Why the Owner Chose this Car
River, the owner of this beautiful R34 GTR, grew up dreaming of this car. In 2023, when he purchased it, that dream finally came true. The GTR left Japan in November 2023, making the long trip across the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean to California. During delivery, the ship transporting the GTR broke down in harbor in Alaska, thousands of miles from its intended destination. This inconvenience delayed the process by a month. However, this delay provided River with the time to source the parts he had always envisioned in his dream build. River could finally see his dream coming together; now, all he had to do was wait for that ship to arrive!
The Modification List
River didn’t just mod this R34; he curated it with the kind of parts most of us spent our teenage years staring at on posters. At the top of that list was a set of NISMO LMGT4 wheels. If you know, you know—Nissan only drops a limited batch of these every year, making them a nightmare to track down. River eventually sourced a set from Japan, importing them much like the car itself. Seeing them bolted up for the first time was a “pinch-me” moment, but the aesthetics were only half the battle.
To really bring the car to life, River needed to unlock that signature RB26 scream. He swapped the restrictive factory piping for a full titanium turbo-back exhaust, finally giving “Godzilla” the voice it deserved. It sounded like a proper race car, but the performance needed to catch up to the sound.
After getting a feel for the car’s stock limits, River decided to modernise the power delivery. He installed a high-flow fuel pump, a fresh intake, and a Haltech standalone ECU to tie it all together. The result? A jump from the “gentleman’s agreement” 276hp to a solid 400hp. It’s the perfect balance—the car looks iconic, sounds mean, and finally has the pace to keep up with modern sports cars on the road.
Facts about the Owner and His Car
While most people see an R34 GT-R as a garage queen or a weekend investment, River treats it like a member of the family—literally. It’s not uncommon to see two car seats strapped into the back, and apparently, his sons are already becoming little petrolheads. One of them even calls the exhaust pops “fireworks,” which is about as pure as car culture gets.
River is a hands-on owner, taking on the bulk of the maintenance and wrenching himself. He’s wise enough to leave the complex tuning to the pros, but everything else is a product of his own elbow grease.
During our shoot, I finally got the chance to climb into the passenger seat and see what all the fuss was about. Honestly? It’s one of the cleanest, most well-preserved JDM examples I’ve ever laid eyes on. River takes a massive amount of pride in the details; the interior is mint, the paint is deep, and it’s clear he’s not just driving a legend—he’s a steward of it. In an era where many of these cars are being beat on or neglected, seeing one kept this immaculate is a breath of fresh air.
