Prior to the unveiling of the latest generation R35 GT-R, the last three generations of Skyline GT-R had been heralded as world-beaters; capable of taking on some of the fastest European exotics from the era for a fraction of the price. With only foreign reviews and comparisons to go by, the GT-R set the standard in the 1990s when its innovative four wheel-drive system gave it huge advantages over its rivals. Probably for the better, our inability to purchase the GT-R added to the mystique that surrounded it and helped solidify its reputation.

Fast forward ten years after the release of the R34 and the game had been stepped forward considerably. With comparable sports cars boasting more than 500 horsepower, two wheel-drive layouts generating more grip and semi-automatic gearboxes, the newest generation of GT-R had to wander into new territory to stay competitive. With the increase in performance came a much bigger price tag and a vastly different image, but to many, the truest GT-Rs were the ones we never got in America.

Sutcliffe pitches the R34 into a four wheel-drift.

This comparison between the R34 and R35 shows how far the newer cars have moved on, and questions whether the original character has changed. Reviewing these two is the very talented Steve Sutcliffe, one of the lucky British journalists who tested the R34 when it was first sold as a production car in the UK sixteen years ago. As he notes, the R34 boasted incredible traction for its time, but its rough ride made it uncomfortable on British roads. Sutcliffe giddily remarks that despite its age, the R34 still impresses and with considerably less weight, possesses a liveliness that the modern car can’t match. With fifteen years of progress behind it, the R35 is undoubtedly the quicker car, but which is the more engaging car?