This Is What Happened When Paul Walker Got Serious About His Fast and Furious Car

Apart from the Mk 4 Toyota Supra, one of the most popular hero cars in the franchise is arguably O'Conner's R34 Skyline in '2 Fast 2 Furious.' While that movie car legend originally belonged to the film's creative director, Craig Lieberman, Walker also got the opportunity of owning this JDM gem himself. In fact, the actor owned multiple R34 Skylines, including a silver GT-R V-Spec I and a newer 2001 white GT-R V-Spec II.

He even had an older-generation R32 Skyline, which went for over $100,000 after being auctioned off in 2020. Needless to say, the actions star knew his stuff when it came to Skylines, especially since he spent hundreds of thousands acquiring and modifying them. So when Walker got behind the wheel of yet another R34 in 'Fast and Furious 4,' he had a specific idea of how it should look. Although the leading star's white Skyline briefly appeared onscreen, it only served as a donor car for the film's main attraction – the Bayside Blue R34 GT-R.

Making your personal ride look pretty on the big screen is one thing; putting more effort into a car that won't even end up in your collection is another. That said, Walker probably worked as hard as O'Conner in prepping this Skyline for the spotlight. Don't let this Godzilla's modest appearance fool you though. Its unassuming exterior shows exactly what it would be like if the celebrity gearhead got serious with designing 'Fast and Furious' cars.

The Sky (line) is the limit

What sets this Bayside Blue R34 apart from other examples on the set is the fact that it's the only full-fledged GT-R featured in the 2009 film. Other Skylines used during filming were either stock back-ups, stunt cars, or even lower-spec Skyline GT-T variants made to appear like GT-Rs.

Compared to the heavily-modified R34 in the sequel, this clean example almost looks untouched, which seems out-of-place in a franchise that usually features overly exaggerated car styling. That's because Walker wanted to keep its aesthetics as pure as possible, even requesting the removal of any stickers that would detract from showcasing the R34's already captivating sculpted bodywork.

It represents a departure from the wild yet cheesy styling often portrayed by the 2000s street racing scene, and a peek into the celebrated actor's more serious auto enthusiast side. However, that doesn't make it bone stock by any means; it was still packing loads of upgrades inside and out.

Modifications include a custom roll cage, an aftermarket East Bear hood, a Sony head unit, and a handful of Nismo-spec parts, among others. The inclusion of a bigger dashboard display alone already costs about $10,000. All these upgrades give this car a Kaiju-worthy output of 550 horsepower, and as good as that sounds, being fast isn't the only trick up its sleeve.

A rogue ride for a rogue cop

Before the Bayside Blue R34 even landed on U.S. shores, it first had to face a monumental challenge: bypassing the country's 25-year rule. Most Nissan Skylines, including some of Walker's purchased units, entered the States through the defunct importer MotoRex. The company was involved in a slew of legal mishaps, leading to the excruciating disposal of some truly priceless autos.

Fortunately for the Bayside Blue Skyline, it managed to slip through the cracks by coming into the country without an engine instead. Since the model wasn't old enough to be legally imported, Kaizo Industries brought it over as a kit car. This technicality served as a loophole allowing the vehicle to be imported, then reassembled back to working condition afterwards. Like O'Conner and his sense of vigilante justice, this sly R34's roguish nature made run-ins with the law inevitable, leading to some legal woes post-filming.

After being investigated by officials, the 'Fast and Furious' car was impounded for a while before it was eventually exported to Germany. It wasn't until 2014 that the hero car resurfaced again carrying an estimated worth ranging from about $900,000 to a whopping $6 million. Now, the blue beast is back on the Brussels auction floor, but only time will tell if it can still uphold its seven-figure value. Of course, it wasn't the only blue GT-R associated with the late actor.

In 2022, another similar GT-R R34 sporting a distinct BFGoodrich livery – driven by Walker off-screen for promotional purposes – sold for half a million dollars. Unlike that sticker-ladened example, the clean Bayside Blue Skyline not only shared the stage with the leading man himself, it was also a part of his creative efforts essentially making it... well, family. Perhaps you might have better luck than the authorities at nabbing this elusive fugitive, just make sure your wallet is holding at least six- igures when bidding starts on April 28 to May 5, 2023.