Nissan is one of the largest names in the JDM sector, and for years on end, consistently, the automaking giant has excelled at making superb sports cars. As the years go on, technology does, too, and we see new Japanese cars take the fight to American and European rivals. However, classic JDM cars from the 90s occupy a special place in the hearts of gearheads, and the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 is held by automotive fans in reverence, quite rightly so. The R34 GTR continues to bring nostalgic memories to gearheads all over the world, and just as understandably, its value continues to rise every single day.
The Nissan Skyline GT-R was a terrific car- it looked phenomenal, it has aged incredibly well, it sounded stunning, and was a true masterpiece of automotive design and engineering, and it wasn't a hassle to keep running. Thus, is it any wonder that enthusiasts still wish to get in the cabin of one of these even today? Here is why gearheads all over the world fawn over the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 so zealously and reverentially.
8 Forbidden Fruit
The idea of anything being unobtainable adds value to it, and the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 thus became something of an Eden's Apple- it was illegal to drive on US roads owing to environmental standards. Despite being allowed to be imported, it can't be driven on US roads.
It can still be imported to the US and then used a race car or a drag car, which then makes it somewhat legal, but not enough to take to the US roads. You could also own it as a show car, and some dauntless gearheads had even tried taking less-than-fair workarounds by registering it as another class vehicle, which is not something we'd recommend. Nevertheless, the unattainability factor of this Skyline certainly bolstered its status.
7 GT-R Performance
Above all, the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 found its way into everyone's hearts by sticking to the amazing performance that was expected of it, and going a step further. Among all the JDM sports cars of the nineties, the R34 laid claim to the title of being the 'best of the best', and was extremely focused on being the fastest car on the racetrack.
The GT-R R34's combination of superb handling and raw performance made it the great car it became known to be, and while modern standards have unsurprisingly bypassed the Skyline, it remains an undeniably quick car even today.
6 Tuning Potential
The Skyline GT-R R34 is inarguably one of the most tuner-friendly cars around today. It is possible to get the car's engine from 276 hp all the way to 400 hp with a simple remap, and today, there are some GT-Rs that prowl the street with 800 or even a 1000 horses underneath the hood.
The car's RB26 engine had insane potential for ludicrous power figures, and the car was built to handle way more torque than it offered as stock. This was all thanks to its ahead-of-its-time All-Wheel-Drive System and some handsome 18-inch wheels, which, for its day and age, were nothing short of massive.
5 The Straight-Six: Retro In The Best Way
The Skyline GT-R R34 housed the RB26 engine underneath, which was famous for its 2.6-liter displacement, and the Japanese engineers added two turbochargers to the inline-6 power unit, which resulted in 276 horsepower. Of course, the actual figure was around 330 hp, since power had been electronically limited, which was a hurdle quite easy to get over.
A descendant of the GT1 engine, the RB26 engine's 8000 rpm redline guarantees a thrilling ride, and it even reaches peak horsepower early in the rev range as well. Even the rest of the car was capable of handling a great deal of power and torque, which then made the chassis come off as over-specced.
4 Pop Culture Nostalgia
Nostalgia is one of the biggest factors which makes everyone look at the Skyline with rose-tinted glasses, as many of us grew up playing Gran Turismo on the very first PlayStation, which made the Skyline all the more special for us.
Furthermore, seeing it as the 'hero car' in the Fast and The Furious franchise, with series lead Brian O'Conner flaunting it and dominating races with it turned this car all the more heroic for gearheads. After all, if you watched the first few movies of the series, chances are you were already in love with cars, or fell in love with them once you left the theater.
3 Incredible Stability
The stability of the Skyline GT-R R34 was something that amazed drivers, and rightly so. Nissan had employed an All-Wheel-Drive system in the car that was still fairly new and the rest of the market had yet to catch on with the trend.
With the added power to the wheels came more speed, but it was also accompanied by excellent traction and superb handling, which made the R34 unwavering and smooth, instilling confidence in drivers like no other. Since the whole drivetrain was rated for much higher torque, the R34 revealed an underlying strength when pushed which was not an illusion.
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No-Nonsense Multi-Function Display
Sure, computers and fancy tech in our cars today is quite commonplace, but when the R34 had come out, any kind of displays only came with the topmost marques, and they were still quite sluggish and terrible. The Skyline, then, bravely flaunted a Multi-Function Display in 1999 when it came out, which was also its coolest feature.
A 5.8" full-color LCD screen, the display flaunted four buttons and a joystick, and to cater even further to the enthusiasts, the display's main functions were in regard to relaying performance data which an outsider might consider relevant only to tuners and the like.
1 It Was The Last Skyline Nissan Ever Made
Nissan ceased the Skyline GTR name after the R34, and the subsequent R35 was simply named the 'GT-R R35'. This cemented the GT-R R34 as the final Skyline ever in automotive history, which, to this day, lends even more history to the car, as it a name that thrived and died with the 90s JDM fever. .
Sure, the R35 shares the same platform, but it doesn't hold a candle to the R34's cult status in history. Thus, the R34 being the last Skyline GT-R remains as nostalgic as ever, and reflects the JDM supremacy that this car continues, and will continue, to have over the minds, hearts, and bedroom posters of gearheads all over the world.