The last of the Skyline GT-Rs was already an intimidating machine well before Mark Berry and his team went to work on refining one for World Time Attack supremacy. The car was an evolution of their already-successful R32 time attack steed, but with designs on the title, they figured a newer, stiffer chassis would be needed.

They didn’t accept the R34 in entirety though, and addressed some fundamental flaws in the car when devising their build route. Mainly, the car has two shortcomings which need to be considered. First, the big straight-six sitting over the front axle, combined with the suspension geometry and the overall length of the car produce understeer. Second, the big, all-wheel-drive machine is quite heavy, and while big power and grip can compensate for a bit of heft, that extra fat would need to be trimmed if they wanted to achieve much success.

With a car this quick, Berry ought to be wearing a full-faced helmet.

Therefore, the car was stripped, stitch-welded and caged before anything else was addressed. With a lightweight carbon dash, a single Racetech bucket seat and some improvised switchgear replacing the originals, they managed to shed a few pounds and only retain the essential. As a large car, weight had to be managed effectively, and the turbochargers and the fuel cell were mounted as low as possible to help direction change. Dry carbon items from Sunline Racing and Lexan windows bring that weight down even further, and matched with a stark red-and-black livery, the car looks absolutely ruthless.

These pieces can be bought off the shelf, and while impressive, can’t hold a candle to the suspension reworking. In order to change the polar moment of inertia and thereby improve steering response and front-end grip, the pickup points were changed drastically, and almost every arm, link or bar was replaced with a durable, adjustable piece from none other than Ikeya Formula.

Tailor-made Proflex coilovers complete the suspension package. With reduced weight, added downforce from the carbon body parts, and an infinitely-adjustable suspension setup, there’s no doubt this car will turn with a nimbleness it shouldn’t possess, but it still needs some prodigious thrust to contend with the best.

Even stationary, the stark red-and-black livery make the intimidating car even more fearsome to behold.

There wouldn’t be much to talk about if it weren’t for the nuclear powerplant propelling the big Nissan down the track. Of course, the RB26 can be made to make big numbers, but being a time attack car, there’s so much more at stake than merely top-end grunt. In order to get the right drive off each corner, the RB had to be stroked to 3.0 liters for added response.

Complementing this increase in displacement is a set of small GT2860 turbos which provide instantaneous power, but flow well enough – with a full Tomei valvetrain – to make 580 horsepower at the top end. Observing its behavior at the corner exit, the engine’s flexibility allows the driver to approach the limit progressively, as evidenced by the small twitches and minute plumes of tire smoke as the limit as Berry dances on the edge of adhesion.

That monumental power is harnessed with a Holinger six-speed sequential and a set of sturdy NISMO and Cusco diffs. Close-ratio gearing further exploits the balanced engine, and that seamless, constant surge is obvious from the external footage. Where some might dismiss the GT-R as sterile machine that’s merely capable or competent but ultimately lacking in driver involvement, this Advan-liveried machine shows that, with the right setup, it’s a demanding, bloodthirsty beast.