--- title: "Gran Turismo 7 Adds the Baddest R34 GT-R of Them All in July Update" date: "2025-07-23" modified: "2025-07-23" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/gran-turismo-7-adds-the-baddest-r34-gt-r-of-them-all-in-july-update" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" --- # Gran Turismo 7 Adds the Baddest R34 GT-R of Them All in July Update ![R34 GT-R Z-Tune in GT7]() *\Sony Interactive Entertainment\* If you have been following *Gran Turismo 7's* updates this year, you may have noticed something strange. Polyphony Digital suddenly seems to be enamored with crossovers. It's a somewhat depressing trend; over the last six months, the [game]() has received the prior-gen [Honda CR-V](), Peugeot 2008, Mazda CX-30, and Toyota C-HR. As July winds to a close, it looks like the Nissan Qashqai is about to join their ranks. I can stomach it, though, because on the other end of the spectrum, we're also getting the baddest R34 Skyline GT-R of them all, in the Nismo Z-Tune. *GT7's* Update 1.61 will go live in the early hours of Thursday morning, and it'll bring those two additions, as well as the Honda N-One RS: a modern kei car with a six-speed manual and turbocharged three-cylinder making the maximum 63 horsepower that Japan allows for vehicles in that class. The little Honda feels like one of those cars you'd expect to discover and fall in love with in a *Gran Turismo* game. The Qashqai, on the other hand, is a cynical reminder that the automotive landscape that the series reflects today is quite different from [the one it materialized in]() during the late '90s. I understand that argument that today's crossovers are the compact commuters of yesteryear, but they're not as fun to drive or tune, with their tall centers of gravity and powertrains engineered for efficiency at the cost of all else. The CR-V that joined the game this past spring had a CVT, for example, which locks it out of any meaningful upgrades. The Nissan is expected to behave similarly, as it's a hybrid. At least in *GT's* early days, you could take your starter used Civic and upgrade it until it was nipping at the heels of Lancer Evos and Supras, but that just isn't possible with these small SUVs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOnH2XKbRf8 So that leaves us with the Nismo Z-Tune, which isn't a terrible consolation prize at all. This is the ultimate [R34 GT-R](), commemorating the 20th anniversary of Nissan's performance arm back in 2004. Here, Nismo bored and stroked the twin-turbo RB26 to produce a staggering 500 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, and added a titanium exhaust, Sachs bolt-on dampers, and bespoke Brembo brakes, just to name a few performance-minded goodies. Only 20 Z-Tunes were built, both to represent the anniversary and because, by 2004, the R34 GT-R was already out of production. *Gran Turismo* has always been known for representing the Skyline GT-R lineage perhaps a little *too* well, but the Z-Tune has somehow never appeared in the franchise before, so this is a big moment. ![]() ![]() ![]() Elsewhere, you can expect the usual drip feed of races, a new track for the Sophy AI to compete on (High-Speed Ring), and new Scapes locales to snap photos. I say it every time I cover one of these updates, but you've got to wonder how many more of these Polyphony has stashed before it packs up *GT7* and moves right onto *GT8*. Then again, perhaps that won't land until the PlayStation 6 does. *Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com*[]()[]()[]()[]() ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()