and what a cracking bunch we have on here!

 

 

I'm sure the members of NPOC will join me in sending colossal thanks your way for all the work you do not just visibly, but all the behind the scenes work which takes up so much of your time which you happily give up for your love of the club.

 

Congratulations again for winning the coveted Car of the Month award, your GTLE is gorgeous and a hugely worthy winner.  Please give your shouts and thanks to anyone who deserves it:

 

I swear there's a saying out there that goes something like this, 'Behind every great man, there's a great woman', now in my man dreams at night I get it the other way round! But joking aside, my biggest thanks goes to my wife Caroline (Biojoba on here). For every successful or stoopido idea I come up with to try and better NPOC, it would have gone through her first. She's a great listener and indeed a great woman. She also has pretty much the final say in anything I want to do, or buy for my car (I'm well trained). So I owe it all to her. We owe our success at JAE for the last 2 years to her relentless organisation and wanting to push the boundaries of what we can do. She never questions the time I put into this club and continually offers me support. Caroline, many thanks to you babe, for what you do and all the help and advice you've given me.

 

Andrex moment aside (I drive a Nordic for Christ's sake, I'm a poof!), onto the manliness.

 

2 of my greatest friends in here and offline, Mike (mysticmike) and Ade (shade), these 2 fellas have helped me at every stage during my Primera ownership and I sincerely thank you both! Ade again, for his support and help with running the club and allowing me to repeatedly hassle him about everything.

 

Gurpal (ragt20), the sensible side of me.. This guy keeps me sane when I flip out and is the only person I know who can slow me down and make me think twice. Again his support over the years and work as a club owner is simply invaluable.

 

Sticking with the Staff Team.. Steve (Stevie-Boy), he does much much more than any of you will ever know for this club and rarely gets a mention for his tireless efforts. One day I'll write a book and the truth will out but until then, trust me when I say my thanks and appreciation for Steve is mahoooosive!

 

The remaining staff team, of which all of you give your time and effort for free, in keeping this place ticking over. You all do an amazing job and I thank you for making NPOC the success it is.

 

 

A couple of member shout outs, Nick (Nick GT) and Les (Nordic Scooby) for their donations and support to the club. You should be aware that Nick auctioned his spare parts and gave the proceeds to club funds (around £100) and Les for helping the club with an upcoming idea.

 

Paul (Crazy Taxi) for his catering / cooking expertise and also brainstorming with me. That also gets extended to any of you who have helped out in either of these capacities (and there's been many!)

 

Ant (Ant-Dat) for all his personal help and endless help he gives to NPOC members.

 

To anyone who has ever helped me out in here, albeit Primera related or otherwise. There's just too many of you thank individually but I am very grateful!

 

Last and by no means least.. To all of you who have either been paying members in the past and moved on, or are current paying members or yearly renewing members. It's you people putting your faith in us guys that run the club and supporting us, that keeps NPOC online and growing. We are a members club, run by and for the members. So I personally offer you all my heartfelt thanks, you continually make me proud.

 

Many thanks,
Shaun

 

 

Car of the Month October 2007 - essNchill - P11 GTLE

Written by Stevie-Boy

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