Remembering the Nissan Skyline From ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’
The Nissan GT-R from “2Fast 2Furious” was an instant hit. How did it get there?
Written by Alex Reale
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Table of Contents
When a movie called “The Fast and the Furious” came out in 2001, no one could have known that a 20-year franchise would blossom from it. The franchise has since grossed over $1.5 billion and has inspired a theme park ride, a TV show, and a huge, dedicated fan base. And though the movies so far have featured some huge names in Hollywood, the cars are the real stars.
The Skyline’s the limit
The key scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious for the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R is a street race. Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Conner is convinced to bring his decked out GT-R to compete against three other cars.
He steers it into a scantily clad cheering crowd, revving the engine as he takes his place on the starting line.
The power of this car is obvious, even in a film setting. The engine absolutely screeches, and its 505 hp is easily summoned.
The street race is chippy, and culminates in a surprise jump. Our hero steers expertly past his competitors, a silver blur with dazzling blue lights and flames. He lands the jump, somehow overtaking another car in the air, and wins the race.
Coming to a stop, he crows with delight and reaches over to pat the canisters in the passenger seat, which are presumably full of rocket fuel.
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Acquiring the GT-R
The GT-R gets to be the star of the show, but it wasn’t an easy path to get there. Technical director for the Fast and Furious franchise Craig Lieberman, in a slightly testy video, explains how the Japanese Skylines made their way to the U.S. to be Hollywood darlings, according to
Motor Authority
. The first hurdle to clear was the lack of federal clearance for the GT-Rs. Deemed illegal because they did not meet U.S. safety standards, Leberman found a way to purchase four from a company called Motorex, at $48,000 each. They were shipped over in a 747, and an additional $25,000 was spent on each vehicle so they would pass federal muster.
With these hoops jumped through, the movie magic could begin.
The four GT-Rs were subjected to a silver paint job, plus blue racing stripes and accents that Lieberman did not endorse, noting that it’s odd to have American muscle car features added on to JDM cars. Some interior changes were made to give the cars an even speedier cockpit look, and after new sets of tires were added, the GT-Rs were ready for their closeup.
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Insuring a GT-R
Though it was the Mitsubishi EVO that had paid for the product placement, it was the GT-R that left many U.S. fans wanting more. The legendary Nissan Skyline had finally found its loophole to cross the Pacific, and its reputation for power and speed preceded itself. Brian O’Conner showed us what the GT-R could do.
Luckily, here in 2022, we’ve been graced by the U.S. presence of Nissan GT-Rs for over a decade. So the Skyline is all yours if you want it—but remember, street racing is still illegal.
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