2018 Audi RS5 vs 2002 Nissan R34 GT-R V-Spec II Nur - New vs Used

Recently we sampled the new Audi RS5 Coupe, a storming all-wheel drive two-plus-two powered by a torque-rich, but rev-happy small-capacity twin-turbo V6 engine.

Hmm, sounds familiar. For those of you who like the sound of that recipe but would prefer it nicely aged with a hefty dash of wasabi, let us point you towards the Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R.

The ultimate iteration of Godzilla, the R34 was the daddy, packed with the final developments of the venerable RB26DETT engine and ATTESA driveline, which provided the traction benefits of all-wheel drive with the oversteer-on-demand tendencies of rear-wheel drive and needed an experienced hand to extract the best from it.

You can find clean R34 GT-Rs for around $80,000, so why would you spend almost $100,000 on top of that (RS5 money)? One word, three letters – Nür. The Nür was the very final factory R34 GT-R and those three letters stand, unsurprisingly, for Nürburgring.

Nissan was on the Green Hell bandwagon earlier than just about everyone. A sub-8min lap might now be the preserve of SUVs, but in 1996, when Dirk Schoysman wrestled an R33 GT-R around in 7min59sec, it was the stuff of legends. Of course, there was plenty of conjecture about just how stock that R33 was, just in case you thought ’Ring arguments were something new.

The R34 Nür scored all the V-Spec II enhancements, including stiffer suspension, a carbon bonnet, larger brakes and weight reduction along with the ‘N1’ engine built for endurance racing, which featured larger, steel-wheeled turbos. However, despite this, Nissan continued to claim just 206kW. Only 718 V-Spec II Nürs were built.

Here's one we found on Trade Unique Cars

2002 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R Nür - 53,632km, stock, one of 718, $165,000

Big money for a GT-R, but the Nür will be a very sought-after car in years to come. Finding a standard GT-R is equally challenging, but this car is stock, has lived in Australia since 2008 and is now offered by Melbourne’s The Healey Factory.