Getting yourself into a well-sorted BNR34 Nissan Skyline GT-R isn’t easy these days. Not only does buying one in the first place require a substantial investment, but then you need another bag full of cash to add some quality modifications or rectify shoddy ones.

The owner of this particular R34 GT-R V-Spec II bought the car with every intention to modify it. Yes, the final RB26-powered GT-R is an epic car in stock form, but by today’s standards they’re lacking in the performance department. Even modern day sports saloons are quicker, and dare I say, more exciting than an R34. But what these cars have is an unbeatable cult status and major tuning potential.

Not everyone dreams about owning an M3, but I can guarantee you, almost everyone dreams of owning a Skyline GT-R.

Like the 700whp Lancer Evo X and fully-built R32 Golf I recently shared with you, this Nissan is another build out of the Powertune Australia stable, and it’s impressive to say the least.

The BNR34 has one of those bodies that doesn’t really need any work, but a few select products can definitely enhance it. Any Z-tune item from Nismo is most welcome, and this car wears a lot of them – front bumper, front fenders, hood and rear over-fender flares no less. Nismo side skirts are also used, along with a Knight Racer carbon fibre front splitter with under-tray.

There’s really only one set of wheels you can fit to a Skyline GT-R with most of the Nismo catalogue thrown at its exterior, and these are them. Manufactured by RAYS, the glossy black Nismo LMGT4s measure 18×9.5-inch at all four corners and are wrapped in Yokohama Advan AD08R rubber.

The brake system has been given an upgrade too. Using a Supertec Racing brake adapter kit, the Skyline features R35 Brembo 6-pot callipers up front and R35 Brembo 4-pots at the rear, and these clamp on 380mm AP Racing 2-piece rotors via Endless MX72 pads.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the Skyline’s suspension has been enhanced, and Powertune have done this through a combination of MCA Street Ultimate coilovers, and a Nismo Pro II Circuit link set, Nismo stabiliser kit, Nismo underfloor reinforcing bars, and Nismo titanium tower bar.

These handling upgrades would certainly improve the factory-spec car with an advertised 276hp (300hp+ in the real world) on tap, but there’s a lot more power under the hood of this one, so the modifications were more of a necessity than a simple enrichment of the brakes and suspension.

Four-digit power figures aren’t all that uncommon in GT-R tuning circles these days, but you’ll find most cars eclipsing the 1,000hp mark to be of the R35 variety running a VR38DETT. The engine build in this car is still based on an RB26DETT, albeit using an N1 block and a Brian Crower stroker kit to pull capacity out to 2.8L.

Along with the BC forged pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft, the engine features ARP hardware, an N1 water pump, Tomei oil pump and an oversized oil pan. An ATI 1,000hp Super Damper harmonic balancer is also employed to eliminate any torsional crankshaft vibrations.

Up top, the cylinder head was CNC ported and hand finished, and runs a shim-less setup with Supertech oversized valves and Tomei dual valve springs. An HKS V Cam Pro 262-degree/10mm-lift camshaft features on the intake side, with an HKS 272-degree/10.2mm-lift cam on the exhaust.

Turbo-wise, the GT-R’s original Garrett GT2556R twins have given way to a big single BorgWarner EFR 9174 mounted on a custom twin-scroll Powertune manifold that uses dual Turbosmart 40mm wastegates for boost control.

On the intake side of the equation you’ll find a Plazmaman 100mm competition intercooler feeding into an 80mm drive-by-wire throttle body and a serious fuel system to match the air flow. The latter is comprised of an Aeromotive 325 Stealth in-tank pump, surge tank, mechanical Kinsler 400 Tough pump, Aeromotive Extreme Flow regulator, and twin fuel rails running six 1,600cc and six 1,650cc injectors. The exhaust features a custom 4-inch down-pipe flowing into a 4-inch system complete with an electronically-valved Varex muffler.

It’s obvious to see that no stone was left unturned in the pursuit of power and performance with this build, and to extract every last drop of potential out of the package Powertune went with a race-spec MoTeC GPR-M150 engine management system.

Of course, all of the engine modifications would be in vain if the car couldn’t get the power to the ground, but that’s not a problem when you’re running an OS Giken OS-88 6-speed sequential transmission with ATS triple-plate carbon clutch and a Quaife ATB helical limited slip front diff. Powertune also installed a custom gear position sensor.

If this were an early ’00s build you might find an interior peppered with aftermarket gauges and accessories, but that’s not the case here. The interior modifications are totally restrained and limited to a Nismo 300km/h cluster, Mine’s steering wheel, MoTeC control panel in the centre console, and a MoTeC C187 colour display unit neatly mounted in the original MFD position with a custom pod.

The beauty of this car is in its simplicity; a combination of high quality parts that have been pieced together in an ultra-clean way. It’s well beyond an ‘OEM+’ build, but it still kind of feels like that – at least from a visual perspective. And then the boost hits, and you wonder why anyone in there right mind would want to keep a BNR34 GT-R stock.

Stefan Kotzé
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