1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) MNPIII
Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33), Nissan Skyline GTS-t (R33), BMW M235i, Vauxhall Vectra VXR, Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo, Fiat Punto HGT, Fiat Punto GT, Honda Civic Type R plus plenty of others.
"Well as I'm now on the wrong side of 30 you can get the idea of the kind of generation I grew up in - PlayStation 2, GT2, GT3, that sort of thing. So yes, I am one of the guys who used to dream of one day owning a car which I had spent countless hours pounding round Laguna Seca in. And of course, Fast & Furious also did wonders for my Japanese car fascination. Fast forward a few years and, if you were in a position to finally own an R34 GT-R before the price spirals out of control, why wouldn't you?"
What I wish I'd known:
"What comes with a car approaching classic status very, very quickly? The good old 'GT-R tax' on most if not all parts at the moment. You shudder at the thought of how much it will be with the word 'NISMO' branded on it. Some of this is down to rarity but mainly down to companies and owners trying to cash in on the popularity. Apart from that I had a good idea of Skyline ownership with previously having a R33 GT-R."
"Where do I start?! Just the presence of the car is enough to sell it to most people, helped by the colour. Even people who have no interest in cars stop to tell you how amazing the paint is. It's a shame to think they only ever built 198 Midnight Purple 3 cars ever. Not only is it a rare sight to see a nice R34 GT-R, it's even rarer in the UK to see one in the sought after LXO paint code.
"I love the sound, too. The twin-turbo straight-six RB26 sounds great at any rpm, but couple that with a Tomei Titanium Exhaust and 8,000rpm and you get the kind of notes and sounds rivalling Bach's greatest hits."
Things I hate:
"Now I love a car which attracts a bit of attention as much as this next person, but that can be a bad thing when nearly every single person's first question is "How much power is that running mate?" clearly awaiting me to tell them it has 1,000hp and does a eight-second quarter mile. Such is the look of pure disappointment when they are told the car still runs the standard 112mph speed restrictor that we usually end up talking about something else. Is it wrong to keep a car like this pretty stock nowadays? It's a question I get sick of asking myself every time I'm asked how much power it has."
"Depends on what you want to do to it; consumable parts are as respectable as pretty much any performance car and are readily available too. It's when it comes to tuning as mentioned above that your wallet can take a good beating. Not a big problem for me as I'm trying to keep the car fairly standard. MPG? I don't check!"
Where I've been:
"Nowhere too exciting yet, sadly. I take the car out the garage as much as I can; it would be a crime to leave a car like that locked up never to be seen, so I try and drive it at least once a week (except winter - a Skyline's worst enemy!) I have plans to do the North Coast 500 and maybe take it over to Europe as well - it is a GT car after all."
What's next?
"The car looks just how I want it and, as far as power goes, I didn't really buy it for that so I'm quite happy keeping it as is. You know how it is though - never say never and all that. I get asked if I will ever sell it and the answer is a firm 'NO' for now, but again coming from a very car based background and having a job in the motor trade the temptation is never far away. I'd quite like a Ferrari at some point..."
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