One of the Many R32 Trims
If there's one car that matches the Porsche 911 in terms of trims and special edition models, it's probably the Nissan Skyline and the eventual standalone R35 GT-R. Those who played the original Gran Turismo know this by heart, with a good chunk of the car list consisting of a smorgasbord of Skylines...and Miatas.
The R32 GT-R alone had eight versions. There were the standard series cars, namely Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3, with each succeeding version getting updates and upgrades along the way. Then you have V-Spec and V-Spec II (short for Victory Spec), three different versions of the N1, plus another specifically for the Australian market. Then we have the Nis...
One of the Many R32 Trims
If there's one car that matches the Porsche 911 in terms of trims and special edition models, it's probably the Nissan Skyline and the eventual standalone R35 GT-R. Those who played the original Gran Turismo know this by heart, with a good chunk of the car list consisting of a smorgasbord of Skylines...and Miatas.
The R32 GT-R alone had eight versions. There were the standard series cars, namely Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3, with each succeeding version getting updates and upgrades along the way. Then you have V-Spec and V-Spec II (short for Victory Spec), three different versions of the N1, plus another specifically for the Australian market. Then we have the Nismo, one of the first of several special edition R32 GT-Rs made.
A Rare Find
Up for auction in Cars and Bids at the moment is an R32 GT-R Nismo. It's not often that one of them pops up for sale, so it's quite the find. Only 560 units were built, with 60 of them serving as the basis for racing versions. The Nismo was a homologation special for Japan's premier racing series, then known as the JGTC and now as Super GT.
The car posted on the auction site does come with a few modifications. Some notable features include a Tomei exhaust, an APEX'i drop-in air filter, upgraded strut bars at the front and rear, K-Sport coilover suspension, Stillen brakes with Hawk pads, and a Sabelt four-point harness for the driver's seat, among others.
Okay, it's not totally original. It's even been repainted to pearl white from its original Gun Grey Metallic, and the seller notes some blemishes on the car, such as chips and scratches on the body, as well as some underbody rust — hopefully only on the surface. At the time of writing, the highest bid was at $35,000.
What Makes it Special?
Aside from being a limited-run homologation special, there were several changes made to the R32 GT-R to make it eligible for Group A regulations at the time, along with a couple of weight-saving measures.
In this case, ABS was deleted as it wasn't allowed in the race cars at the time, and the rear wiper was removed to shave a few pounds. Intake ducts were added, and the mesh protector was removed to improve airflow to the intercooler. The rear spoiler received a lip for better aero, along with some tweaks to the rear bumper.
More weight savings came in the form of aluminum front fenders and hood, as opposed to the steel panels in the standard Series 1 cars. Under the hood, the standard Garret T03 turbochargers were replaced by larger T04 units, which sacrificed response for the sake of reliability and longevity under heavy loads. Nissan claims an output of 276 hp and 260 lb-ft, but that was mainly because of the gentlemen's agreement among Japanese automakers not to build anything that exceeded those figures. However, we all know that those engines easily produced over 300 hp.
Granted, a modern-day hot hatch can match the R32 GT-R's performance and probably outpace it in the corners, but the chance to own such a rare JDM homologation special doesn't come so often. We won't be seeing an all-new GT-R for quite some time, too, so if you're keen on owning a piece of history, now might be the time to do it. And if you want to bring it back to full factory specification, Nissan will be more than willing to help you out, provided you have money to burn.
