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There aren't many sports cars out there as famous as Brian's R34 Skyline GT-R from 2 Fast 2 Furious.

The Fast and Furious franchise has included a wide range of high-performance vehicles from all around the world. While Dom was notorious for preferring the raw power of American muscle cars, Brian’s Japanese coupes became an iconic part of the entire franchise.

While the first movie saw Brian build a Toyota Supra, it was in the second film that Brian’s iconic NissanSkyline took center stage. Brian’s R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R became one of the most popular cars to hit the big screen, with its unique silver and blue color scheme becoming an instant hit among gearheads around the world. Looking to learn more about Brian’s R34 Nissan Skyline? Here’s everything you need to know about the iconic Japanese sports car.

Craig Lieberman is an American producer that played a pivotal role in the development of the Fast and Furious franchise. Craig believed in the project so much that he actually purchased the R34 Skyline for $78,000 before the movie was even agreed on by Universal.

The R34 Skyline was the fifth generation of the Japanese sports car. This two-door coupe launched in January 1999 and was an instant hit. This car was a front-engine, two-door sports car even though early reports indicated that Nissan was thinking about installing a mid-engine to the car for better balance.

While the R34 was an instant success throughout Japan and the rest of Europe, it failed to meet certain safety standards in the United States. These safety standards changed just before the R34’s release, making the Japanese sports car illegal to import into the country.

Despite the illegal status of the car in the country, the United States does allow older cars to enter the market. This rule allows cars that are 25 years old to get registered in the United States even if they fail the safety standards. However, some have managed to get around this rule by purchasing the components of the R34 separately from Europe and assembling the car in the United States. This allows you to own the car within the States, but getting it registered and road legal still poses a problem until 2024.

The R34 Skyline is a seriously quick sports car. The fifth generation of the Nissan GT-R comes with an impressive 276-hp engine and 289 lb-ft of torque. The stock engine was incredibly powerful, but Nissan followed up by releasing various models of the GT-R to take even more advantage of the powertrain.

Nissan introduced the R34 GT-R V-Spec model with the ATTESA E-RS Pro system and an active LSD at the rear of the car. The standard GT-R came with non-Pro systems and a completely mechanical rear differential. The V-Spec model also came with stiffer, upgraded suspension to help make the car even more powerful on track.

If there’s anything that gearheads love more than power, it's control. This is why gearheads around the world adore the R34 GT-R and its manual gearbox. The R34 model comes with a 6-speed manual transmission that allowed drivers to have unparalleled control over the performance of the Japanese sports car.

The gearbox remained fairly the same throughout the various versions of the R34 Skyline but was completely redesigned for the Z-Tune model. Built as a concept in 2002, the model launched as the final version of the R34 Skyline. This car featured a number of upgrades that completely redesigned the drivetrain, suspension, engine, and various other components to maximize performance and efficiency.

Related: 2000-2002 Nissan Skyline R34: Costs, Facts, And Figures

It was no secret that the R34 was an absolutely stunning piece of engineering. However, the iconic sports car also came with impressive performance figures to match. The standard version of the GT-R came with a 276 HP engine that could rapidly accelerate the sports car from 0 to 60 in just 4 seconds.

While this was impressive at the time, Nissan launched several performance editions of the R34 Skyline throughout the years. This included the V-Spec models but also the GT-R Series 2, the M-Spec, and the Nismo Z-Tune. The Nismo Z-Tune version was the final edition of the R34 Skyline and upgraded almost every performance component of the car.

While the R34 Skyline was an impressive sports car, it also saw tons of modern technology introduced to the market. This included a 5.8-inch digital display above the center console that even included accurate data capturing and processing systems.

This enabled drivers to accurately view data while on track. The LCD display managed to show seven different live readings including the engine performance stats, vehicle condition stats, and even the turbocharger pressure. This data helps the driver get the car into the perfect window for real-world track performance.

Related: Watch This Nissan Skyline R34 Shred Its Tires In Less Than Two Minutes

The R34 Skyline was a rare sports car designed by Kozo Watanabe for Nissan. Production started in January 1999 and ended in August 2002, with a total of 11,578 units making it on the road. Of these units, only 2,709 were of the original Series 1 of the vehicle.

Nissan then produced 4,193 units of the V-Spec version, 1,268 units of the Series 2, and 1,855 units of the V-Spec II model. The ultimate version of the R34 Skyline was the limited-edition Z-Tune model with only 19 units making it on the road.

The R34 Skyline GT-R came with the latest technology Nissan had to offer. This included the track-focused data capturing technology within the cockpit but also a dynamic engine management system to run the sports car as efficiently as possible.

Nissan also continued to evolve and develop the Skyline GT-R over the years. This was evident in the V-Spec variants of the car and even a special-edition V-Spec Nur model. This model is one of the most expensive versions of the car today, with many estimating the value to be close to half a million dollars.

Related: The Big V8 In The BMW E39 M5 Takes On A Nissan R34 GT-R In A Drag Race

Nismo originally created the concept of the Z-Tune in 2002. This model was the final version of the iconic sports car, with Nissan dedicating resources to improve almost every aspect of the two-door sports car. While production of the R34 stopped in 2002, the Nismo Z-Tune models came out in 2003, building on already produced units.

These high-performance editions made use of the 2002 Skyline GT-R V-Spec II models, which was a special concept engine from Nissan. This engine came from Nissan’s Le Mans GT2 race cars and included an upgraded powertrain that could produce 493 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque.

Related: Detailing The World’s Most Expensive R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R Z-Tune

As mentioned above, the R34 came out in several different variants over the years. This included the Series 1 and Series 2 but also a variety of V-Spec models for the different markets around the world.

Nissan quickly capitalized on the success of the R34 and created special versions of the car for the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Singapore. Nissan even introduced a second model for the New Zealand market, the V-Spec II. This showcased the widespread popularity of the car around the world.

Nicholas is an avid motorsport lover from South Africa. He has been obsessed with all things automotive from an early age and managed to learn about the industry directly during his time at Mercedes-Benz. Nicholas also studied and worked in Germany, where he accumulated over five years of experience in the marketing and automotive industry. Nicholas is also a passionate Formula 1 fan, patiently awaiting Lewis Hamilton's 9th World Championship.