Taking Flight | Nabil's Nissan Skyline GTR

When the Nissan R35 GTR first hit the scene in 2007, Nissan succeeded on building the hype to make sure the members of the public anticipated the successor to the Skyline GTR. It was a huge success and now the whole world can finally get their hands on the Nissan GTR. Nearly a decade later, Nissan will be releasing their second facelift model for the R35 GTR. But now, it feels that the R35 have been so common on the streets.

The R35 GTR may have became the car that anyone can drive fast while being a highly competitive platform on the race track, some enthusiast still prefer the predecessor like the R32, R33 and R34. Compared to the R35, these previous models gives a very raw driving experience, comes with a manual gearbox and is capable to be very intimidating. That being said, these cars have became ever more desirable among enthusiasts while making the asking prices of these cars ever more ridiculous.

For the story of this R34 GTR, the owner, Nik Nabil has always placed the R34 GTR as his ultimate dream car. Just like a huge number of fans, it was pop culture that introduced him to the GTR. It was made famous in the Fast And Furious movie series and it was also the car to drive in many popular racing game titles. It even came to a point where Nabil started playing Need For Speed Underground just to race the R34 GTR.

Now currently working in the aviation industry, Nabil felt that it was time treat himself by getting a performance car. After years of driving his humble Proton Inspira, Nabil was able to save a decent sum of money for the car. However, due to the asking prices for the R34 GTR, the car was just out of reach for him. Because of that situation, he was ready to compromise and just settle with a Mitsubishi Evo 9. But sometime in late 2015, he came across an offer for an R34 GTR which was selling lower than market price. Nabil knew if he passed this offer, he may never get another chance to get the GTR at the same price.

The car that he purchased had a few bolt on mods and some exterior parts to it. The car came with a Z-Tune front bumper and fenders, a C-West wing, a set of TE37 Superlap wheels and some minor bolt-ons to under the hood. Despite being in decent condition everywhere else, the interior was a bit of shape. The seat fabric was faded and there was some cosmetic damage on the Multi Function Display and the steering wheel. So he knew that he had his work cut out for him.

For how he wanted the car to turn out, Nabil didn't want the fastest GTR on the streets. He just wanted a car that was an all rounder. A car that he felt at home and would always look forward to driving. So he pretty much ripped the interior apart and had the trim refurbished. Inside, he wasn't shy to have the GTR and Nismo logo stitched in the interior. He also replaced the original steering wheel with a Personal steering wheel.

Under the hood, he kept things simple with the RB26 motor. The internal parts of the bottom end this RB26 remained untouched and the modifications is only limited to simple external bolt-ons. He currently runs a bottom mount twin turbo set up with a pair of Garrett GTX2860-5 with upgraded billet fins. The motor is tuned with a Haltech Pro plug in ECU and it is currently running at 440 horsepower at 1 bar of boost.

Despite the simplicity of the build, Nabil is very happy to how the R34 GTR is at the moment. He even mentioned in the future, he wants to keep the car in a similar state as it is today to be a twin turbo response build. For him, outright power numbers on the dyno isn't a priority for him despite being one of the most potentially powerful tuning platforms in the world. But the priority is to keep the car as a all rounded vehicle that isn't too over the top.

   

 TUNING MENU
Owner: Nik Nabil
Model: 2001 Nissan Skyline GTR BNR34
Location: Shah Alam, Malaysia

ENGINE:
2.6L RB26DETT Inline-6,
HKS 264 Degree Camshafts,
HKS Cam Pulleys,
HKS Downpipe,
HKS Fuel Rail,
HKS 800cc Injectors,
HKS Spark Plugs,
HKS Oil Cooler,
HKS Gasket Kit,
HKS Belts,
HKS Twin Turbo Actuators,
Garrett GTX2860-5 Twin Turbos with Upgraded Billet Fins,
Greddy Aluminum Radiator,
Gretty Type R Blow Off Valve,
Walboro 400lph Fuel Pump,
SARD Fuel Pressure Regulator,
Custom Aluminum Intake Box,
Port And Polished Heads,
Supertech Valve Seals,
Splitfire Coil Pack,
Haltech Pro ECU,

DRIVETRAIN:
6-speed manual,
Ogura Twin Plate Clutch,

SUSPENSION, CHASSIS AND BRAKES:
Ohlins Coilovers,
Cusco Upper Arms (F & R),
Cusco Anti Roll Bars (F & R),
Cusco HICAS Lock Bar,
Nismo Rear Lower Arm,
Nismo Center Link,
Kansai Front Strut bar,
Stock Brembo Brakes,

WHEELS AND TIRES:
Nismo LM GT4 18 x 9.5jj Offset +12 (all round),
Toyo Proxes T1R 275/35/18 (all round),

EXTERIOR:
Nismo S-Tune Front Bumper,
Nismo Z-Tune Front Fenders,
Nismo Side Spats,
Nismo Rear Spats,
Top Secret Carbon Front Hood,
Rear Aluminum Diffuser,

INTERIOR:
Nismo R34 GTR Leather Door Trim,
Nismo R34 GTR Leather Front And Rear Seats,
Nismo Shift Knob,
Carbon Gear Panel,
Personal Steering Wheel,
Sony Touch Screen Player with Reverse Camera,

BONUS IMAGES