Nando Rivera has always been obsessed with Japanese imported cars. And that JDM obsession naturally led to a sub-obsession with Nissan Skylines…
But alas, Nissan Skylines are hard to get here in the US. Well maybe hard isn’t the right word. Obviously, it can be done. But it’s gotta be at least a 25-year-old model, and there’s always a good bit of documentation red tape involved. Red tape adds cost & headache to the process, no matter how you slice it. So while Nando Rivera has much love for the R32s, 33s, and 34s… he he ultimately decided to spend his hard-earned money buying the most car & performance he could afford within the Skyline lineage. In other words, spend your money on the car itself; not the paperwork & documentation. That led Nando to the R35 Nissan GTR.
Buy the biggest bang for the buck…
Yeah, the R35 doesn’t have all the JDM pizzaz of the earlier models, but it’s still a GTR, it says so right on the badge lol. And Nando had to give a little and grow into the whole tech-era paddle-shifty thing, but the R35 is a missile… so it’s kind of hard to deny it once you drive it.
I don’t know what it is about Nando’s Nissan GTR…
This one just hit me a little different. It feels more ‘alive’ for some reason. It seems to have more character than most. I don’t know, maybe that’s just Nando’s excitable personality coming through. But for the first time, after chatting with Nando Rivera, I could kind of see myself driving an R35 GTR. It’s true that cars tend to gain/earn personality & character as they age. Aesthetically, this Nissan GTR has…
Volk Racing TE37 Ultra wheels (20×10.5 +26 front & 20×12 +13 rear)
Toyo Tires R888R’s (285/35 front & 325/30 rear)
Top Secret front bumper & canards
Zele side skirts
Difflow carbon fiber side shrouds, and rear diffuser/fins
FlyRide custom sequential headlights & taillights
Airlift Performance 3P air suspension system
This is a 2013 model Nissan GTR making 650whp…
By Youtube shock-value numbers, 650whp isn’t earth-shattering. But in the real world, 650hp is quite neato lol. The key to enjoying car culture, is to NOT chase numbers you see on the internet, but to build a fun car that makes you feel good. Bonus points when it gets you home without eating itself lol. Trust me, Youtube videos rarely tell the whole story… like how the car sits in the shop for 10 months per year while the owner writes checks. Engine-Wise, this GTR has a…
AMS down pipes and an AMS intercooler with Boost Logic 3″ upper & lower pipes
Boost Logic midpipe, catback exhaust, and engine breathing system
1000cc fuel injectors
Cobb Accessport with a Cobb tune
Jack’s Stage-2 built transmission
Speed Density kit
GotBoost E85 conversion kit
Tial wastegates
Text by Wooley Photos by Mervin Hernandez
