![]() The fact that you can’t feel the rear steering counter-steer on the way into a corner (aiding turn-in) and quickly switch to parallel steer (to restore stability) is a big compliment to the engineers. Essentially, it’s rear-biased, though in the dry, up to the high limits (elevated by the modern Dunlops fitted), it feels like it has an excess of grip, delivered by a chassis that has a sweet, biddable overall balance. True, the steering isn’t the sharpest but I find the chassis of the R34 more transparent, more readable than that of the current R35. It’s just the perfect diameter, its rim is the ideal width and shape and there are no buttons on it. Mind you, the screen resolution isn’t all that great, and rather than offering nav and connectivity, the display allows you to monitor the status of many obscure items, most of which you’d think would only be of interest to a tuner – injector delivery, exhaust and intake manifold air temperature, that sort of thing.Īnother indication that the car was crafted by people who love driving is the steering wheel. The temperature of the transfer case oil is one of the few ‘vitals’ you can’t monitor via the dash-top MFD (Multi Function Display), whose mini-tablet styling is remarkably modern- looking. > Nissan Skyline addiction – one man and his many GT-Rs It feels built for Germany’s autobahns, so Nissan GB was smart to uprate the cooling of the drivetrain’s vitals. The stability is awe-inspiring, too, the Skyline tracking straight and true, spearing down the road with a solid, unwavering purpose that cements your confidence. The speed just keeps piling on, the engine firing the R34 at the horizon with ever-greater purpose. This gathering-momentum delivery feels as strong in fourth and fifth as it does in second and third. Oddly, it doesn’t seem to matter what gear you’re in. Here’s an engine with character in both sound and delivery. But what’s retro in a good way is that iconic, competition-hardened straight-six under the long bonnet. The key comes with a connector on the fob that you have to touch against a receptor on the dashboard to disarm the immobiliser, and the Alpine head unit is unfathomable at a glance. The rest of the car could take a great deal more power and torque too, so as a consequence the chassis appeared rather over-specced – ATTESA four-wheel drive, Super HICAS four-wheel steering and handsome 18-inch wheels that we described as ‘massive’ back in the day but which look modest now with their hot hatch-sized 245/40 R18 Dunlops. A simple ECU remap – the equivalent of pulling a bung out of the exhaust – could lift this to around 350bhp, and the potential of the RB26DETT engine was good for up to three times that, which is incredible. ![]() What Nissan and the many tuners knew was that this was the ground floor. No question, driving an R34 gets you a whole lotta love. And it’s all sorts of people too, from kids to pensioners, parents to youfs. At one end of the scale there’s nudging and pointing, double-takes and ‘subtle’ raising of cameraphones, and at the other plain awe, reverence and wild enthusiasm, occasionally with sweary, can-you-believe-this?! shouting. There’s probably no more subtle a colour than silver and this UK-spec car has the standard twin-pipe back-box rather than the optional Nismo drainpipe, so it’s quieter than a 370Z, but as we amble along the seafront on this busy, sunny afternoon, I’m getting a taste of what it must be like to be a celebrity. I’ve been fortunate enough to drive some great cars in great locations and I’ve never experienced such universally positive reactions as greeted the R34 when we turned up in Margate. Before pulling away she shakes her head like she just can’t believe she’s seeing an R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R, blows a few kisses, and is gone. But she’s giving the double thumbs up and smiling madly. I look across and the lady in her 50s is gesticulating alright. ![]() So when it slows to a halt as we’re turning around for another run, I’m braced for a scowl or maybe a hand gesture. Trundling gently up and down this road for car-to-car shots, we’ve held up a couple of cars, and the old Ford Ka has been delayed a bit longer than most.
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