R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R: Buy one now? | Buyer's Guide

Photograph Courtesy Nissan

Name some of the most dominant touring cars of all time. The seemingly humble Lotus Cortina famous for hanging a wheel off the ground. BMW’s flared, winged and high-winding M3.

And don’t forget the first modern Nissan Skyline GT-R. Starting with the 1990 Japanese Touring Car Championship season, this R32-chassis Skyline won 29 consecutive contests–all the way through the 1993 season.

The Skyline name, though, didn’t begin in 1990. And it didn’t even start with Nissan. The original Skyline came to market in 1957 as a luxury car sold by Fuji Precision Industries, which became the Prince Motor Company in 1961 before its merger with Nissan five years later.

Through all those exciting times, the Skyline kept to its roots by combining comfort with performance. Prince first took the Skyline racing in 1964. After the merger, Nissan did, too, offering the 1969 Skyline GT-R: four-valve heads, twin cams, fully independent suspension and the period’s top equipment. It won 52 touring car races during the first three years of competition.

While the Skyline name continued through the decades, the GT-R badge disappeared after 1973–until Nissan reintroduced it for 1989.

Like the original, this one featured the day’s top motorsports technology, including all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and twin-turbo power. Following an unwritten agreement at the time, the road cars required for homologation carried a 276-horsepower rating; the race cars were said to make double that. Fender flares, a rear wing and a deep front spoiler further differentiated the GT-R from the standard Skyline models. The Skyline GT-R was never imported stateside, but today’s 25-year exemption makes them fair game.

5 Reasons why you want one

It’s a piece of Japanese motorsports history so feared it was called Godzilla. And now you can live those Gran Turismo fantasies–no Sony PlayStation necessary.
Win Radwood or even your local Sunday morning meetup. One was also seen on the greens of The Amelia this year.
Nismo has been putting parts back into production, including engine gaskets, oil pumps and even an uprated intercooler.
True to the original Skyline mission, it’s still fast, comfortable and usable. Can we call it an alternative to a BMW M3 or M6, Porsche 928 or even front-engine Ferrari?
Hagerty shows prices dipping since peaking in late 2022. Time to buy now?

Shopping advice

Paul Schubert
Japanese Classics

The R32 was the first modern Skyline to use the GT-R name. When it came out, it was this record-smashing sports car–coming out of Japan, nonetheless–dethroning European supercars and exotics.

The Nismo edition is the most desirable model of the GT-R. The production numbers were very low, just 560, and it came with a lot of sought-after features. It had a slight power bump and was outfitted with all Nismo performance parts–basically the whole catalog.

When these cars were ridden hard, put away wet and shipped to the United States, they’re difficult to get back to their best condition.

The RB26DETT engine is complicated, especially for when they came out. The engines are not cheap to buy or rebuild.

These vehicles are extremely corrosion-prone. A number of sellers out of Japan doctor these cars up–covering rust issues–take pretty photos, and ship them overseas to unsuspecting buyers.

Inspect for rust underneath the R32 before buying it. Look in the fender wells, the underside of the strut towers, and make sure nothing has been covered.

Most importantly, drive the car to sniff out all the major issues and check for things that may have gone neglected while in Japan.

The supply of R32 GT-Rs is much thinner than it was 10 years ago–it seems to have all dried up here in the U.S. Now, it’s a matter of finding R32s that are not bottom-of-the-barrel examples in Japan. Buy from a reputable JDM dealer.

When the R32 GT-R came out, it was unlike anything else. It’s a raw and exhilarating experience. You feel directly connected with the road, as with many classics.

However, it’s also modern. Modern turbocharged engine. Modern four-wheel drive. You get that perfect blend of modern and classic.

Running changes

1989: Nissan releases the standard R32-chassis Skyline GT-R this summer, with its 2.6-liter RB26DETT engine making a claimed 276 horsepower.

1990: The GT-R, prepped to Group A regs, enters the Japanese Touring Car Championship. It wins every race this season. Nissan builds 560 copies of the Skyline GT-R Nismo to homologate upgrades that improved airflow for the engine and intercooler while slightly tweaking the aero. An upmarket Garrett T04B turbo is fitted. Nissan sheds weight by removing the rear wiper and, in accordance with Group A rules, drops the ABS. All Nismo models wear the same color: Gun Grey Metallic.

1991: For those headed into the Japan Automobile Federation’s N1 series–showroom stock-type racing–Nissan offers the GT-R N1 plus the V-Spec N1 and V-Spec II N1 models. The big changes sound familiar: a turbo featuring a metal turbine instead of the standard ceramic one, improved airflow into the intercooler and removal of the ABS. Just one color is offered: Crystal White. Again, the GT-R wins every round of the Japanese Touring Car Championship’s top class.

1993: Clutch pedal articulation is improved, while Nissan also offers the V-Spec package to commemorate its third consecutive All Japan Touring Car Championship. This Skyline GT-R V-Spec gets Brembo brakes and 17-inch BBS wheels. Only 1396 are built.

1994: To celebrate yet another touring car title, Nissan builds 1306 copies of the Skyline GT-R V-Spec II. The big change from the previous year: 45-series Bridgestones. Production of the R32-chassis Skyline ends this year as the R33 is on its way.

Recently sold

Sold: 1993 Nissan Skyline GT-R
$53,000 • Bring a Trailer
A very original, low-mileage standard example in Gun Grey Metallic, pretty much the model’s signature color.

Sold: 1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II
$126,500 • Mecum
The V-Spec editions celebrated the Skyline’s touring car success while receiving Brembo brakes and 17-inch alloys.

Sold: 1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R “JGTCC-GT1” by Hasemi Motorsport
$280,000 • RM Sotheby’s
If you played Gran Turismo on your PlayStation, you likely had this car–one of the actual Hasemi Motorsport touring car racers.

3 More to Watch

1998 Toyota Supra Turbo
$118,250 • Mecum
This one came a little later than the R32-chassis Skyline but, likewise, represents one of today’s Japanese blue chips.

1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution
$268,800 • RM Sotheby’s
If a regular M3 isn’t rare enough, how about one of the 600 Sport Evolution variants, the final step in the E30 M3 progression?

1988 Porsche 959 Komfort
$1,930,000 • Broad Arrow Auctions
The day’s other turbocharged, all-wheel-drive, six-cylinder special–and said to have played a part in the GT-R’s development.

Behind the wheel

Photograph Courtesy Nissan

“In any form, the new GT-R is technically peerless. For motivation, twin ceramic turbochargers with an intercooler feed a 2.6-liter six with 12.0 psi of boost. The claimed 276 hp (at 6800 rpm) bumps up against the Japanese automakers’ voluntary power ceiling (Nissan insiders say the GT-R’s actual figure is more like 311 hp). At 4400 rpm, there’s 271 pound-feet of torque. Redline is a sizzling 8000 rpm.”

Car and Driver • December 1995