There are GT-Rs, and then there is the R34 Skyline GT-R Z-Tune.
Launched in 2003, the GT-R Z-Tune was a special project handled by Nismo as part of its 20th anniversary celebration. The R34 generation of Godzilla had ended production in 2002 so Nismo went out and bought used examples, all with fewer than 29,000 kilometers on their odometers, to turn into Z-Tunes. Just 19 were built, including the prototype.
The process saw Nismo strip down each of the cars and rebuild them using lessons learned from various GT-R motorsport programs. In particular, the stock 2.6-liter twin-turbocharged inline-6 saw its displacement bumped to 2.8 liters and its turbochargers upgraded. The result was an output of 500 horsepower.
All of the cars were also repainted a special Z-Tune Silver, except one that kept its original Midnight Purple III finish. That isn't the car you see being detailed here. Rather, this car was repainted Midnight Purple III in 2018, at the Nismo factory.
There's a certain pleasure gained from watching a car being detailed so thoroughly. The work was done by Auto Attention of Melbourne, Australia, and if you're hungry for more there's a video of when the company did a detail of an R34 Skyline GT-R Vspec II.
If you're starting to get a serious case of R34 Skyline GT-R envy, we'll remind you that we're still years away from the R34 being eligible for import into the United States. The first Skyline models of the R34 generation appeared in 1998, which will make them eligible for import in 2023. The GT-R variant, however, only came in 1999. It means eager fans will need to wait until 2024 to bring over this generation of Godzilla.
