The streets of Portland Oregon are honored to have this street legal 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R34 roam free on its scenic byways.Since the R34’s last production in 2002, the Skyline has become an icon of today’s tuner industry.Nissan’s limited release to the Asian, Aussie, and European markets left the US tuners craving the street performance the Skyline’s RB26DETT can offer.Seeing a living legend of this magnitude on US pavement is indeed a rare opportunity and head turner.
)
Portland Speed Industries (PSI) would like to thank the original owner Joe Galante for beginning this project. After the excitement of actually having a Skyline in his driveway wore off, Joe decided that a stock R34 just wasn’t enough.He wanted to add his own spin to Nissan’s famous product.Since the car had plenty of power on tap, Joe focused his early efforts towards the body and suspension.The stock front end was replaced with a Top Secret front bumper and carbon fiber lower diffuser.Two super wide, C-West side skirts fill out the body, while another TopSecret bumper and carbon fiber diffuser is mounted on the rear.Air flowing over the top of the car meets a Mines carbon fiber trunk spoiler. The complete aero package gives this R34 a tough fighter look. Stylish body makeover was finished with a complete color change to PPG Gunmetal Gray.Craft Square carbon fiber side mirrors were mounted on each side, while all the turn indicators lenses were replaced by newer units from Nismo.)
)
Complementing the new body is a set of HRE C20 19×11 3 piece forged wheels.With brushed aluminum centers, these rollers also have a polished lips and titanium hardware.Pirelli Pzero Rosso 295/30/19tires wrap the wheels and provide the extreme grip to put the power to the road.Behind the wheels sit a complete Brembo Ferrari F50 big brake kit.Up front sits a huge pair of 8 piston, candy blue coated, calipers with 380mm brake rotors, while the rear houses 355mm rotors and 4 piston calipers. To get this Skyline into its fighting stance is a set of Silk Roadupper and lower suspension linkages and coilover setup.
Inside this R34, the interior was redesigned to suit the tastes of a true tuner.Two blue suede Status Racing Laguna carbon fiber racing seats keep the driver (plus one) in place while out curve hunting.A Momo Commando-R steering wheel with a locking quick release hub, adds to the race car feel, and also doubles as a very efficient anti-theft device.Carbon fiber lines the interior panels of the doors and dash. Both A & B pillars have carbon fiber finishings, as well as, the instrument and)
center consoles.A Nismo titanium shift knob sits in a pocket of black leather surrounded by even more carbon fiber. In car entertainment is provided by an Eclipse AVN6545 DVD head unit with touch-screen navigation.Sounds are pumped through an Eclipse 4-Channel Amplifier to each of the 6.5†Eclipse speakers.
Engine Performance Modifications:
AEM EMS
ARC FMIC w/ Piping
GReddy T618-Z Twin Turbo
Kit
GReddy Timing Belt
SARD Fuel System
— Fuel Rail
— Fuel Pump
1600cc Injectors
Tomei PONCAM 264
Camshafts
Tomei Adjustable Cam
Sprockets
Custom Intake Manifold
90mm Throttle Body
Top Secret Exhaust Manifold
HKS GT Extension Pipes
HKS Twin Power DLI-II
HKS Grounding kit
KOYO Radiator
Silk Road Engine Torque
Damper
Mines Carbon Fiber Radiator
Shroud
Exterior Styling:
Complete Color Change PPG
Gunmetal Grey
Top Secret Front Bumper
Top Secret Carbon Fiber Front
Diffuser
Top Secret Carbon Fiber Rear
Diffuser
Craft Square Carbon Fiber
Side Mirrors
Mines Carbon Fiber Trunk
Spoiler
C-West Side Skirts
Nismo Clear Front Turn
Indicators
Nismo Clear Side Turn
Indicators
Nismo Gas Filler Cap
Wheels, Tires, Brakes, Suspension:
HRE C20 19×11 3 piece
Forged Wheels
— Polished Lip
— Brushed Aluminum Centers
— Titanium Hardware
Pirelli Pzero Rosso 295/30/19
Brembo 8 piston/ 4 piston
Ferrari F50 Brake kit
-Custom Candy Blue Calipers
-Rotors are 380mm & 355mm
Silk Road Coilover Susp.
Silk Road Rear Upper /Lower
Linkage
Interior Modifications:
Status Racing Laguna Carbon
Fiber/Blue Suede Seats
Momo Commando –R
Steering wheel
Locking Quick Release
Steering Wheel Hub
Nismo Titanium Shift Knob
Custom Carbon Fiber
Finishings
— Center Console
— Instrument Cluster
— Audio Console
— Door Acces. Switch Panels
— Interior Dome Light Console
— A-pillar
— B-pillar
Eclipse AVN6545 DVD Touch-
Screen Navigation
Eclipse 6.5 2-way Separate
Speakers (front)
Eclipse 6.5 3-way Separate
Speakers (rear)
Eclipse 4-Channel Amplifier
)
With the body and interior upgraded to such a higher level, the attention turned to the engine for increased power.A huge ARC front mount intercooler was added with piping to let the Skyline breath in cooler air.A Powerhouse Amuse R1000 titanium exhaust package from the block back was installed to release exhaust gasses.And keeping the engine cool is a larger Koyo radiator covered with a stylish carbon fiber shroud by Mines. A HKS twin power DLI-II ignition module provides more spark while a HKS grounding kit keeps the electrical noise in check.To manage the engine, a plug & play AEM EMS standalone computer was installed.The Skyline was thrown on the dyno and tuned by Jason Oefelein from PSI.Even though the stock turbos remained untouched, the R34 pushed a very respectable 450 whp with 19 psi of boost.
PSI is a tuner’s shop that specializes in show quality builds and high horsepower founded by Jason Oefelein and Erick Sackhoff.PSI has taken ownership of this beautiful Skyline and has already taken steps to keep pushing forward with the car’s development.The shop has plans to focus on engine performance, and has set a goal to reach 650-700 whp using green friendly E98 Ethanol fuel.This GTR will serve as a research and testing platform for alternate fuel mixtures, in anticipation for the new market trends in the tuner industry of tomorrow.
What Will The Future Bring
Currently, this R34 is going under another transformation, this time, under the hood.PSI will start with the basic strategy of adding more air and fuel to make power. Then they’ll use their expertise in programmable engine management to demonstrate the flexibility of a well tuned car.First, the stock turbos will be replaced with two hefty Greddy T618-Z twin turbos sitting atop a Top Secret exhaust manifold.In the works, is a custom intake manifold with a 90mm throttle body, which will be the equivalent of the “super big gulp†for cars.Additional mechanical horsepower will be extracted using a set of Tomei PONCAM 264 Camshafts and adjustable cam sprockets.Keeping things in proper timing is a R34 Greddy timing belt.
Studies have shown that E98 Ethanol has a 7% increase of power over race fuel, an approximate 15% over pump gas.The ethanol acts as a cooling agent for incoming air, lowering its temperature making it denser. Thus, allowing more air/fuel mixture to be compressed in the cylinders making more power. However, the increased power comes at the cost of more fuel flow.The E98 fuel mixture will need approximately 30% more flow than standard pump. So the Skyline’s fuel system will be upgraded to accommodate the extra needed fuel with a Sard fuel pump, larger rail, and massive 1600cc injectors.Even with the added 30% flow, today’s market price for E98 makes it more cost efficient than standard fuels.The bottom line is more power with cheaper fuel.
Ultimately, PSI would like to tune the Skyline for three different fuels using the flexibility of the car’s programmable AEM EMS unit.Fuel and air maps would be based on dyno tests using standard pump 92 octane fuel, 114 octane race fuel, and the E98.Portland Speed Industries, Inc will continue to develop the definition of alternate fuel performance with tomorrow’s tuners in mind.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Story by Sam Hatago
Portland Speed Industries, LLC
Photos provided by [email protected]