Facts About O’Conner’s Iconic R34 Skyline From 2 Fast 2 Furious

Fast and Furious, as big as the franchise is, the number of cars and regions that it covered is quite astounding. Cars from almost all over the world were covered and have been put behind the big screen. Among them, Japanese cars have a different significance in the F&F franchise. While Dominic Toretto was infamous for his love and use of pure American Muscle Cars, Brian O’Conner’s use of Japanese sports cars was something different that made the franchise stand where it is today.

Among all the cars that Paul Walker represented, the R34 Nissan Skyline GTR from “2 Fast 2 Furious” was something special. But what was it about the Skyline that made an instant hit all over the world? Let’s take a look at what Brian’s GTR R34 was all about.

Popular yet Illegal

In 2003, when the sequel of the first film was released, we saw O’Conner introducing the Skyline R34 for the first time with a unique silver & blue color scheme. Already anticipated as a blockbuster, 2 Fast 2 Furious featured the R34 GTR capturing every car geek’s attention and playing a key role for the JDM sports cars.

The R34 Skyline GTR had a short yet impactful production timeline. 1998 to 2002, in these 4 years a total of 11,578 units were made that saw the street lights. Although this 5th generation JDM sports coupe was an instant hit, changes in safety rules in the US made the R34 Skyline GTR illegal to purchase. This did not stop some Nissan hunters from trying, some of them managed to purchase the Skyline components separately from the European market and build it in their backyard. The upcoming 2024 might be different for the R34.

Dominating Performance

Introduced in a movie called “2 Fast 2 Furious” and not being able to deliver a performance would be a joke. Well, it wasn’t the case for the Skyline GTR as the sports coupe came with a 2.6L Twin Turbo Inline-6 engine known as the RB26DETT. This performance monster produced an impressive 276 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque. The 6-speed manual transmission was particularly loved by car geeks as it gave superior control on the roads. The performance figures that the R34 put out were the key to its dominance in the streets at that time. The standard engine could push the sports coupe from a standstill to 60 mph in a blistering time of just 4 seconds. Some gearheads also tuned the R34 to their taste but there are other performance-focused versions of the R34 that Nissan introduced over the years like the V-Spec models, M-Spec, and the Nismo Z-Tune.

Top-notch Tech

The powerful engine of the R34 GTR was delivering as it was supposed to but the incorporated technology and track-oriented features are what made Brian’s Skyline unique. Already fitted with an AWD, a limited-slip differential(LSD) was integrated with the drivetrain helping in accelerating fast on corners. A multifunctional display(MFD) installed in the center console measures and shows data like oil pressure, boost pressure, and oil temperature and keeps the scenario as real as a track-focused vehicle would want. These loaded advanced features were complimented by a dynamic engine management system that can operate the R34 Nissan more efficiently.

A Rare Japanese Breed

The R34 Skyline GTR design was the brainchild of Kozo Watanabe, a famous sports car designer. As we have already mentioned before, only 11,578 units of the R34 were produced over a 4 year span. Between them, 2,709 belonged from the original series, 4,193 units of V-spec and only 19 units of Z-Tune models were able to hit the streets. The Nismo Z-Tune models came out in 2003 after the GTR production ended. The Z-Tune was the final version of Skyline that was built on the produced R34 units. All of the specs were upgraded and tuned only for performance and the 493-hp engine was taken from GT2 which was Nissan’s sports car, especially for Le Mans.

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