OTHER: I’ve got world’s first turbo Kit (HKS C100 Skyline L20 Street Turbo)
If you’re familiar with japanese cars and Turbocharging, HKS is THE brand to know. What many people don’t know ist that Mr. Hasegawa (The “H” in HKS) was the very first one in the world to develop and sell an Aftermarket Turbo kit in July 1974 for the JDM-market Single-careburated C100 “Kenmeri” Skyline. And this is what i just got in my mail today 🙂
Appereantly it’s the second version with the HKS brand, since the first version came non-branded as seen in the picture from the HKS website history part below. You can clearly see the later design of the better known L20 Surge-tank kit in the lower left pecture and the very first version with only “turbo” on the top.
A bit of Japanese googling revealed some more pictures of the very first HKS demo car 🙂
This is how the kit looks from the Top, saying “Street, HKS and Turbo”. The housing is Cast aluminum and surprisingly light for that age:
The black Can on the back is an overpressure-valve and the white thing on the left most probably a pressure-sensor (You can see the tip of it in the center-hole).
I guess the lower hole was connected to the turbo, while the hole on the side was connected to a Turbo manifold:
It once was clearly painted in black wrinkle-paint whilte it appears the letters have been unpainted. It seems obvious that this is the original paint. at least what is leftover from it.
This is how it looks disassembled:
Here’s some information roughly translated from this japanese website: https://yamada25tm.exblog.jp/5910080/
There was a Kenmeri turbo that FET and HKS jointly developed and produced. This is an introduction of the actual test article!:
This Kenmeri Turbo is based on the Regular Gas Model of the JDM 2000 GT (Single Carb, L20 engine), the compression ratio has been changed to a low pressure of 8.0:1 by the original gasket.
Power specifications are 160PS / 6000rpm, 23kgm / 4500rpm! . Performance is 0 – 400 m at 16.9 seconds and the maximum speed is recorded at 180.90 km / h … (both measured values). This spec value lightly surpasses the Japan turbo appearing 6 years later, and it exceeds the Kenmeri 2000 GT – R equipped with S20 unit.
First of all I’m asking anybody who has more information on this to contact me. I’m interrested in anything from Pictures to ads to more information on this. This is the only i’ve ever seen.
Depending on what information i find i will have it professionally rebuilt and try to source or recreate the other parts, Or i will just paint it back to original glory and use it as a decorative wall art and piece of automotive and JDM history goodness.
Of course im also willing to sell if the price is right and i know it will end up in good hands…
UPDATE 29.08.2017:
I just got this pictures from Shannon (thanks a lot!), which shows how the complete turbokit looks. In this version it’s for the L16 / L18 4-cylinder motor, but i guess aside from the Manifold the rest should be the same in the 6 clyinder version, Also not sure if some parts (like the timing chain cover) really belong to the turbokit…. Just FYI:
6 Comments
Mike
Speed Shop Turbo located in Yokohama, Japan (https://www.ss-turbo.co.jp) started up back in 1980 and were contracting some research and development work for HKS. They are still in business to this day and have a fairly large warehouse where they still have parts for very early HKS Turbo kits. A guy by the name of Mike speaks English there.
JDMjunkies.ch
that’s awesome. i’ve tried to contact HKS directly and through my contacts in Japan, but was no able to get any information on this kit. Would you think you could help me get some documents about this kit? especially i’d like to know which car it was used in. It was sold as a kit for the C110 Kenmary skyline, but meanwhile i believe it was for the 510 Bluebird with the 4cylinder engine… Also would be cool to know if there are any parts for it..
Do you think you can help me or give me the contact to Mike?
Any partlists, specifications, sales-ads, drawings, installation manuals, whatever is available would be great and much appreciated to get a piece of history back on the road.
thanks for your information and feedback
– Nils
Jarich
Hi, did you ever make any progress with this kit?
I have a question/favour. Do you know the diameter of the HKS top hat? I’m looking at replicating the top hat design to hide an EFI turbo setup, but to look period from above.
I’ve scaled roughly the size from your photos by comparing to a known length (the turbo manifold) and I get about 275mm diameter. Would be nice to confirm that though :).
Thanks
JDMjunkies.ch
Hi There,
I’m sorry to say but i sold the kit a while ago to Australia. Some guy with the right car project for this asked me to buy it and i happily sold it. Makes more sense there, than just hanging on my wall.
However i got these two meanwhile as a worthy replacement: https://www.jdmjunkies.ch/wordpress/2021-10-31/240z-sanyo-kiki-japan-king-charger-surge-tanks-carboy-magazines/
But unfortunately this means i cannot take any measurements for you.
scotty
I just bought a kit for the l20b I can measure for you no worries! Also bottom hole of the surge tank bolts on to the top of the stock carb, slowly unravelling how to install as all I’m missing is the over pressure valve, a compressor in the turbo and the turbo rear housing… al least I think that’s what I’m lacking
JDMjunkies.ch
Thanks a lot, but meanwhile i have sold the kit to Australia, if i remember richt, where someone will put it on the right car 🙂