Rob Huff’s LM700 GT-R

In 2013, Rob Huff approached Litchfield with the desire to improve his own Nissan GTR.  Rob found his way to Litchfield through recommendations from friends in motorsport.  We are fortunate to have built a great reputation over the years within the motorsport community with a host of team bosses and top flight Formula 1, Touring car and rally driving stars all using our services.

Being asked to work on a World Champions personal car was a great honour and we were only too pleased to help Rob tailor his GTR to his exact requirements.

The brief was simple, use the very best parts to improve all the key aspects of the cars performance and create Rob’s perfect daily driver.  With Rob’s racing and testing schedule tight we only had limited time to carry out the conversion so everything was carefully planned in advanced and in true pit stop style the Litchfield team would descend on the car to see if everything could be completed in the day.

During the day Rob had a comprehensive overhaul of his car which has taken it from the factory standard 485bhp to an incredible 715bhp and 630lbft of torque. As part of our Stage 4.5 engine upgrade we installed larger LM700 turbos with our own custom spec Litchfield Billet compressor wheel and uprated Garrett waste gate actuators. The car has also been fitted with twin high flow fuel pumps and 1,100cc ASNU injectors to meet the demand of the extra power. The engine upgrades are finished off with our large bore performance intake kit and Milltek cast stainless steel downpipes.

The Akrapovič exhaust system provides the highest quality performance and finish, and its unique titanium construction is perfect for a WTC driver. The system is finished off with their incredible, hand-crafted, carbon fibre tailpipes.

In order to extract the potential from these choice upgrades we use Ecutek software, which now includes the highly advanced version 4 update which we have helped develop.  This software is highly suited to a driver like Rob as it includes plenty of motorsport inspired features. The Stage 4.5 map is custom tuned and comes with our selectable maps for difference fuel octane and adjustable boost levels in each of the maps.  Also now available is our Litchfield Traction Control; this is made for drivers looking to remove the restrictions and cumbersome nature of the standard TC system and perfect for those pushing their high power cars on track. The new software also includes Rolling Launch systems and Boost Off The Line Launch Control. This, combined with our latest gearbox software utterly transforms the car.

The GTR transmission has also been enhanced by replacing the thin standard Nissan circlips with their much stronger Dodson counterparts, it also includes upgraded solenoid clips (a recall item in America) and high temperature Dodson Magnets. This was a recommended upgrade for the kind of driving that Rob undertakes on track and will help prolong the life of the GR6 transmission.

For Fast Road driving and the occasional trackday use one of our most popular additions has to be the Litchfield Suspension kit. The plug and play suspension kit is the result of extensive testing and is manufactured in partnership with world leaders Bilstein – supplier of the original GTR suspension. Released to critical acclaim, the kit has been designed to produce significantly improved ride quality and handling characteristics.  The kit features custom shock absorbers, unique Eibach springs and anti-roll bar.

One of the biggest indulgences on the car is the unbelievable Alcon CCX ceramic brake kit. Quite simply it is the best brake upgrade available for the GTR and provides incredible performance lap after lap. Key benefits include huge 400mm CCX ceramic discs which are expertly paired with Pagid ceramic pads. The advantages are not just in braking, the Alcon CCX kit saves 4kg of rotational weight per corner.  These are combined with our own brake cooling ducts which help remove excess temperature under heavy track use.  Having used Alcon on many of his racing winning cars previously Rob was keen to have the very best in stopping power.

Once all the work was completed and the car was carefully mapped it was time to get out on track for some serious testing with Rob and fellow touring car driver, and fellow Litchfield customer, Tom Chilton.  This was a great opportunity for us to work with and get invaluable feedback from some of the world’s top drivers to see how we can further improve our products.

“I’m so pleased with the incredible work that Litchfield have done in such a short space of time.  The GT-R was already a mega car but this conversion has completely transformed it.  Not only does it go, steer and stop like nothing else, but it is also supremely comfortable to use every day”.

Rob Huff on his LM700

Once Rob had finished testing upgrades at Castle Combe he proceeded to drive his LM700 straight to the Nurburgring for a VLN endurance race where he stuck his race car on Pole Position!  His LM700 was the ideal high speed travel companion.