AUTO MESSE WEB has profiled a 2000 Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR34) V-spec that has been through five turbocharger changes on its way to a reported 827 PS — and the owner is clear that the number was never really the point. In the later stages of the build, what he was choosing turbos for was how the car responds to part throttle on the street.

The owner goes by the handle "Rh Minus" in the feature (a nickname, not his real name), and the car is an early-production 2000 V-spec. Per the feature, he had wanted a GT-R in his twenties, could not afford one, and bought a four-door Skyline Type M instead; when he finally got the GT-R years later, the modifications started almost immediately. Within three months the car had a Mine's ECU with increased boost and a NISMO NE-1 dual-exit exhaust. Two years later came the first turbo change — GT2530 units — along with HKS 256-degree camshafts and an HKS F-CON V Pro running in D-Jetro mode, which does away with the airflow meters. The feature puts the car at 540 PS at that stage.

The 2.8-liter rebuild

In 2007 the engine failed. As it happened, the owner had already priced a 2.8-liter conversion just before it let go, so the decision was made on the spot. The rebuild used a NISMO GT block, and he waited roughly six months for the 2.8-liter version of the HKS V-Cam Pro variable intake cam system to become available before finishing it. With a TO4Z turbo, the engine came back at a reported 720 PS.

Where the turbo swaps get interesting

Around five years later, lapping Fuji Speedway, he felt the engine running out of breath above 6,000 rpm and concluded the turbo was maxed out. The replacement was a T88-34D, and it fixed that problem: the engine now pulled cleanly to 8,000 rpm. But on the Dynapack, the point at which the torque came in had shifted roughly 800 rpm higher — and on the road, the car was less fun to drive.

That was the trade he did not want to make. The next swap, to an HKS GT6290BB ball-bearing turbo, brought the torque onset back down by 300 to 400 rpm. Per the feature, part-throttle response around town — the going on and off the throttle that makes up most street driving — improved markedly, and the car became enjoyable on the street again.

The feature says the car has been through five turbo replacements in total, but identifies only four specifications — GT2530, TO4Z, T88-34D and GT6290BB — so one change goes undocumented. Each swap meant a new exhaust manifold and front pipe, and a fresh tune. The current figure is a reported 827 PS (roughly 816 hp); the feature does not state the boost pressure, fuel or dyno conditions behind it.

Chassis, brakes and a 1:50.9 Fuji lap

The engine also runs Hayashi Seiko valve guides and titanium valve retainers, and the HKS metal catalytic converter sits in one-off titanium pipework worked to 90 mm. The chassis uses Sachs dampers on Hyperco springs, AP Racing brakes and 18×10.5J NISMO LM GT4 wheels, and the rear wing has been raised 60 mm. Inside are a NISMO MFD expansion kit and Recaro seats — an RMS2660A and an SR-III.

AUTO MESSE WEB credits the car with a 1:50.9 lap of Fuji Speedway's main course, though no timing conditions are given, and the owner says he does not do much circuit driving these days. The exterior is kept stock-looking, the rear seats are still in place, and while he is considering some weight reduction, for now he considers the car finished.

It is a build whose priorities changed along the way: peak output went up with each rebuild, but in the end it was street response, not the number, that decided the hardware. That is a different emphasis from the Impul R34 GT-R project or a modernized R32 GT-R NISMO built around daily reliability. More RB26 builds are collected under the tuning tag and the R34 GT-R tag.