1957-2006 Nissan Skyline Review

V35

Skyline R34-25GTT

The 11th generation (V35) Nissan Skyline, introduced in June 2001, is based on Nissan’s FM platform, which is shared with the 350Z. The Nissan Skyline uses a front-midship engine (VQ35DE), rear-wheel drive layout (all-wheel drive is available for the sedan) to achieve a 52%/48% weight distribution. The V35 also marks the first generation of Skyline made for export to the United States. There it is sold under the company’s luxury brand, Infiniti, as the Infiniti G35.

The V35 marks a major turning point for the Skyline. There is no straight 6, no turbo variant, and to date no GT-R variant. Nissan put a slightly more powerful VQ35DE in the 350Z, and although the Skyline & the 350Z share the same platform, the 350Z has additional bracing, underbody aero parts, and weighs 100 kg less. Keiichi Tsuchiya said of the V35 "This is a Cefiro!". Most Japanese tuners have studiously ignored the V35 Skyline, the 2006 Tsukuba Super Lap Battle had not a single V35 entrant. Tuners such as Mines, Amuse, Hosaka, Garage Defend, M Speed, Nagisa, MCR, HKS, & Top Secret continue developing R32-R34 GT-Rs. Top Secret did tune a V35, but they replaced the VQ35DE with a VK45DE V8 Twin Turbo. Signal USA entered a V35 in Formula D, replacing the VQ35DE with an SR20DET. In contrast, US shops such as VRT have had success with forced induction VQ35DEs as seen in their track footage. Sites such as 6mt.net, G35Frenzy.com, and G35Driver.com have increased the popularity of tuned V35s.

Skyline R34 GT-R M Spec NuR

The next generation

During the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan showed the Nissan GT-R "the 35th Tokyo Motor Show" Concept (with the Skyline moniker noticeably absent) showing the design direction for a future GT-R. In 2003 then Nissan president Carlos Ghosn announced that Nissan would release the new GT-R, probably as a 2007 model and would do so all over the world and not just in Japan and select right-hand drive markets (Britain and New Zealand). Meanwhile, in tracks around the world, most notably the Nürburgring, development mules disguised as V35 Skylines have been seen running tests. At the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan unveiled the GT-R PROTO, a prototype version of the 2007 GT-R. It is reported that the next GT-R will be a purebred sports car not based on a sedan chassis like the previous models. The next GT-R has been confirmed for release at the end of 2007 with a 3.6 L twin turbo VQ based engine generating 450 hp. Pricing starts at 9 million yen. The next GT-R’s suspension and engine is being tuned by Lotus and Cosworth respectively, the former at their development center in England.

Skyline GTR Prototype

In New York on April 12th 2006 President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Carlos Ghosn announced that the next generation GT-R performance car will be available in North America and will be badged as a Nissan (and not Infiniti as previously thought) consistent with Nissan’s aim of the GTR brand being global. The car is expected to go on sale in the USA in 2008 - with estimated price tag of $65,000 (USD).

As a precursor to the introduction of the GT-R in the United States, privateer Igor Sushko has announced plans of racing the R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R (Z-tune model)in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge. This will mark the first time the Nissan Skyline GT-R will compete in a professional road race series in North America.

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Games

Skyline R34 in Gran Turismo

Since the Super Famicom game Zero 4 Champ R, the Skyline has appeared in numerous Video Games. Some of the games include:

• Auto Modellista

• Enthusia Professional Racing

• Forza Motorsport, FM2

• Project Gotham Racing, PGR2, PGR3

• The Getaway

• Gran Turismo series

• Initial D Arcade Stage (Kawai from SSR uses the ER34 variant and Nakazato of Night Kids uses the R32)

• Juiced

• Metropolis Street Racer (Skyline GT-R R34)

• Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition / Remix

• Need for Speed Game Series.

• Rallisport Challenge Skyline GT-R R34)

• R:Racing Evolution (The Calsonic Skyline is a useable car in two of the stages

• Sega GT (Nismo tuned GT-R 34 & R32, V-Spec R33, Pennzoil Nismo R34), Sega GT Online

• Street Racing Syndicate

• Street Supremacy The Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 and R34 GT-R M-Spec-Nur.

• Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox360 Launch Pack download - R34 GT-R, 300 bhp, 393 bhp when Stage 3’d)

• TOCA Race Driver 2 (R34 GT-R)

• Tokyo Xtreme Racer series (lots of coupe/sedan/GT-R grades from the 70’s up to 00’s)

• Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune (Reina Akikawa uses both a Black and White GT-R R32 in the game, and is one of the "Special Time Attack Cars." Several other characters use variants of the Skyline.)

Television and films

The R33 appeared in The Fast And The Furious, Also, the R34 GT-R appeared in the sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious and a silver R33 with blue stripes appear in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. There are also a couple of R34’s parked in the carpark where the first drift scene happened. In addition a blue R34 GT-R passes the Veilside RX-7 only to be outpaced by the RX-7 once the NOS is engaged. The Mustang used in the final drift battle also had a RB26DET (R34 GT-R engine, modified as a single turbo setup) in it. Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs ("Wu jian dao" in mandarin) (2002), Chinese Sitcom Armed Reaction III (R32 GT-R Driven by Moses Chen) (2001), the Jackie Chan movie Thunderbolt, and in the Japanese anime Initial D (R32, ER34, R34). A white GT-R R33 (with kit) appears on the Korean blockbuster, SF/Action feature, 2009 Lost Memories as well as the Australian made film Redline.

The Skyline have all in progressive generations from the R30 RS-X through the R31 GTS-R to the R33 GT-R have appeared in the controversial Shuto Kousoku Trial series. They also appear in Toyko Extreme Racer videogames. A recent sighting of an R34 GTT was in the British TV show Spooks where the car appeared in the first 2 episodes of season 4. A red R32 GT-R can be seen pursued by two Lancer Evolution III before stopping and being rammed by one of them in One Nite In Mongkok (2004).

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Importation to North America

There has been significant demand for imported Skylines in the United States, but because Nissan does not officially import the car to the American market, the process is difficult and expensive. Actor Paul Walker, who starred in Fast and the Furious and its sequel, owns one that reportedly cost around US$110,000 to import from Japan. Infiniti has been selling a Left-hand-drive version of the V35 Skyline 350GT in the US. They have badged it as the Infiniti G35. It is sold as a Coupe or a Sedan, and it shares the chassis and engine with the 350Z. The G35x even shares the ATTESA E-TS 4WD system with the R32 and certain R33 G-TR.

In 2000, a California company, Motorex, sacrificed a small number of R33 GTS25s for the purpose of crash testing. They submitted their information to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and petitioned them to allow 1990-1999 GT-Rs and GTSs to be imported, at the condition that they were modified to meet federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Many Skylines were subsequently imported through Motorex. This lasted until late 2005, when the NHTSA became informed that not all 1990 through 1999 Skyline models would perform identically in crash testing. Motorex had submitted information for only the R33, and told the NHTSA that it was sufficient for all R32, R33, and R34 models. According the further review by the NHTSA, only 1996-1998 R33 models have been demonstrated as capable of being modified to meet the federal motor vehicle safety standards. After that, only these 1996-1998 models are eligible for importation. In March of 2006, Motorex ceased all imports and Motorex principal Hiroaki "Hiro" Nanahoshi was arrested and held on $1 million bail on financial, kidnapping, and assault charges.

According to unconfirmed stories floating around the net and various forums, Nanahoshi was allegedly involved in an assault of a disgruntled would be GT-R owner that absconded with $100,000 of Nanahoshi’s money. In addition, Nanahoshi is facing civil lawsuits from GT-R and would-be GT-R owners and jail time over unrelated charges not associated with Motorex. Motorex is reportedly an empty space with a lone wrecked GT-R shell on site.

In Canada, GT-R enthusiasts are importing them somewhat more easily. Canadian law allows for vehicles over 15 years old to be imported freely, without extensive modification. The first R32 GT-R made its way into Canada in August 2004 (as the first R32 GT-R was made in August 1989). Since then, private buyers have been able to import 1990 models, as well as 1991 models now in 2006. This law has also yielded entry to other JDM models, such as the Nissan Silvia, Mazda RX-7, Mazda Cosmo, Keicars and other desirable (and otherwise unattainable) vehicl

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