This was one of the first articles I posted on DriveTribe and it’s also my most popular so why not make it my First PRNDL post? Enjoy!
Everyone knows the Skyline R34 GT-R which is a dream car for many, but these are facts that most Skyline aficionados probably don’t even know.
The Skyline GT-R R34 is a fan favorite in the JDM and car community. It’s a dream car for many car enthusiasts including myself, but there are many little quirks and secrets about this car that many people don’t know.
1.) WANGAN BLUE
The Skyline GT-R R34’s iconic Bayside Blue color wasn’t originally called “Bayside Blue”. Tamara-san (Nissan’s Chief Product Specialist at the time) wanted the now iconic Blue to be called Wangan Blue. He got his inspiration from the Wangan-sen (Bayshore Route) Nissan forced him to change to Bayside Blue to avoid any Nissan association with the Mid-Night Club that would be disbanded later in 1999 after a multi-car wreck shortly after the R34’s debut.
2.) THERE ARE SOME R34 GT-RS THAT ARE LEGAL TO IMPORT INTO THE U.S.:
Contrary to popular belief, it is not 100% illegal to import and own a GT-R R34 in the United States. No, I’m not talking about the Motorex Scandal R34 GT-Rs that have been excused by the U.S. Government. These are the ones you can import thanks to the Show and Display import clause. These two cars are, the 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V-Spec Early Model Limited Edition which is a Midnight Purple II Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 that was built early in the R34’s production run. The other is the 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 M-Spec Nur. This model was added to the approved show and display list in early 2017 so if you have deep enough pockets for one of these 250 examples get them before Japan and Canada catch on and prices go from through the roof to impossible to obtain.
3.) VQ30DETT GT500 ENGINE:
Ok, so this one might be a little bit more known but still interesting nonetheless. When the 2002 JGTC season hit, the GT500 RB26DETT was struggling to keep up with the completion, so halfway through, they switched to their new VQ30DETT racing engine was received with mixed emotions because it was weird driving a Skyline GT-R without its now-famous engine, but at the same time, it was a better engine that put up the much needed good results. The switch allowed the 2003 Xanavi R34 GT-R racecar to win the JGTC the next year despite it never winning a race.
4.) THE EVEN MORE SPECIAL Z-TUNE:
So the Z-Tune was and is already a special, very exclusive beast of a car. However, there is one in particular that is even rarer than the limited production run of 20 models, and no, it’s not the prototype one that is locked up in Nismo’s own Omori Factory. It is Z-Tune #10. What makes this one so special? It is the only one that isn’t painted Z-Tune Silver (KY0). That’s right, not all the Z-Tunes were painted in the special Z-Tune Silver color. Z-Tune #10.stayed the same color upon the customer’s request. That color was Midnight Purple III (LX0). Apparently, the original owner of that particular Z-Tune bickered with Nismo for around a year about leaving the car Midnight Purple III before Nismo finally gave in and left the color alone. It has popped up for sale once or twice since then.
5.) THE SKYLINE GT-R R34 WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A RADICALLY DIFFERENT CAR:
So this one I plan to do a more in-depth article on, but it was just too surprising to not post in this article. The R34 GT-R was going to be a much di#erent car had Nissan had better circumstances at the time. It would’ve ditched the RB26DETT for some sort of V6 (Shocking I know right!?) but more on that later.
THANKS FOR READING!
These are my 5 facts you (probably) didn’t know about the iconic Nissan Skyline GT-R R34. Did you know any of these facts? If so, which ones? Let me know in the comments. Don’t forget to bump This article and follow me for more content like this.
Published in JDM Fans
Great read!
Great piece, Keegan! And glad to see you creating here! Looking forward to your future pieces!