Watch a RWD-Converted Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R Eat the Wall on a Drag Strip
The crowd’s reaction says it all.
In a gut-wrenching case of driver error caught on video, recent footage uploaded to Twitch shows a drag racer lose control of their Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R and crash heavily into a wall. According to the person who recorded the video, the Japanese sports car is said to have been converted from all-wheel-drive to rear-wheel-drive, leading us to believe that the driver was caught off-guard by the abundance of power and lack of grip, resulting in a pretty nasty crash.
The short clip shows the blue, Texas-plated GT-R having trouble hooking up to the tarmac as soon as the run begins. The driver quickly bogs down the car before attempting to keep things alive by giving it even more throttle. Eventually, the car leaves the starting line and slips and slides its way down the drag way, only continue showing problems with traction. It's unclear how much horsepower this specific R34 produces, but it sure sounds like a powerful build.
Sadly, it's at this point that things go from bad to worse for the drag racer, as it drives onto the slickest part of the drag strip before careening to the left and meeting its maker at the concrete barrier. Unsurprisingly, the barrier did its job. Pieces of the coveted Japanese machine can be seen flying everywhere just as the crowd lets out a collective "OWW!" Someone even exclaims “It’s still going!” just as the car appears to be headed for another collision on the other side of the drag way before the video ends.
The R34 is by far the most sought-after generation of the Nissan Skyline, which is still in production today. The cars were all-wheel-drive directly from the factory—and judging from this drag racer’s inability to hook up for a run, rightfully so. The crash is made even more heartbreaking by the fact that the R34 is still unable to be imported to the United States until the 25-year import ban has passed. This means that the earliest someone can legally import an R34 Skyline will be 2024.
It's unclear where this video was filmed or how this person imported this vehicle, but there have been instances where folks imported Skyline bodies to use on Infiniti G35 chassis. Either or, it's a sad ending for this blue hot rod.
