It may be that after reading the next sentence you have lost an illusion. Paul Walker’s blue Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 from Fast and Furious 4 didn’t actually explode. The makers of the iconic film series used a replica for the explosion. The hero car – a beautiful version that is not used for stunts – from the movie can now be yours.
The Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R was only delivered in Japan and was not allowed to be imported and registered during filming. That’s why producer Universal Pictures came up with a ruse. They bought the Skyline GT-R from Japan without the engine. Only in America did they put an engine in it and register the car as a kit car. Incidentally, they just took the RB26 engine.
In the film, the car is assembled by Paul Walker’s character, but the actor also interfered with the car behind the scenes. Walker allegedly said he didn’t want to drive a sticker bomber and had all the stickers removed from the car. This would make the fantastic color Bayside Blue stand out better.
The GT-R after his acting career
The ruse lasted long enough for the filming of Fast and Furious 4, but then the US Customs came to take a look. After the film, US Customs interfered with the car and confiscated it. It is illegal in the US to import cars under 25 years old that were not intended for the US market.
In 2012, Customs released the car, but it was still not allowed to stay in America. With a short stopover in the Netherlands, he eventually ended up in Germany. The GT-R was not registered here and is therefore still on (expired) American plates. It is not clear how many miles it has driven, as there is no documentation of the car before its service in the F&F movie.
The car is a museum piece
Lately Paul Walker’s Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 was at Motorworld in Munich. It has been standing still for a while, so auction house Bonhams advises to do a thorough technical inspection first. The auction will take place online on April 8 and May 5. The auctioneer does not dare to estimate what the car should fetch. You can still view the GT-R in Munich until April 26.
Modifications to the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 by Paul Walker
Walker didn’t just stick to appearance modifications. For example, there is a different intercooler behind the bumper, a roll cage has been installed, there are thicker brakes behind the Volk wheels and the power has been increased to about 550 hp. By the way, OMP’s bucket seat has not been adjusted since filming and is still in the same position as Paul Walker set it.
The other Skylines in the movie
In addition to this Nissan Skyline GT-R, the production team used rear-wheel drive Skyline GT-Ts for the stunt work. Observant viewers can recognize these GT-Ts because they have different counters. A Skyline was also sawn to pieces to mount on a trailer. They also call this a ‘buck car’.
