Kyle’s BNR34 | What Do You Do This For?

No matter how long Kyle owns this Bayside Blue 34, I don’t think it’ll ever be my favourite of his. That has come and gone, the S13 to me will forever be his magnum opus. Kyle will continue building, this BNR34 or any other vehicle that ends up in his hands in the future, but the energy was so right on that Silvia…

I’ve known of him since his Midnight Purple FD3S which broke the internet a few years back, and have since developed a great friendship. What’s stayed consistent throughout has been his approach to building. “I just build whatever the fuck I want to build,” he always reminds me, “There are always people talking, but life’s too short to care about them”.

Is this @fmzvisuals‘ best set so far? Feels like the stars aligned for this…

Even so, I feel that post-Silvia he went off on a slight tangent and began to be influenced by the environment and attitudes of certain individuals, businesses and collectives. Microwave culture, and the need for new content to engage existing and fresh audiences has meant that vehicle builds come and go regularly. Influencers like Illiminate, Adam LZ and Dustin Williams thrive off what’s new, if it isn’t an event or activation it’s modifications to their vehicles. When the car is done, it’s onto the next.

My personal opinion, but the staunch on the widened fenders of this at the CT9A are something else…

Fuse this concept with the growing frequencies for content and you have new vehicles every couple of months to satisfy the desires of one’s following. Rather than making decisions independently and at your own pace, your passion becomes a burden. For full-time influencers, it’s part and parcel of their profession, but for those who don’t dedicate themselves to a life in the public eye, the need to stay relevant often leads to burn out.

That’s not to say that Kyle was over building his vehicles, I don’t think that’ll ever happen, but in the months leading up to this R34 there was an absence of excitement in the way he spoke about his multiple ownership experiences. The RPS13 was too low and a cop magnet, the S15 needed work to get back on the road, as did the R33. The Chaser was thirsty on fuel and satisfied none of his build goals to satisfaction. Then there was the 86, he didn’t want to be seen in a stocker…

A sanctuary for Kyle, cars are meant to be driven and that’s precisely what he’ll be doing with this BNR34.

Perhaps the need to purchase the GTR immediately was driven by the mega appreciation in value over the past couple years. It might not make any sense at all to him if he waited another couple years. Notwithstanding, Peter and I both agree that over the course of this shoot we felt Kyle’s enthusiasm return and there was a twinkle in his eye when he spoke about his experience so far with Godzilla.

Spec sheet, below… a full build but currently detuned by the lads at FE Motorsports.

“I just want to drive it as much as I can,” he told us, which is something that couldn’t be said of his garage just a couple months back. “This has been my dream car since I was young and even in the early days of my ownership the experience is something I’ve never felt before”. When I pressed on his ultimate plans for the car, it wasn’t anything particularly extravagant, “make the power that its set up can handle, experience maximum power at the drags, put in a time and then drive it reliably”.

This is a far cry from his prior project plans, and from any perspective that is understandable…

The initial outlay for the vehicle is significantly higher than any other vehicle he’s owned.

The value of the vehicle is levels above what has been in his possession.

Bits and pieces for a BNR34 don’t come cheap, and it’s a process to piece them all together.

Prices for clean BNR34s will continue to rise in the coming years, so maybe he doesn’t want to hack up the car.

Owning Godzilla is the ultimate flex, so he doesn’t have to indulge in modifications and changes at his previous rate to garner attention, engagement and growth.

Maybe… he’s pretty satisfied with the vehicle he’s purchased and doesn’t see the need to do much?

“My dream car since I was a kid” – Kyle Phan (and millions of nineties kids around the world)

Regardless of his reasoning, I go back to those initial impressions when he arrived at Malabar to shoot that chilly Sunday morning. He might not be content with the final product, but it was as if owning this GTR allowed him to rediscover why he fell in love with cars in the first place. It was how the car made him feel, not how it influenced the emotions of those that came across it. There is no #fam, there are no #haters, just him and his machine, and the platforms he can use to document this journey.

That’s how his Instagram blew up in the first place, he modified and built to his heart’s content. As much as he says that this has always been the case, it can’t be denied that the opinions of the community planted at least the smallest of seeds in his head for his later projects.

Apparently that thing attached to the seat is an optional airbag?!

I heard him speak about other people’s builds, getting irritated at his detractors, thinking long and hard about a caption as if he became a brand rather than a person. Not a slight against him at all, just observations that didn’t seem to marry with his build philosophy. It’s inevitable, once you have people observing your every move, to think a little more carefully about the steps you take, and take notice of what others are doing. You definitely see it with those that come into the game with the wrong intentions, but even the best can fall into the trap of external validation.

Who would’ve thought stove tops for taillights would be so iconic?

Purchasing the GTR brings Kyle full circle, back to his earliest, purest dreams. Being a halo car, of course it’s a little easier for him to relax, but the point still stands. So many things we do now are geared towards connecting with others, garnering a response which in turn feeds and dictates our own emotions. We derive motivation from extrinsic elements, how we’re seen by others becomes high on the priority list and in time we lose touch with what provides us fulfilment.

At the end of the day, the only person you’re kidding is yourself!