This throwback R34 Skyline will blow your mind

By topgear, 26 January 2020

Liberty Walk’s mad founder Wataru Kato knows how to stir up the internet. When he’s not angle-grinding the arches of supercars, he’s feeding trolls. And his latest creation is proper troll bait, mainly because he’s taken his angle-grinder to the internet’s golden child: the R34 Skyline.

But be still, internet warriors! There’s no need to sharpen your digital teeth because Kato-San hasn’t decided to chop up an R34 GT-R, rather the much more accessible – far less holy – ER34 Nissan Skyline GT-t. So, realax. Breath. In… and… out… 

Dubbed the ‘LB Super Silhouette Works R34 Skyline’ it’s that famous Nissan Skyline in a retro frock. And boy does it wear it well. Inspiration comes courtesy of the Super Silhouette series, Japan’s take on Group 5 racing and the real-life Pinterest board for the Bosozuku car aesthetic, something Kato-san knows very well.

The crazy series allowed for mad modifications under the skin of silhouettes of production cars. Just with monster splitters and box arches. And Kato’s done a modern take on the Masahiro Hasemi’s Tomica-liveried, fire-spitting KDR30 Nissan Skyline Super Silhouette. That car had a near 600bhp LZ20B turbo engine and chalked up two wins in 1982 and five wins in the 1983 championship.

Kato binned the ER34’s factory-fitted RB25DET NEO for a stroked 3.1-litre L28 with a ported and polished head, hot cam and Solex carburettors. With a stock header and those side-exit exhausts, if you’ve got sensitive ear drums, we’d recommend some ear defenders.

Visually, all the hallmarks are there: the huge deppa – or bucktooth front splitter – the boxy fenders, side skirts and monster diffuser. It’s then finished with fantastic Yokohama Advan Racing GT wheels, arch-filling stance and the red and black palette continuing onto the stripped out interior and finished perfectly with Bride race seats and contrasted by a bright yellow roll cage.

Now, what car would you like to get this awesome throwback treatment?

STORY Rowan Horncastle

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