Tokyo firm Built By Legends gives fresh life to a performance icon, Nissan’s R34 GT-R

It feels like every half-decent car from three decades ago is once again having its day in the sun, courtesy of a pricey restomod upgrade. This R34-era Nissan GT-R is the latest case in point. To the uninitiated, the R34 has too much in common with its base car – the tenth-generation Nissan Skyline – to be given a second look, but it’s actually a performance giant.

Ever since 1969, Nissan has used its Skyline model series as the basis of its most competent and high-tech performance variant, the GT-R, a tradition that continued until 2002. Today’s GT-R, the R35 variant, is a standalone model that debuted in 2007 and was already considered quite long in the tooth when I drove it way back in 2012; remarkably, production only ended last month.

That leaves a gap in the market, which Japanese tuning specialist Built By Legends is hoping to fill. The R34 GT-R is a lavish reconstruction of the 1999 Skyline GT-R, hand built in Japan. Granted, it’s a lot of money to pay for a Nissan, but BBL co-founders Masaharu Kuji and Katsu Takahashi have garnered plenty of experience with the model. This particular generation of GT-R already has a vociferous cult following, both in Japan and abroad, with numerous tuning outfits offering upgrades and enhancements.

BBL’s approach is more comprehensive. With versions of the R32 and R33 GT-R already in its portfolio, the R34 shown here has been developed hand in hand with MINE, a Yokosuka-based engine specialist founded by Michizo Niikura in 1985. The unapologetic blizzard of jargon that follows is a testament to the myriad ways in which these rock-solid cars can be upgraded and the performance levels that can be achieved.

Niikura’s workshop is responsible for the 650-horsepower MINE MB7 engine, complete with the company’s custom-designed Engine Control Unit, and a 6-speed Getrag heavy-duty six-speed transmission. By the time we get to MINE’S Carbon Air Intake Duct and Fuel Delivery Pipe, and Airflow Meter and Injectors taken from the newer R35, we’re in the realm of video game upgrades, where every single facet of a car’s tech spec can be swapped out and taken to another level, with a corresponding performance bump.

The highly maxed-out nature of the new R34 GT-R goes some way to explaining its elevated price point. As Kuji point outs,’ the concept behind Built By Legends was to produce Japanese restomod vehicles in conjunction with the legendary designers and builders of the Japanese automotive industry.’ This they’ve certainly achieved.

Resplendent in the Bayside Blue colour that has become synonymous with the car, the R34 GT-R comes equipped with a hefty rear wing and carbon fibre bodykit. The car made its debut at the US’s SEMA show, the annual get-together of the world’s most outrageous and ostentatious car tuners under the banner of the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association. By SEMA standards, the BBL’s work is relatively low key, even if it’s still not a subtle car for day-to-day use.

That, however, is exactly what Kuji and Takahashi envisage happening to the limited run of car they have planned. Now the R34 is US legal for the very first time (thanks to the end of the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act earlier this year), drivers will be taking it out on the road, not kept locked up in a collection. ‘We are taking these iconic Japanese cars of the 1980’s and 1990’s to an entirely new level so that they can be owned, driven and appreciated by enthusiasts all around the world,’ says Kuji.

It’s a practical supercar, with plenty of space inside (a legacy of the car’s standard sedan origins). Black and Navy ‘Ultrasuede’ covers practically every interior surface, and the company has upgraded the sound and heat insulation as well as added a MINE-sourced steering wheel and lightweight aluminium pedals. The R34 GT-R is not to everyone’s taste, but with an epic list of customisable components and finishes, US fans denied of the 1999 original will be lining up to join the wait list.

Nissan custom R34 GT-R restomod, from $450,000, BuiltbyLegends.jp, @BuiltByLegends