As the first models of this car are 20 years old, they can now be road-registered in New Zealand

At the 1989 Tokyo Auto Show, Nissan debuted a new car that would single-handedly shake up the entire motoring world, and change the idea of what affordable performance meant forever — the BNR32 Nissan Skyline GT-R. Famously dubbed ‘Godzilla’ by motoring journalists due to its absolute dominance on both the road and the track worldwide, the BNR32 GT-R is a giant-killer with a huge following and an even bigger place in history.

Born at the Track

In the late ’80s, Nissan was heavily involved in Japanese Group A racing, but was struggling with its current and somewhat dated R31 Skyline GTS-Rs. These were eventually scrapped and the need to build an all-new, competition-destroying replacement gave birth to the BNR32 Skyline GT-R. This new machine simply blew everyone away, bristling with technology that simply hadn’t been seen before, not to mention a 373kW-plus, twin turbocharged 2.6-litre straight six, designated the RB26DETT.

As per Group A racing rules, Nissan needed to build at least 5000 GT-Rs to achieve homologation for the new car, which is the only reason the public ever got their hands on the Godzilla. After that initial production run of 5000 was snapped up over the space of a few weeks, Nissan made the decision to open up production indefinitely, eventually building over 43,000 examples before the model was succeeded by the unwieldy and less desirable R33 Skyline GT-R in 1994.

Easter Eggs Within

During the late ’80s and ’90s, Japanese manufacturers had a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ stipulating that no road car should be sold producing more than 206kW (276bhp) at the flywheel. This meant that although the RB26DETT motor was capable of huge power, it was strangled with restrictive intake and exhaust tracts, small turbos and low boost pressure levels in an attempt to get power levels as low as possible. Even with all those restrictions, the road-going GT-R was still producing around 246kW, so Nissan infamously resorted to flat out lies in order to get its new world-beater out onto the streets. On top of the understated power figures, as one could imagine, the choked nature of the GT-R also means that all any potential owner needs to do is reverse those restrictions with a few simple modifications, and they have themselves one seriously powerful car.

Buying Tips

Although great for the racers and the power hungry among us, that hidden power and racing prowess has made a completely factory standard R32 GT-R an absolute rarity, if not an impossible find. So, unless you somehow stumble upon an unmolested example, the likelihood is you will be looking at car with an after market exhaust, air filter and suspension at the very least.

To be clear, the GT-R is an all out sports car, so if you are looking to find a softly-driven, pampered example, stop right now. All GT-Rs have had a hard life, so the trick is finding one that has received the care to match. Thankfully, most owners are well aware of the importance of this car, and are very careful with their upkeep. This also bodes well for rust, which is near unheard of in a GT-R due to the fact that 90 per cent of these cars will have been garaged their entire life.

As the R32 is now approaching its 20th birthday, prices are slowly beginning to creep back up the scale, and you now won’t generally find one for under $20,000.

During its production run Nissan also produced a few thousand special edition GT-Rs — 560 Nismo Group A Evolutions, 221 N1 Race Versions, 1453 V-Specs and 1303 V-Spec IIs. Keep a keen eye out for these limited gems, especially the Group A Evolution and N1 Race Version, as they are very desirable and demand far higher prices at auction.

Although still heavily anchored within the realm of the modified car enthusiast, the GT-R looks set to become a legitimate and rare classic in the next few years, so if you can get your hands on one now, whilst prices are still reasonable, it might just be the best investment you have ever made.

Warnings

When looking at a potential GT-R, make sure to check the car’s history and VIN plate, as many enthusiasts do build replicas using lesser GTS-t and GTS-4 Skyline models, whilst other more shady folk bring in un-registerable examples from Japan, and swap VIN plates with another de-registered Nissan so the car can be entered into the system. This is illegal and can land the owner in serious hot water, whether they were aware of the chassis-chop or otherwise.

Nissan Skyline GT-R (BNR32) – Specifications

Built: 1989-1994, 43,394 built
Engine: 2600cc straight six cylinder, twin turbocharged, dohc, 24 valve 206kW (276bhp)
Body: Four-seater coupe
Performance: Electronically limited top speed — 190kph (124-134mph), 0-100kph under five seconds
NZ prices: Expect to pay over $20,000 for a tidy, street registrable GT-R.

Parts Supply

This is a hard one. Again due to the GT-R’s popularity and relative rarity, second hand parts are fairly expensive, so the chance of finding that steal-of-a-deal from someone who doesn’t know what they have is unlikely. Used parts are best sourced through private sellers found on Trade Me or the classified sections of Skyline club websites. Alternatively, Nissan still produces all R32 parts, all of which can be landed here in seven working days and although pricey, guarantee no problems down the track.
Representative Parts Prices*
GT-R (BNR32) bonnet $1500 new, $400-600 second hand
GT-R (BNR32) gearbox $5500 new, $800-1100 second hand
GT-R (BNR32) badge (a trophy for thieves) $145 new, $80-100 second hand
(* These prices are intended as a guide only and actual prices may vary.)

Clubs

As the Skyline GT-R maintains a huge following in New Zealand, there are a variety of clubs catering to owners, the biggest and oldest of which is Skylines Downunder. Its website can be found at
www.skylinesdownunder.com.

Words: Peter Kelly

This article is from NZ Classic Car issue 221. Click here to check it out.