never set an official Nordschleife lap time but Nissan’ s test driver, Kazuo Shimizu, achieved a 7 minute 52 second-lap in 1999 during testing.
Odd that there was never an official time, because of the many variations of the R34 Skyline – most of which were lighter with suspension and body alterations – there were the GT-R V · spec II and M-spec Nür models. Named after the German circuit the car was developed on, these models( with different suspension setups) both got the same engine upgrade: steel turbine wheels. Again, power was not officially any more than 280hp. But it is widely believed that these cars had over 330hp from the factory, and that no standard RB26DETT produced less than 300hp.
The advertised power rule was relinquished for really special editions; as a result, the 44-unit R33 Nismo 400R was allowed to advertise its 400hp and 470Nm output in all its glory. This car was powered by a thoroughly reworked RB. With a longer 77.7mm-stroke crankshaft and bigger 87mm pistons, the engine had a capacity of 2770cc. It also had a reinforced block, a modified head and race N1-spec turbos. This version of the straight-six was called the RB-X GT2 and formed the basis for some of the RB engine’ s motorsport activities.
While the GT-R and the RB26DETT’ s reputation for speed and supercar-crushing performance was well-earned on the road, the combination was even more devastating in competition. Which is what it was destined for all along, and to continue the Hakosuka Skyline GT-R’ s incredible racing legacy: the Sixties GT-R won its debut outing in the JAF Grand Prix race at Fuji Speedway and had 49 consecutive victories in Japan. The R32 more than matched the standard set by its predecessor. It won every race in the Japanese Touring Car Championship in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. Taking the championship title too, naturally.
It’ s not just its engine that is built for racing, every aspect of a GT-R is honed for competition
Winter 2025 The Engine Rebuilder 23