Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 (BNR34): The Complete Chassis Guide

BNR34, in one line

The R34 is the last car to wear the Skyline GT-R name before Nissan spun GT-R off as its own model with the R35. Built from January 1999 into 2002, its RB26DETT twin-turbo straight-six, ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive and Super-HICAS rear steering make it the chassis most people mean when they just say "the R34." KUROGANE doesn't sell cars — this page is the reference we'd want before going looking for one, not a listing.

Timeline: how the run actually broke down

• January 1999 — BNR34 launches, replacing the R33. Base GT-R and V-spec (Active LSD, firmer suspension and stabiliser bars) available from the start.
• 1999 — V-spec N1, a stripped, competition-oriented homologation variant, built in small numbers without some of the road-car comfort equipment.
• October 2000 — the Series 2 update brings V-spec II: a carbon-fibre hood with a NACA duct, bigger rear brakes, and a revised ATTESA E-TS Pro / active LSD tune.
• May 2001 — M-spec joins the lineup. It shares V-spec II's mechanical upgrades but swaps the carbon hood for aluminium and adds leather trim, heated seats and softer "Ripple Control" dampers — the comfort-leaning sibling, not a harder one.
• February 2002 — V-spec II Nür and M-spec Nür close out the model: a combined 1,003-car anniversary run (718 V-spec II Nür, 285 M-spec Nür) built around a more durable, N1-derived engine block.
• 2002 — R34 production ends; Nissan separates the GT-R name from the Skyline line for the next generation.
• 2003–2007 — Nismo's Z-tune: 19 cars total, built by remanufacturing existing V-spec II shells with a 2.8-litre RB28DETT making roughly 500 PS. It's a limited Nismo project completed after the production line had already closed, not a regular-run GT-R.

Grades, the one-paragraph version

V-spec added an Active LSD and firmer suspension over the base GT-R. V-spec II layered on a carbon-fibre hood, bigger rear brakes and a sharper ATTESA E-TS Pro tune. M-spec took V-spec II's mechanical package and re-aimed it at comfort — aluminium hood, leather, heated seats, softer dampers. The Nür editions are limited anniversary runs of both, with the tougher N1 block. See the FAQ below for the short version of "which one is which."

Buying considerations that have nothing to do with grade badges

• Confirm the chassis and engine numbers match the car's own paperwork before anything else — RB26DETTs get swapped, and mismatched or altered numbers are a known issue on cars that have passed through multiple owners and tuners.
• Ask for the Japanese auction sheet if the car came through the dealer-auction export pipeline. It's the single most information-dense document available on condition and accident history, and reading one is a skill worth learning before you buy, not after.
• Turbos, boost controllers and ECUs on RB26DETTs are frequently modified; a car advertised as "stock" should have that backed up by service history, not just a seller's word.
• We don't maintain a list of "trusted" importers or dealers. Ask any seller for their sourcing chain — Japanese auction house, the sheet itself, export paperwork — and verify it yourself rather than taking a badge of trust at face value.

Import eligibility status

As of 2026-07, R34 GT-Rs built from January 1999 have been clear of the US 25-year exemption since January 2024 — the earliest cars in the run are now more than two years past their eligibility date. Cars built later in the 1999–2002 run clear later, on their own manufacture-month schedule, and the Nür cars (built into February 2002) clear last among the regular production run. This is general orientation, not a ruling on any specific car: check your exact chassis's manufacture month with the Import Eligibility Check, and see the 25-year rule, explained for how the federal clock works, why the EPA runs a separate 21-year original-configuration test, and why your state's registration rules are a second question entirely. Canada's 15-year threshold already clears the whole model; the same guide covers why right-hand-drive JDM cars generally wait for that 15-year line rather than using Canada's RIV program.