Nissan Skyline GTR V Spec II 2001

There isn’t many people floating around the automotive world that dont know about Nissan’s infamous Skyline GTR, widely thought of as one of the best cars to have ever come out of Japan, if not the world.
It was in August, way back in 1989 that the first modern, RB26DETT-powered GTR rolled off the assembly line. The R32 was, for all intents and purposes, about to revolutionise the Japanese performance market, winning championships all over the world, even being banned from events like Bathurst because it was just too fast.
Now, fifteen years, 3 body shapes and countless variants later, the Skyline GTR is no longer in production, with the last body shape, the R34, long since sold out. Although the R34 is no longer being produced, it is still a favourite among many enthusiasts. Enthusiasts like Kiwi born, but English bred Fraser Simpson…
For all the praise the Godzilla has received, I was never really convinced, how could any car be that good at everything it does?
Until last Saturday that is, when myself and the other Ignition monkeys pulled into a quiet Wellington suburb to meet up with Fraser Simpson and his apparently very sexy R34 Skyline.
As we followed the directions and travelled down suburban street after suburban street, I noticed a staunch, muscular shape off in the distance. No, it wasn’t Ignition Mag’s recently buffed up Editor Ben Silcock, fresh from his latest Pilate’s workout, but Fraser’s 2001 Nissan Skyline GTR Vspec II.

Once we had dropped our fiery haired editor off at the bottom of the street so he could get a few more steps on his pedometer, or man-o-meter as he likes to call it, we pulled up next to the GTR and all my past thoughts on these cars were abolished in mere seconds.

This was the first time I had actually taken a good look at an R34 GTR, and believe me, I had plenty of time to get a feel for the aesthetics of the beast as it seems the Ginger Ninja hadn’t quite made it up the street yet, distracted by an unfortunate local tabby who had managed to get its head stuck in a jar of Peanut Butter…
Once he had wrestled the Jar from the poor creature’s head and realised that the greedy bugger had already eaten the contents, we had our editor back and were once again a full team pouring over every carbon fibre nook and lightweight cranny.

Although this was the very sexy looking Vspec II variant of the GTR when Fraser purchased it four years ago off the showroom floor, it seems it just wasn’t sexy enough. As such, Fraser went JDM crazy and fitted a set of Nismo side skirts, rear bumper and carbon fibre under-car diffuser kit along with a set of Mines vents for the front bumper.
With the standard wheels no longer doing the car justice, Fraser took the plunge and relieved himself of over six grand to score an incredibly sexy set of 19×9.5 inch Rays TE37 rims wrapped in Bridgestone S03 liquorice.
Helping to tuck these spinning works of art higher up into the guards, not to mention provide one of the most impressive cornering displays I have ever experienced, is a full Tein Flex electronically adjustable suspension kit with in cabin controller for tuning on the fly. Helping this high tech system is a set of Cusco adjustable suspension arms and Nismo R-Tune anti roll bars.
As you can probably tell by now, Fraser doesn’t like to do things half assed…

Bar the incredibly powerful American sourced Stoptech brakes, callipers and braided brake lines, this car is all about the Japanese Domestic Market.
Which brings us to the near orgasm inducing sight on offer under the standard carbon fibre bonnet of this Japanese muscle car. A JDM enthusiasts wet dream, Fraser’s GTR is awash with the highest quality branded parts, sourced mainly through friends in the UK, (read Abbey Motorsport) and installed here in New Zealand by the good people at Speedtech Motorsport.
Andre and the crew at STM began by installing an Apexi Super Suction kit with carbon airbox, mated to a pair of Nissan Z32 airflow meters, to get a nice gulp of cold air to the standard issue turbochargers.
Next, it was felt a cooler charge was needed and as such, the standard intercooler was biffed and replaced with an incredibly thick 700x300x150mm Trust unit and hard pipe connector kit.
The strangulated exhaust system was next to go, replaced by a full set of HKS stainless steel down pipes and HKS Super Dragger II stainless exhaust system.

With all these fruity new bits, it looked as though the standard computer was falling behind the mark. Fraser decided on an Apexi AVCR to control the increased boost levels, and an Apexi Power FC computer and accompanying hand controller to run the rest of the system. Which, while mark from Abbey Motorsport had it on the Dynapak dyno, was tuned for a conservative 300 kilowatts.
Although more outright power was easily achievable, Fraser wasn’t interested. In fact, he never has been that fussed about big numbers and as such, Andre dropped the peak power off a tad. Doing this proved a very smart move, netting a far bigger gain in torque, making for an incredibly usable tarmac-eating monster.
To finish it all off, it seems Fraser went right through the Nismo catalogue and cleaned them out, purchasing an intercooler water spray kit, oil cooler finisher kit, radiator cap, low-temp thermostat, oil and fuel filler cap, carbon radiator shroud and carbon B-pillar Garnish.

The interior of this near new car is, of course, amazing, and as such there was no need for the replacement seats or re trims that you would normally see in Ignition feature cars.
But, as you would have probably guessed by now, Fraser felt the need to lavish his baby with more goodies and delved back into the Nismo books and ordered a 320k speedometer and MFD V2 mod chip for the already very cool LCD sports screen, displaying everything from boost levels to G-forces.
A SmartTyre onboard tyre pressure and temperature monitor means that Fraser can keep a good eye on his rubber while on the street or fanging around any one of the local race tracks that he frequently visits.
As the car is currently driven to work most days, Fraser has installed a nice little entertainment system to keep him busy in traffic.
This is controlled using a Kenwood in-dash CD/DVD player, with which he can, after a lot of fiddling around, now play DVD’s to be viewed utilizing the standard issue LCD screen.

Keeping the aural fill up to standard, Fraser and the team at the Car Stereo Company have installed 6.5 inch Boston Acoustic speakers up front, Blaupunkt units in the back and an eclipse 10” sub woofer in the boot, all powered by Sony and Eclipse amplifiers.

After hearing future plans already underway in camp Fraser, including talk of a three litre, single turbo re-power for the already ridiculously fast GTR, then going for a good mountain pass run in the beautiful beast, all I can think about is those slightly homo-erotic Speights advertisements starring those splendidly hick-ish southerners.

MCR Tuning Shop Nissan Skyline R34 GTR - Matchless Crowd Racing

Just a few tuners are thrown around with regularity when the topic of the fastest cars on Wangan, the site of epic highway battles around Tokyo harbor, is discussed. Bozz, for example, is said to have the fastest EVO, Top Secret the fastest Supra. MCR, or Matchless Crowd Racing, has the fastest Skyline.

A reputation for producing the most potent street-driven Skyline GT-Rs in all of Japan is no small feat, and a visit to MCR's facility showed us it's well earned.

Like many famous shops in Japan, the physical plant, slotted between factories and farmers' plots, is understated. Better to keep the riceboys away. As Nissan birthed progressive generations of Skylines, MCR moved its focus to the newest model, culminating in the latest, but hopefully not last, R34 GT-R. It's hard to get more specialized than tuning one generation of one model of one car.

While some MCR-built GT-Rs end up at the track for time trial and Time Attack events, most are built for well-heeled customers who want one of the fastest street machines money can buy, period. It's obvious from the subtle, but effective, high-speed aero enhancements, double-adjustable, remote-reservoir coil-overs, fluid management strategies, and massive braking systems employed on the GT-Rs that the cars spend lengths of time at highly illegal speeds.

Although many trick racecar fabrication techniques are employed, the GT-Rs remain street cars with liveable interiors. Of course, what constitutes a liveable ride is in the butt and back of the owners.

There are two strategies for those with bottomless wallets when building their "ultimate" tuner car: Go to a tuner like HKS or Blitz and say "make it the fastest," which means its parts would be used almost exclusively, or go to an independent tuner and say "make it the fastest," which means the shop will use whatever parts are most appropriate. MCR provides the latter service. Pragmatism takes precedence over loyalty when you're assembling the craziest machines. You simply have to use what works best, and we saw predominantly products from Tein, HKS, and Trust/GReddy, among others.

Pure Performanace : BNR34 GTR

In 1999 the Nissan Skyline R34 GTR came to life, the latest model, and the best GTR yet. Styling is superb with an all new much more aggressive shape; it looks like a car to be reckoned with. The R34 GTR looks and feels like it got the best from both of the R32 and R33 models in one package.

The interior is simple, sporty, and luxurious, with plenty of head and leg room for taller drivers. Seats are comfy for long trips yet still hold you in when cornering hard. Centre gauges have been replaced with a LCD screen. This shows loads of information like, throttle position, boost pressure, torque split, a built in G-meter, and it has a com-port so you can download your trips data onto a laptop.

In an effort to reproduce the handling feel of the much loved R32 GTR the wheel base was shortened b 7.5cm, chassis rigidity was improved by 50 percent, and the suspension was greatly improved. Revised multi-link rear suspension featured at the rear with McPherson struts with an additional link up front. Ten years had passed since the R32 but the same techno wizardry (HICAS and ATTESSA) remains but these features where greatly improved.

The RB26DETT engine still remains but again improvements where made and because of this the engine has become smoother and quieter. The torque curve has improved and remains flatter throughout the rev range, 400nm is achieved at 4,400rpm this has made the engine more flexible.

Turbo chargers where also revised featuring a dual ball bearing core which reduced lag and improved the power band. The gear box was replaced by a 6 speed getrag which features, shorter ratios, and a shorter throws. Acceleration times have improved, 0-100 is achieved in 4.9 seconds and the 400m sprint in completed in 12.9.

These refinements make driving the GTR a pleasure with every aspect improved. Steering is responsive and grip is phenomenal making this GTR a true cornering machine. Ride quality is on the firm side but harsh bumps are absorbed well, but this is a sports car after all.

Nissan certainly got it right with the R34 you get the extra space and luxury that the R33 provided, as well as the race like feel of the R32. Simply put this Nissan Skyline is well hell of a sports car. For more information on I recommend you visit this website. http://nissanskyline.6te.net

Aerodynamic & Brake System for Skyline R34

The Brake
The Skyline offers one of the world’s most sophisticated brake systems. The Brembo brake system features race-ABS and consists of 300mm ventilated discs with 4-piston calipers up front and 280mm discs with 2-piston calipers in the rear.
Brake Cooling is improved by large ducts in the front spoiler to channel air to the front brake discs. Additionally, the front-undertray creates a low-pressure area outside the wheels, to draw the heated air away from the brakes, thus improving their cooling.

The Aerodynamics
The R34 GT-R V-Spec's (and only the V-Spec's) aerodynamics are dominated by a front diffuser and a carbonfiber rear diffuser. These regulate the airflow along the car's underbody, thus creating downforce which pulls the car down on the road. This leads to improved handling and stability especially at speeds in excess of 50mph, but also enhances stability during cornering and braking. Aerodynamics on all GT-R's are further improved by a new rear wing. TheR33’s single-wing design has been dropped in favor of a dual-level type wing on the new version. The R34’s rear wing now features a stiff main-wing with a flap that can be adjusted in four angles.

R34 GTR Transmission & Suspension

The Transmission
The engine’s sportive character is aided by the 6-speed Getrag gearbox, which isa great improvement over the R33’s 5-speeder and convinces with short throws and well-defined gates. The new 6-speeder now features close ratio gearing for the first five speeds, instead of the first four speeds as seen on the R33. Like in earlier GT-R’s, power is delivered via the ATTESA-ETS (ATTESA-ETS Pro on the V-spec) AWD system to all four wheels, aided by a limited-slip differential, to ensure maximum traction in all situations.



The Suspension
Handling over the predecessors is further improved by a 50% stiffer body-structure and a sport-tuned suspension with a multilink setup at the rear and MacPherson struts with an additional link up front.
The V-Spec variant uses a stiffer setup than the standard GT-R, but common to both versions is the Super-HICAS all-wheel-steering system and anti-roll bars front and rear.

The engine of Skyline R34 GT-R

Similar to earlier versions, the RB26DETT drives the GT-R forward with an official280hp at 6800rpm (restricted by the Japanese government). But as the UK GT-R Club found out, 328hp at 6,400rpm seem to be the real output. Modified camshafts for improved valve timing and a new stainless steel exhaust system with reduced back pressure make the engine more flexible thanks to a better torque curve and higher peak-output of 400Nm (289lb-ft) at 4400rpm. These changes have also made this RB26DETT smoother andquieter in comparison to earlier versions.

Additionally, turbo spool-up time is enhanced by the new smaller twin ceramic turbochargers which feature variable boost timing, work with a maximum pressure of 0.4bar and use twin ball-bearings to minimize friction. Even though, as known from most turbo engines, there is quite some lag until the blowers really start going about their job at about 3500rpm. But since the redline is still at an impressive 8000rpm, there remain plenty of revs to work with.

R34 Interior

Featuring four seats and a decent trunk, the Skyline GT-R is actually one of thefew top-performers that are quite useful in normal day driving. The interior is simple, but tastefully styled, with all controls in easy reach. Even up to speeds in excess of 75 mph the cabin stays remarkably quiet and, apart from the bucket seats, could easily be mistaken for that of a luxury coupe. Even passive safety is paid tribute to with standard driver’s and passenger’s airbags, as well as optional side-airbags.

But this car is also prepared for sportive driving. The bucket-seats wrap the driver like a second skin and give him perfect lateral support even during tight cornering, in addition, they are not less comfortable for long-distance rides, as well. The sportive touch is underlined by aluminum applications in the center console and for the boy-racers among us there even is a 5.8”dash-board display, substituting for the gauges of previous GT-R versions and providing all necessary (and unnecessary) information about the car which can even be downloaded after the ride.

Facts about R34 GTR design

A large air dam, a long hood, and a flat windscreen - the front almost threatens the one daring to look at it. The clefted front spoiler seems to consist of nothing else but air inlets, and almost appears to touch the road. Staring back at you through narrow, clear, and canted headlights this car looks like a samurai ready to fight.
And ready it definitely is. Standing on 245/40 ZR18 Bridgestone Potenza RE040 tires (developed specifically for this car), the GT-R ducks low above the ground, its extensive wheel-housings making it look even wider than it actually is - in reality the R33 is just 5mm narrower.

Understated? Certainly not! Overstyled? Maybe! But aggressive the GT-R surely looks. The design of the side is more supple in style though, with the low-profile Potenzas on 18-inch six-spoke alloys and the emphasized fenders underlining the coupe’s sportive body-lines. Although it is 7.5cm shorter than the R33 (4.6m), the GT-R's profile still looks very impressive - even without resembling the front’s aggressive styling.

This is mostly true for the car’s rear as well. The adjustable rear wing and carbonfiber underbody diffuser (only for the V-Spec) not only distinguish the GT-R from the sedans and standard coupes, but also aid its high-speed stability considerably.

Nissan GT-R Unveiled

After four years of teasing, Nissan has at long last revealed the 21st century replacement for its ultimate sports supercar ... and it's a stunner.

With clear styling cues from the hugely successful 350Z, but with more muscular looks all-round, the GT-R Proto is a virtually production-ready version of the car which will eventually replace the legendary R34 Skyline GT-R.

It was wheeled out for the first time at the Tokyo motor show this week where Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn confirmed: "The GT-R Proto provides clear design direction for the final production car. One look suggests sheer muscle.

"The GT-R is a car worth waiting for. It will go on sale around the world in two years' time."

British drivers will probably have to wait another year beyond that, however, with UK sales not expected to start before 2008.

Nissan has been tempting enthusiasts with the possibility of a new GT-R since 2001 when it unveiled the first GT-R Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show. Then at the 2003 Tokyo show the company announced the next-generation GT-R would be rolled out in 2007. Then, earlier this month, it released first design sketches.

Unveiling the prototype car at the Tokyo show, Mr Gohn said: "The GT-R will be seen as the icon for Nissan's indisputable, vibrant health. We know that expectations for the next GT-R are high. This is a car with an international cult following and a legitimate reputation as an enthusiast's dream car. We are on track to deliver the ultimate expression of our driving pleasure promise."

Few details are available regarding the power train although industry insiders suggest that the next generation GT-R will have four wheel drive and be powered by a turbocharged V6 engine, based on the 350Z's 3.5-litre power plant, with an output of around 400bhp.