Nissan Skyline R34

The R34 is where the classic Skyline story ends and the legend gets set in stone. It was the last of the straight-six, RB26-powered GT-Rs, and the shortest, stiffest of the bunch. It also brought the first six-speed box and that little screen on the dash reading out your boost and g. Nissan then killed the name for five years. But just like the earlier cars, the R34 was a full range, and the badges changed: gone is “GTS,” in comes “25GT.” Here is the whole R34 line sorted, because the 25GT-t hiding below the GT-R is one of the great JDM bargains.

The range, bottom to top

HR34: the 20GT (base six)

The entry R34 is the HR34 20GT, running the RB20DE, a naturally aspirated 2.0 twin-cam. It is the light, cheap, no-boost R34. Perfectly nice to drive, but it is the commuter of the family. Know you are buying the little NA six, not a turbo car.

ER34: the 25GT (NA 2.5)

The ER34 25GT steps up to the RB25DE, the naturally aspirated 2.5, around 200 horses. More torque, more relaxed, still no turbo. A genuinely good daily that looks the part without the boosted running costs.

ER34: the 25GT-t (the bargain)

This is the R34 to know about. The 25GT-t runs the RB25DET NEO, the updated turbo 2.5, a full 280 horses from the factory, rear-wheel-drive. It is the closest thing to a GT-R you can buy without paying GT-R money, and it wears the same shape that made a certain silver R34 famous on the big screen. It came with the strong RS5R30A five-speed, the RB25 “big box,” so unlike the little RB20 cars you are not starting behind. Clean, unmodified 25GT-t prices have been climbing for years, and it is easy to see why.

ENR34: the 25GT-4 / GT-V (NA AWD)

The ENR34 is the four-wheel-drive one, badged 25GT-4 or GT-V, and just like the R33 GTS-4 it runs the naturally aspirated RB25DE, not a turbo. ATTESA traction, NA engine. Only about 3,180 in our data, so it is the rare one, but do not mistake the AWD for GT-R pace.

BNR34: the GT-R

The one everybody wants. The BNR34 GT-R: twin-turbo RB26DETT, ATTESA E-TS Pro on the best cars, and the Getrag V160 six-speed, the first six-speed Skyline GT-R. Roughly 11,500 built across V-Spec, V-Spec II, the M-Spec, N1 and the run-out V-Spec II Nür. The Getrag is a stout box but it is loud at idle and the synchros want respect. Full VIN tables, colours and every special-model breakdown are below.

*Build counts are from our own recompiled production registry where a clean split exists. GT-R figure is the widely-cited whole-run total.

So which R34 do you actually want?

If the GT-R is a lottery win away, the 25GT-t is the answer and it is not close. RB25DET NEO, rear drive, the strong gearbox from the factory and a tuning world that never dried up. Buy the most standard, rust-free one you can find, because a mint unmolested 25GT-t is only getting rarer. And if you are chasing the GT-R itself, chase provenance and a straight chassis over a dyno sheet every time.