The legend of the Nissan GT-R began in Australia when Fred Gibson bought and built 3 R32 GT-Rs for Group A touring without the assistance of NISMO. The car was a spaceship compared to the other vehicles on the grid – it had 4 wheel drive, 4 wheel steering, double overhead cams, direct fuel injection, 2 turbos and torque-vectoring. However the team at Gibson Motorsport made it an even more formidable weapon than NISMO could muster – so much so that NISMO prevented one from going over to Japan because they knew it would upstage them. In a way, it was a backhanded compliment and a testament to the quality of the team working under Fred Gibson. One journalist called it “Godzilla” because it destroyed the competition and, eventually, the whole Group A formula in Australia – but the nickname stuck. Since then, 3 distinct models have been produced – one of which being the R34 generation. This particular generation has gained notoriety through a variety of mediums, and NISMO fettled with a few of them to show their potential in the form of the R and Z Tune. However one small tuning house called Tommykaira decided that it could go further and it ended up scaring the pants off the master craftsmen inside Nissan’s skunkworks department. NISMO had been beaten at their own game yet again. Let’s take a look at this prized Japanese unicorn – the only one of it’s kind in Australia.

Tommykaira was a Japanese tuning house that worked on a variety of domestic models such as the Subaru Legacy, Nissan Fairlady and of course the Nissan Skyline, but they also built 2 of their own – the brilliant little ZZ-S and the mythical ZZ-II. Both of these unusual cars showed up in Gran Turismo 4, 5 and 6 so I’ve known about the tuning house for quite a while. The ZZ-S was one of my favourite cars in GT6 because it handled like a Lotus and proved highly competitive online, allowing me to shake off the jaded fools who didn’t know the meaning of racecraft. The ZZ-II is a 4 wheel drive, mid-engine supercar with a tuned RB26 engine, but only one was ever made. As far as I’m aware, it currently sits in an undisclosed location deep within Tokyo. It’s fair to say that Tommykaira had some serious ambition which ultimately went unrealised as the funds dried up for it’s supercar project. Fortunately, there is still a lot of love for the brand and the tight-knit community of owners keep the name alive – just. The owner of this particular car, Sharam, bought it from V-Spec Performance 5 years ago after owning a regular R33 and R34. To put things into perspective regarding the potential value of this car, a NISMO R34 GT-R Z-Tune sold for 3 million dollars recently despite having the higher production number and less horsepower. Who knows how much this one could be worth if that’s any guide.

Only 11 of these “RZ” spec cars were built by Tommykaira 22 years ago, and only one other was built from a V Spec II. The car sports a range of cosmetic enhancements to let people know that they aren’t just looking at any normal GT-R. I don’t know the exact build process because information about the car is scarce but I think Tommykaira purchased a few GT-R’s from Nissan and then modified them into the specification you see here. This seems like the correct option because Sharam kept saying that the parts were put on “from factory”, so it’s reasonable to assume that the cars were modified and then sold to those few discerning customers. One feature which really stands out above the rest is the double-element rear wing, mounted on what looks to be 2 machined aluminium struts. This is a totally bespoke part, not a shitty aftermarket piece from Wish that only costs $200 and was made by one guy in a shed who wanted to make his rear-drive GTS-T look cool. In fact, the whole body kit is bespoke so there’s no way of recreating one with off-the-shelf bits. Take that wannabe pretenders! Anyway the bonnet, front bumper, rear diffuser, sideskirts and rear view mirrors are all unique to this model, so you can’t possibly mistake it for just another modified GT-R. The wheels however are aftermarket, but they’re very good ones made by the world-renown Rays Engineering – another Japanese brand famed for it’s manufacturing quality. The tyres have also been widened for increased grip.

In terms of power, the car produces 530HP from it’s upgraded RB26, which has 2.7 litres of displacement as opposed to the factory 2.6 litres. I’m not sure if it’s been bored or stroked, but I’d say that it’s been stroked out to 2.7 litres because the RB series of engines could handle the extra load put through the top end of the block. I’m pretty sure the bottom end has been left untouched because it’s quite a solid unit that can put up with a lot of abuse. All the upgrades have been made to the top end of the engine, with a bigger intercooler, bigger injectors, an updated ECU and a more advanced air intake system, ensuring that the engine can breathe easy and put the power down. I’m pretty sure that the exhaust has also received an upgrade for smooth airflow out the back. These are the kind of things that must be done in order to create a “streetable” package that’s reliable and won’t explode if you miss a shift. Then again, 530 HP is nothing to sneeze at and coupled with the 4WD system, it’s a genuinely fast car that just goes when you put your foot down.

So, what do I think about all this? As someone born in 2000, I’m very much part of the “PlayStation” generation that grew up driving a heap of Japanese performance icons in Gran Turismo, Need For Speed, Juiced and Midnight Club. The R34 GT-R is arguably the best of the bunch that included stuff like the Mitsubishi Evo, Honda NSX and Mazda RX-7. It’s a machine that is respected by everyone and idolised by a large portion of 20 somethings who always give it that look of approval. Trust me, seeing a clean R34 GT-R never gets old. You’re already off to a good start when the standard variant gets a huge amount of respect on it’s own, so showing up in a wilder spec made by an independent tuning company will get the attention of those who really know their stuff. This is the kind of vehicle that soo many car nerds live for, and one of the many reasons why I enjoy being part of the car community.