When Russians start doing something special you can be sure that they will come up with something completely crazy. The men from SV Engineering started the Juke R project last year. They mixed their experience with a lot of power and extravagant looks. We had the opportunity to take a ride in one of the most crazy cars we drove this year, the Juke R SV Engineering. It was a spectacular experience in the surroundings of the legendary Nürburgring!
Nissan has a big range of models of which the normal cars aren’t so popular but the sporty models of Nissan are very beloved amongst car fanatics. Since its introduction, the Nissan GT-R is at the top of the list of affordable sports cars and that isn’t without a reason. The performance of the GT-R is praised for years. The Juke on the other hand is a very special designed car which isn’t known for its sporty driving. SV Engineering combined the both cars and boosted the drive of the car. Spectacular!
The story about the Juke is a very special one. Media describes the car as an ugly duck but when specialists of Nissan United Kingdom started to build a Juke R, the story got a complete turn. Everybody was surprised about the fact that it was possible to give the SUV the performance of the GT-R. In the meantime, the smaller company Shpilli Villi from Russia was working on a same sort of project. This company had a lot of experience with tuning sports cars and they were capable to start this crazy project. Where Nissan UK choose for a traditional approach, SV Engineering made their Juke R way more crazy!
Let’s start with the outside. The normal Juke doesn’t look very muscular. The car isn’t big, isn’t wide and looks all but powerful. Shpilli Villi wanted to change this and they didn’t only develop new bumpers but also a widening kit for the Juke. You can see that this car is still a prototype but that’s a great thing. The exterior of the car isn’t perfect but it will be better in the future. The widening kit is needed to fit the gigantic tires.
The new bumpers and widening kit aren’t developed for show, everything has a function. Under the hood, everything is adjusted to fit the technology from the GT-R, including its gigantic turbos. When you’re driving the Juke R you can definitely hear them but later more about the driving. When you take a closer look at the car you will see the tubes and intercoolers almost hit the ground. They are needed to provide the engine with enough air and cooling. The car doesn’t have standard Juke tires but extremely wide Pirelli tires. Despite the widebodykit, the wheels still extend the fenders.
On the inside, it’s Walhalla for race fanatics. Bucket seats with four-point belts keep you in your seat. Next to that, the car has a roll cage which is build for your own safety. Driving and racing with so much power can be very dangerous.
The power of the car varies between 700 and 850 hp, depending on the gasoline you’re using. In the future, SV Engineering will build more powerful versions with 1000 or even 1500 hp. The power still comes from the 3.8 liters V6 with gigantic turbos to increase the power. Driving away in this car isn’t going very smooth because of the enormous amount of power but luckily you have the flippers from the Nissan GT-R to easily switch gears while driving.
Shifting gears goes together with a bang which you can feel quite good because of the cars tight suspension and bucket seats. This car isn’t built for daily use but for those crazy enough to take this car onto the track. You can’t imagine how fast this car is. During our ride in the surroundings of the Nürburgring you saw everyone look at the car and wondering why it was making so much noise. It’s Godzilla on wheels and it beats every other car on its way.
Driving the Juke R is just spectacular. It’s an amazing experience which starts when you climb into your bucket seat and adjust the seat belts. When you put the car in first gear you already need to be careful. The gas response is so direct you can easily crash the car. Next to that, you can’t see very much around you and the turning radius is just very big. This all results in an very special experience, driving the Juke R.
Another remarkable thing is the fact that the car is just too powerful. The car easily looses grip although we have to mention that the tires weren’t that good anymore. The four-wheel drive is trying to help but this system just cuts the power after which the turbos loose their pressure. We just hoped to experience the brutal acceleration of which we know the car, but that’s just impossible due to the tires and the weather of that day. During the DragTimes Unlim 500+ events, this Juke R SV Engineering just beats almost every supercar!
Still, this didn’t affect the experience, the entire car is just so crazy. Next to that, the car isn’t perfect but that’s just the charm of the entire project. You know that this is an extremely powerful prototype so you’ll just have to take some of the disadvantages this car brings together with its power. The men from Shpilli Villi know what they’re doing but you have to look through the imperfections to really appreciate the car. We’ve rarely seen something so brutal.
In the near future the car will get its maintenance for future introductions and presentations in Europe. In 2014, a few new Juke R’s will be build by SV Engineering. Soon, they will also come up with a more luxurious Juke R which will get four seats and they will also come up with a 1500 hp strong Juke R and a Gymkhana Juke R. This Juke R will be used for racing on the track.
Special thanks to SV Engineering!
