The Nissan Skyline GT-R of the R32 generation has been one of the JDM wet dreams of American petrolheads since its release back in 1989. Now, four years since it became legal to import one in the States, prices have started to level off, and this example could go for less than the market value.
The third generation of the Nissan Skyline GT-R, known shortly as the R32, was Nissan's answer to the Group A regulations that were in effect in touring car racing at the time. With boatloads of power and AWD, it dominated the Japanese Touring Car scene until the ruleset was changed for 1994. The Australians were even more annoyed at the Skyline's utter domination, which is how the "Godzilla" nickname stuck, of their national championship that they eventually banned both the all-wheel-drive system and the practice of turbocharging in the ATCC.
The countless racing successes as well as appearances in movies, cartoons, and video games made the car highly popular, both in native Japan as well as abroad. The American market couldn't enjoy the GT-R upon launch due to it not meeting the NHTSA safety requirements at the time. This meant that American fans had to wait 25 years to import an R32 legally under the "25-year" law which allows cars that weren't meant for the American market to be imported 25 years after they were first put into production. This opened a "Pandora's Box" in the summer of 2014 which saw prices sky-rocket for pristine examples as well as the rare Nismo models. However, high-mileage GT-Rs have started to level off in prices and this particular model on BaT is currently at a $9,100 bid with six days left of the auction.
Read on to find out more about why the GT-R is such a big thing
What makes it special
The Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 is a staple of Japanese performance cars from the '90s and the hype people built around it isn't unsubstantiated. As a car designed with motorsport in mind, all of its dynamic features were enhanced in comparison to the outgoing R30. The design was more compact, with a much more potent engine, sharper gearbox and the addition of all-wheel-drive which wasn't common in Group A cars at the time.
While the car does look to be in good condition, in spite of its odometer showing over 64,000 miles were covered in these past 28 years, some wear is visible. For instance, the side skirts need a little refurbishing having started to separate from the rocker panels. You probably won't notice that upon first inspection, partially thanks to the 18-inch RAYS Gram Lights multi-piece five-spoke wheels sitting on Haida rubber. The car sits lower than usual since the owner mounted BC Racing coilovers all around. The 5-speed manual gearbox is now making use of an improved clutch.
The interior is clean for its age although there are some stains and blemishes on the driver's seat and carpets. The seat itself an aftermarket Recaro bucket seat while the original passenger's seat was reupholstered to match it. The steering wheel is also aftermarket, but the original is offered with the car.
The car is being offered in Illinois with the stock steering wheel and a clean Florida title - the current bid is at $9,100 with six days to go.
Further reading
Read our full review on the 1993 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R V-Spec.