The Iconic Series: BNR34
We close out our Iconic Series with the R34. In our spotlights for the R31 through R33 generations we've highlighted Skylines campaigned for circuit use and in this final installment for the R34 we highlight a car that was built to be king of the road.
Released in 1999, the R34 was produced until 2002. Like the R33 throughout the production years, multiple variants were created by Nissan consisting of unique interior features, suspension set ups, exterior additions, and engine development. The R34 served as an exceptional foundation for serious speeds on the road and track.
The Blitz R348 (348 for its target km/h) was a car on a mission to take the high-speed record on the German Autobahn. While Blitz could have gone the easy route by building a race car, their ultimate goal was to conquer the speed in street-going road legal car. The car featured a full interior, was able to run on pump gas, and even ran on the factory ECU. There's footage of the car driving on the regular streets, check out the Option Video snippet below.
After days of running, the car managed an verified top speed of 343km/h (213mp/h), matching that of the RUF Yellowbird's unofficial claimed record. The Autobahn was never closed to the public during for high-speed runs in those days and Daijrio Inada, a man addicted to going fast, did the runs while the regular motorists drove through the Autobahn.
To common eyes the car was not extreme and complex, but through more well-advised eyes the car was a remarkable machine. The Blitz Aerospeed kit was properly developed in a wind tunnel and the car featured a near flat-bottom, something that was uncommon among tuners back in 1999. Through Blitz's partnership with Dunlop at the time, the 18 x 10inch Blitz Technospeed Z1 wheels were wrapped in 265/35 sized tires. Blitz also worked with SACHS to develop a set of unique shocks paired with Eibach springs.
The last known competition that the car competed in was the Silver State Classic after which it was tucked away for almost 19 years before resurfacing a few months ago at the Purist Winter Toy Drive.
We hoped you liked our Iconic Series through the past few days. Stay tuned for more on the blog!