'GT RX3' REBUILD REACHES COMPLETION. Pac Performance Racing

Tuesday, 31 March 2020

While we knock out our fair share of builds each year here at Pac HQ and each one is special to us, every now and then one comes along that really gets us going... 'GT RX3' has been one of those cars!

Since arriving at the workshop in January the team has been set on transforming this rare genuine Savanna GT Coupe into a vehicle that not only retains the classic and iconic look but combining it with a driveline and engine management system that will have it on-par with most prestige performance vehicles manufactured today.

The starting point for the build was very interesting indeed... While the car itself was in amazing condition, on closer inspection it was easy to see where the areas the car's owner wasn't happy with!

Under the hood was a 13BT conversion that, while fairly solid in its foundations; its execution left a LOT to be desired!

The only way to rectify the situation properly and deliver what the customer wanted and we thought the car deserved, was to remove the lot, wiring and all and start with a clean slate.

With a freshly-painted engine bay the team got stuck into what was sure to be one of our best before-and-after overhauls, and as you can see yourself in these photos, the final result is simply stunning and a stark comparison to what we were presented with originally.

The car now features one of our billet 13B combos and retains the customer's original Borg Warner turbo mounted on a new exhaust manifold. The rest of the engine bay is all-new, including a premium Cooling Package with 4" intercooler, the full range of Pac dress-up accessories.

All oil & water lines are plumbed in Aussie-Made Speedflow 550 Series Kevlar hose & press fittings.

The boot of the car was just as exciting as the engine bay but re-vamping this area is made easy with our off-the-shelf components & accessories. A High Capacity Fuel Tank setup with in-tank pumps, Sealed battery box and trimmed boot carpet is all that was required to get the job done in this often-overlooked area - Keeping things simple and purposeful.

On the inside, the car was neat and tidy with most of the original trim retained apart from the set of aftermarket seats.

There's always room for improvement though, so the car was treated to a new set of Recaro seats that certainly look right at home.

The dash was also updated to 2020-spec with a MoTec C127 dash with custom Billet By Pac display that's working alongside the new M130 engine management system.

While the purpose of the car will be strictly street duties and the occasional driving event, the owner has opted to purchase a set of 'fun' wheels to allow him to get a better feel of the power from the new engine combo if the mood strikes...

The 8-inch RC Comp double-beadlock rears, wrapped in sticky MT radials will provide plenty of grip, while custom 6-inch fronts allow for improved steering over the usual 4-inch skinnys the racers run.

It's no use going fast if you can't stop or turn the corner, so the car has also been fitted with one of our front coilover & brake upgrade packages, as well as a completely rebuilt steering setup utilising new components - this car now handles and steers better than it ever did!

Knowing how far this car has come since it arrived at the workshop has got us all feeling proud and to see the look on the owner, David Hourigan's face when he picked up the car for the first time was just the icing on the cake for us.

We're not finished showing this car off though as there's a lot more to it than we've touched on here. So stay tuned for a full feature and video on this car real soon!