Dacia Duster No Limit gets Nissan GT-R’s 3.8L twin-turbo V6 but makes 850-hp
Hey guys! Guess what? The Dacia Sand…ok, I know, we’re not Top Gear. But for as much as that’s worth, they’ve pretty much informed us on how irrelevant the Romanian make is, that is until now.
Most of you have heard of the Pikes Peak Hill Challenges either through the famous simulator Gran Turismo or the competitions themselves with famous machines like the 1000-hp+ Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak. Well, Dacia has just unveiled its own version of a Pikes Peak machine: the 850hp Dacia Duster No Limit.
Dacia is not new to the motorsports scene as they’ve participated in the Andros Trophy races that take place in the ice and snow covered French Alps. But when summer time arrives, Dacia will now be migrating to the world famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
The Dacia Duster No Limit was designed in conjunction with RenaultSport, a couple independent firms, and driver Jean-Phillipe Dayraut. The “No-Limit” version was built specifically for the Unlimited Class at Pikes Peak.
It’s based on the rather successful Duster off-roader and is built with a Nissan GT-R-based VR38DETT 3.8L V6, which was tuned to produce those 850 horses even under the thin atmosphere of the Colorado Rockies. That V6 is then mounted to a six-speed sequential Sadev cog swapper. And in natural signature, the Duster receives bodywork specifically designed for aerodynamics with a big honkin’ tonkin’ wing at the rear.
“The Pikes Peak Hill Climb is the only event where you get to keep a monster like this in check while drifting at speeds of 200kph on a course which features a mix of asphalt and dirt,” notes Jean-Philippe Dayraut. “I can’t think of any other form of motorsport where such cars are authorised.”
Dacia Duster No Limit:
– By: Chris Chin