1989 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R – Auction Car of the Week

We’ve featured the Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R as both Classified of the Week and Project Profile in the past so we thought for the final Auction Car of the Week feature of 2022 we would complete the holy trinity with this particular beauty. It’s a fitting round out to a hugely successful year of auctions here at Car & Classic and the thousands of happy customers that have either sold their pride and joy or bought the classic of their dreams via our auctions platform. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside that we’re able to facilitate your fantasies and we will continue to make even more of those dreams a reality in 2023.

The two aforementioned GT-Rs featured previously in the magazine have both been heavily modified (to varying degrees) but what makes this particular 1989 example a little bit special is that it’s largely factory spec, which is a rare thing nowadays. It has perennially been the prerogative of the people to fettle with their JDM imports. Whether it be sharpening a Supra into a quarter mile monster or augmenting an AE86 for improved drifting, the lengths and breadths we all go to to improve these Japanese legends goes back as far as the cars themselves so it’s always refreshing to see a largely unmolested GT-R emerge from that most popular of classic car scenes.

But why are these cars so ripe for tuning? What sets them apart from other, lesser-fettled fare? The two main contributing factors are forced induction and inherent reliability. If the mechanicals are robust to begin with then it makes a great jumping off point for pushing performance. It’s no good boosting brake horse power in a car that is intrinsically fickle to begin with and Japanese cars are simply reliable. They always have been. They’re well made, which better allows for tweaks and upgrades, and one of the cheapest and easiest way to facilitate such things is to increase boost pressure.

Turbochargers have been around in production cars since the early ’60s, debuting in the awesomely titled ‘JetFire’ V8 that GM plonked inside of an Oldsmobile Cutlass, and so forced induction has had plenty of time to be refined and find its place within the motoring landscape. Increasing the performance from a turbocharged engine, at the most basic level, is as simple as installing a boost controller to allow for increased pressure which forces more air into the engine so more fuel can then be added to make a bigger bang in the cylinders, therefore increasing the power output.

One of the great things about the Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R was the inclusion by Nissan (bravo, by the way) of not one, but two Garrett T03 turbochargers. Combined with the already impressive 2.6-litre, straight-six engine peak performance was rated at a healthy 276bhp, although real world figures were, in fact, much higher. It was an under-stressed power plant which made it a prime candidate for tuning and as such many GT-Rs have been tweaked – to varying levels of success and taste, we hasten to add.

This 1989 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, available via our auctions platform, has not been tarred with that brush, however. While it does have some small modifications it remains largely a standard, factory car, even down to the original five spoke, 16″ alloy wheels. The factory airbox has been replaced with twin pod filters for better air flow and a turbo timer has also been installed as a safety feature to allow the turbos to cool down sufficiently before the engine is switched off – a desirable mod which greatly prolongs the life and efficiency of those twin Garretts. Looking at the top mounts under the bonnet the front suspension looks to have been replaced too and a strut brace is also included but the car doesn’t appear to sit particularly lower than a standard R32.

The exhaust is also a larger bore, after market affair but is a useful addition alongside the air filters to help the engine breathe a little better. But that’s about it. Aesthetically the car is as it was when it left the factory with its now famous gun metal paint job and aside from a Momo steering wheel and non-standard gear knob the interior is also original spec. There are no bucket seats or additional gauge pods here cluttering up the simple yet functional cabin.

This is an early Series 1 car from the very first year of production with 145,947kms on the clock, which equates to just under 91,000 miles. Number 2412 of 17,416 Series 1 cars built it is one of 11,720 spec’d in Gun Grey Metallic paint and appears to be in wonderful condition throughout, no doubt helped by the fact it is currently residing in dry and sunny Malta. And what a road trip it would be driving this thing back from the Mediterranean! Enjoy its refreshing originality or put your own stamp on it, the choice is yours. The important thing is you’ll be the proud owner of not just a JDM icon but a bona fide automotive legend. Go on, treat yourself. It IS Christmas after all.