This sleepy Gemini is Queensland's No Prep king!

Using turbo SR20 power, Paul Butler’s little beige rocket has nabbed just about every piece of no-prep drag racing silverware the northern east coast has to offer. 

Wins at Rockynats, Roll Racing Queensland, Torque Time No-Prep Eighth-Mile and the Oz Aid Kooralbyn Shootout are just a few of the honours Paul and the Gemini have gathered over the years. Not bad for a car that was originally intended to be used for parts!

Stroked to 2.2 litres, Paul’s SR20 was built by Peter Phillips Performance Engines. The extra displacement comes from a Nitto rotating assembly, and the block is sleeved.  The head is actually a front-wheel-drive SR20DE item from a Pulsar, using a custom set of cams. 

Hanging off either side of it is a modified Otaku Garage inlet manifold, the hot side using 6boost pipes to feed the G35 1050 turbo. A Haltech Nexus R5 controls the show, while fuel is pump E85. However, this mill’s secret sauce is the two-stage nitrous system. That gives the SR its four-figure punch, tuned to perfection by Paul’s good mate Justin Simpson at Horsepower Solutions.

All in, it boasts over 50psi of boost to make upwards of 1000hp at the hubs.

Transmission is a Powerglide, sending power to a Borgwarner diff with full floating axles and 4.11:1 gearing. Tyres change depending on what type of racing Paul is doing, but it’s capable of swallowing up to a 325 as seen here at Rockynats.

The car is yet to run a representative time over the quarter on a prepped track, but Paul is looking to change that soon. 

“Once Willowbank opens, we’ll head there with some 235 radials and see what it can do, and we’ll have a crack at a Kenda round as well,” says Paul.

Photos: Ashleigh Wilson