This is a 659bhp Skyline R34 GT-R restoration that’ll cost you more than a Ferrari SF90

28/06/2024

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

Your daily dose of restomod goodness has arrived, and this one’s in the form of a Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R. Offered by Japan-based Built By Legends, you’ll need to fork out an estimated £335,000 (excluding donor car) to own it. But before you sneer, take note of some details. Spoiler alert: they’re juicy.

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

The stand-out figure of 659bhp comes courtesy of an uprated RB26 unit, which in this spec has had a fiddle by Mine’s and dubbed the ‘MB7’. The redline is upped ever so slightly to 8,000rpm, and that reassuring six-cylinder hum can be controlled through a six-speed manual transmission.

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

There are a few other big mechanical changes that have brought the power band up to supercar levels too, including an uprated ECU, stronger air ducts and fuel pipes, and even the airflow injectors and meter from the R35.

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

But beyond just raw power, Built By Legends will do a full chassis restoration as part of the work, which in turn will improve rigidity and bring out the best in the upgraded Aragosta suspension. It’ll then replace all the bushes and bearings, before throwing shinier (and bigger) brake discs in front of them.

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

Anyway, we’ll stop hounding you with all the aftermarket fangirling now and spare a thought for the neat exterior reimagination. A new carbon bumper and bonnet are slotted to improve air flow, while further carbon is seen across the various diffusers and fins around the flanks and rear. Most of this stuff is actually inspired by the original Mine’s R34 which was dreamt up back in the early 2000s - and will be particularly nostalgic for Gran Turismo fanatics.

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

Masaharu Kuji, the CEO of Built By Legends, said: “We feel that it is vitally important to preserve the integrity of the GT-R while also supplying the upgrades necessary for enjoying driving in modern conditions. When we first developed the idea for Built By Legends, we were driven by one simple question: what kind of GT-R would we all want to drive now, if we were to ever build one?”

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

Fancy commissioning one? That’ll be around one year of waiting… and likely close to half-a-million quid with a donor car factored in. Reckon it’s a price worth paying, readers?

Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R

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