Driving an R34 GTR / MK4 Supra / R35 GTR

Wow lots of replies! So with regards to the lack of comfort, I'm not super bothered because this will be a one day rental just driving for most of the day around the mountains etc. This is also why I'm not bothered about any Tokyo speed limits either.

I did consider the NSX but the one this company has is an automatic which is not really what I envision when driving an old NSX.

One thing that does concern me about the R35 is I've never driven anything with that much power before. It says on the website that it's been detuned to 450bhp but this is still much more than my old 350z for example. I'm wondering if this amount of power maybe excessive in a car I'd have for one day driving on roads that I'm completely unfamiliar with.
 
Go for the R35 (unless something else leaps out at you). The accelerator isn't a digital switch. Just indulge a little when safe to do so.

The Supra is a big and hefty GT (for its time) and will feel like one. They're not exciting in stock form. Pleasant, not exciting. The R34 might leave you wanting a little, too, in terms of outright fun and enjoyment – again, it's of its time and quite heavy.

The R35, however, is a far more mechanical and involving car than many might expect or claim. It's got serious punch, too, so it'll be a bit more evocative – even at lower speeds, there's plenty going on to excite.
 
De-tuned to 450hp is a bit lame. It's not exactly a light car. Over 100hp missing plus an automatic gearbox.

The R34 will be more exciting and involving.
 
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In Japan unless you go massively out in the sticks you will not get to use it properly. I have only been to Tokyo when passing through to Aus but the traffic over there makes ours look like nothing and our B roads like A roads!

Also if I was renting out there something like an AE86 or GT86 would be what I would be after or one of the quirky kei cars.
 
Lashout_UK said:
Go for the R35 (unless something else leaps out at you). The accelerator isn't a digital switch. Just indulge a little when safe to do so.

The Supra is a big and hefty GT (for its time) and will feel like one. They're not exciting in stock form. Pleasant, not exciting. The R34 might leave you wanting a little, too, in terms of outright fun and enjoyment – again, it's of its time and quite heavy.

The R35, however, is a far more mechanical and involving car than many might expect or claim. It's got serious punch, too, so it'll be a bit more evocative – even at lower speeds, there's plenty going on to excite.
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This echos my sentiment.

There's two opinions on the R35, the "its a playstation car" from those who haven't driven one, and then the reality from those that have.

Nasher said:
De-tuned to 450hp is a bit lame. It's not exactly a light car. Over 100hp missing plus an automatic gearbox.

The R34 will be more exciting and involving.
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This really shows how little you know, an early R35 was "only" 480hp stock anyway.

Even with the 300kg weight difference an R35 is still another 50hp/tonne on top of an R34.
 
EDIT: All I'm gonna say is the R35 was one of my heroes that did live upto expectations! I just love the odd contradiction of savagery and refinement when you actually drive it like it is meant to be driven.

Frozennova said:
There's two opinions on the R35, the "its a playstation car" from those who haven't driven one, and then the reality from those that have.
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As much as writing it off as a "playstation car" isn't doing it justice... if this driver had been in almost any other car no matter the skill there would have been 1 or more fatalities that day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH99FzefCds

(and if any of them had a brain there wouldn't have been almost fatalities)
 
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adam cool dude said:
In Japan unless you go massively out in the sticks you will not get to use it properly. I have only been to Tokyo when passing through to Aus but the traffic over there makes ours look like nothing and our B roads like A roads!

Also if I was renting out there something like an AE86 or GT86 would be what I would be after or one of the quirky kei cars.
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For real, get a JR Pass. Shinkansen all the way.
 
R34 no brainer for me from those choices. RB26 has an 8k rev limit and a short ratio manual gearbox which will be suited to mountain roads. Their R34 must have the only stock exhaust left on the planet, shame really as they really benefit from being able to breath better.

Edit: Just seen they have other R34's with proper exhausts, they will be making closer to 400hp then.

As an ex-R34 and Supra owner, I would 100% take one of the RX7 Type Rs though.
 
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I considered this back in 2016, but it was the mountain passes around Hakone. Can't remember the company but they had a good selection of motors but the excess was quite high at the time so my plans changed.

ed: It was a company called Fun2drive
 
Rroff said:
As much as writing it off as a "playstation car" isn't doing it justice... if this driver had been in almost any other car no matter the skill there would have been 1 or more fatalities that day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH99FzefCds
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Nothing special that most modern cars performance there wouldnt of been able to handle, at the end of the day he was doing just under 200mph, put the anchors on (which fortunately the brakes on a GTR are immense) and didnt panic on his inputs, by the time he had to move around the car he was already sub 100mph and still losing speed.
 
After reading the thread, it seems the supra is definitely not the one to go for. So I watched some videos of the GTRs facing off against each other and decided I'll take the R34. I think if I was renting in the UK I'd probably grab the R35, but given I don't know the roads I'll be driving and I've read that Japan has a 180km/h limit which would be trivial to hit in a 450bhp GTR, I think it's not going to be as fun. I also think that although I've still probably got plenty of time to try the R35, the rising prices and increasing rarity of the R34 means it may not be an option in the future for a reasonable price.

Earth[Tera].bin said:
I considered this back in 2016, but it was the mountain passes around Hakone. Can't remember the company but they had a good selection of motors but the excess was quite high at the time so my plans changed.

ed: It was a company called Fun2drive
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Yeah this was another company I looked at. In the article I read they did mention that it was quite an effort to get to and more expensive than the other company. I also looked at their website and it mentions tours which could be good or not very much depending on the other people involved in the tour. I'm no driving god but I'd hate to be held up by a group on an otherwise nice drive.
 
I have an R34 GTR and I get little tummy butterflies when I know im going to take it out for a spin, I have had it for 5 years now, I still find it an event to take it out. I cannot believe the people saying "dont meet your heros" have you ever been in one? If your local i'll happily take you out, in my opinion its awesome, mine is running 500bhp so maybe a stock car would be less exciting. Having said that, I watched this recently, they drive the 34 and 35 back to back, interesting to hear what they have to say:


 
panthro said:
I think the saying "never meet your heroes" is applicable here. You'll be in for a rude awakening. I'd take the R35.
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I was thinking the same, I'll never forget the huge let down driving my schoolday hero turned out to be, a Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth - running 500+ BHP - massive turbo lag, sounded awful, harsh ride, no refinement to speak of, you felt more of a passenger than a driver when the turbo eventually spooled up how they fetch such crazy prices these days beats me.

On the other hand though, one of my favorite hero cars remains after driving a few the e30 M3 slow by modern standards but what a wonderful driving experience, they got them so right.

I'd love an afternoon in an R34, never driven one but had a ride in a few modified ones years back, leagues ahead of the Cosworth Sierra's, and they look fantastic.

The Nissan that left an indelible mark on my mind was the Sunny GTI-R bonkers things that you just don't see any more.

This quote puts one in good perspective.

For the sake of comparison, the Nissan Sunny GTI-R went from 0-62mph 0.7 seconds faster than the fabled Ford Escort RS Cosworth. Or, if you want a more-modern comparison, the Nissan Sunny GTI-R is still 0.1 seconds faster to 62mph than the new Volkswagen Golf R with a 6-speed manual gearbox. That awesome turn of speed is even more incredible, when you consider that there’s 26-years between those cars.
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https://hyperchips.co.uk/forgotten-classics-the-nissan-sunny-gti-r/

Enjoy OP whichever you pick, and to do it in Japan..... :cool:
 
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