The Nissan Skyline has significantly changed since the first-generation model debuted in 1957. The model grew in popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a performance powerhouse with the return of the GT-R name, propelling the model to legendary status by the time the R34 arrived just before the end of the Millennium.
Nissan offered the R34 in three body styles, with the sedan looking relatively sedate. However, don’t let the looks fool you, as That Racing Channel showcases a modified Skyline sedan that shoots flames out of its big, round tailpipe.
The car’s RB26 engine underwent an extensive upgrade; however, the specifics weren’t offered in the video. It had head and block work, and it got a new turbo. The 2.6-liter straight-six engine makes 800 horsepower, which routes through the stock transmission to the car’s from-the-factory all-wheel-drive system. The car makes all the right noises in the video, with a raucous exhaust note and plenty of noise from the turbocharger.
The car was built by Drag International, a South Florida shop specializing in upgrading JDM products. An 800-hp Nissan Skyline R34 seems modest compared to the shop’s other creations that can crank out as much as 1,500 hp, but this Nissan still contains the stock gearbox, which might not be ready to handle any additional power.
The Skyline’s future is uncertain in Nissan. A report from earlier this year alleged the Skyline would become an electric SUV, but it feels like nothing more than speculation without something official from the company. The Skyline exists today as a rebadged Infiniti Q50, which has been the case since the thirteenth-generation model began production in 2014.
The GT-R lives on as a separate model in the US, which the automaker updated for 2024. Nissan has already hinted that the model would become fully electric one day. But it’s unclear when, as the automaker has concerns about the technology’s viability in a high-performance application. It’s a concern other automakers have expressed as they navigate the transition to battery power. More horsepower means less range, and that’s a hard scale to balance with the current technology.
Until then, we can expect Nissan’s 3.8-liter V6 engine to continue powering the GT-R. The company is working toward offering more electric vehicles, with a bold plan to have 19 fully electric models on sale by the decade’s end. The company will augment that by offering 27 new hybrids, too, and somewhere in that plan is the future of the Skyline and the GT-R.