Rags to Riches – A Skyline Story

We don’t just provide a safe, simple and professional platform from which to buy and sell here here at Car & Classic. Yes, that is a large part of what we do of course, but there’s a little more to it than that. You see, we want everyone to be driving and enjoying classic cars and bikes. We know how rewarding it is and how valuable the experiences they can unlock are, and as a result we want to bring everyone into the fold of this vibrant, friendly and supportive community. We just love putting petrolheads together with their dream cars. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so we’re always delighted when we get to help make those dreams a reality, as was the case with Tristan and his Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R.
How it started…
Having discovered said JDM super hero via these fair pages when this particular Project Profile article caught his eye, Tristan was smitten as soon as he clapped eyes on the modified 1991 example in question. Fully admitting that he’s a bit of a cliché, the R32 GT-R has always been a dream car for this Gran Turismo fan and former player. “It’s the mechanical one, the one that connects with the driver the most, and in my opinion, the best looking”, he tells us, and it’s an opinion that we wholeheartedly agree with – we even say as much in that original feature. Tristan reckons the Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R is the greatest car ever made, in terms of bringing speed and reliability to the masses, and many will find it difficult to argue with him.
Having always had a weekend car in the garage and having previously lightly restored a Toyota Celica GT4 ST205, the fact that the Skyline was a project in need of some work didn’t put Tristan off, the issue here was more down to geography because the car was over 500 miles away in London. Tristan lives in Aberdeen…
Those Advan three-spokes surely had to get in the sea!
Our plucky petrolhead remained undeterred, however, largely due to the fact that the car was a running, driving example with a long MOT and up for a rather reasonable price. So, resolutely determined to call it his own, and after numerous video calls with the seller, Tristan decided to roll the dice and buy it sight unseen. But would his decision turn out to be a foolish flight of fancy or a truly heroic gamble?
Upon taking delivery Tristan immediately knew he was up against it, telling us the car was “significantly worse” than he initially thought. Yes, he knew what he was getting into thanks to his conversations and video calls with the previous owner but he wasn’t prepared for just how down at heel the car actually was. From moss growing from the window seals and badly corroded rear quarters, to an incredibly tatty interior, the car was in a sorry state, apparently neglected for several years with no evidence of any real maintenance.
Things weren’t particularly peachy mechanically speaking either. Yes the car ran, but only for a few seconds at a time due to some particularly ancient fuel, but 20 litres of premium motion lotion later and it was drive-able, albeit only for short distances. Things were not looking good for our intrepid hero.
Such was Tristan’s steadfast resolution however, combined with the fact that this was still his dream car, the Skyline’s dire condition didn’t put him off. “I loved it from the second I sat in the disgusting, filthy driver’s seat”, he says.
Where there’s a wheel, there’s a way, and classic cars can always be fixed so Tristan duly set about acquiring a full prognosis from local garage DJ Autos in Westhill to more accurately assess the true size of the task that lay ahead. Spoiler alert: it was big. Very, very big.
The guys at DJ Autos were perplexed as to how the car had managed to pass its most recent MOT only a few months prior. Not only was there a boost leak large enough to sink the Titanic, but the radiator, and exhaust system could have passed themselves off as decently aged Emmental, too. On top of all that, the fuel lines were severely corroded and all of the suspension bushes, along with the HICAS system, were absolutely shot to pieces. Despite all of this, however, the car still managed a not too shabby 385bhp on the dyno, resolute proof of the legendary Skyline RB26DETT engine’s capabilities.
Notice the single turbo setup
Having initially budgeted around £16K on top of the purchase price to return the car back to stock and restore it back to its former glory, Tristan quickly realised that his initial estimate simply wasn’t going to cover it. We’ve all been there, and like many of us before him, Tristan found himself at a crossroads: break the car and get his money back, or throw a ton of cash at the thing to save it, unlikely breaking even…
Thankfully he made the right choice, at least in our eyes, and decided to try and rescue this destitute denizen of JDM lore. Swayed in part by the fact that the underside was remarkably solid and reconciling with the fact that there are people out there spending thousands of pounds a year to play golf every weekend, Tristan, with those dream car thoughts swimming giddily around in his head, threw caution to the wind and cracked on. This was the car he always wanted after all. This was his chance to make those dreams a reality. Yes Tristan!
The original wheels were back on but the car still needed a costly respray…
As is the case with many a resto project though, progress was tectonic in its rapidity, in part due to unforeseeable issues (we know all about those little buggers, believe you me) and many parts having to be sourced and imported from Japan. Thankfully though there is a huge support network and thriving aftermarket for these cars, with the likes of Garage-D and JDM garage (to name just two examples) really knowing their onions when it comes to classic Japanese metal, and the bits and pieces Tristan needed for the Skyline started to trickle in.
Tristan shared with us the gargantuan list of parts required to a) fix or replace what was broken, b) return the car to a more stock configuration (gone was the huge single turbo in favour of the original twin whirly boy setup for instance) and c) make it look and drive like a good Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R should, and to say it was long is akin to saying Death Valley is “a bit warm”. Tristan’s aim for the project was “OEM plus” – a mostly factory standard car but with certain updates and improvements to areas like the brakes, tyres, cooling and engine management, which just so happened to be our recommendation for the car in the original Project Profile feature.
The time, effort and expenditure that Tristan has lavished on the car to accomplish these goals is commendable and the results really do speak for themselves. It just does go to show that a car that many would perhaps deem as a bit of a lemon destined for the scrap heap can go from beyond repair to beyond reproach if you’re willing to fully commit. Honda may have coined the term “the power of dreams” but Tristan has shown us that this expression can just as easily be applied to a Nissan Skyline. Or a Ferrari. Or a 2CV. Living proof that if you want something bad enough, you can, within reason, achieve it.
There’s a huge difference between making do and doing it properly though and as Tristan tells us: “There’s a lot of costs I could’ve cut out, by reusing the badges, leaving the windows in for the respray, or repairing the arches instead of replacing, but it’s worth it when you see the result”, and he’s absolutely right. Do it once and do it properly otherwise you’re forever chasing your tail and putting out fires (sometimes quite literally!).
How it’s going…
Tristan’s not naïve though. He realises that the process may never be finished and there are still things to do, but the Skyline is now a well sorted example that he can drive and enjoy, and isn’t that the whole point of it all? He assures us he’s keeping it for a while and will hopefully see a decent return on investment in the future. Having meticulously kept on top of the spend he knows exactly how much money is in the car and while it may cause some eyebrows to shoot skyward, the fact of the matter is the value of these cars is skyrocketing and we have no doubt that the aforementioned return will be substantial. Tristan jokes that: “I’ve had to remove ‘project management’ from my CV, as it’s taken three years and gone way over budget!” but you can’t drive a share. You can’t melt down to the South of France behind the wheel of a stock, and that, ladies and gentlemen is one of the many reasons why classic cars are king.
With dual turbochargers the engine is now much closer to stock configuration
If you’ve been on the fence about taking on a project or perhaps your own resto has stalled then hopefully Tristan’s story will inspire you to crack on. With over 34,000 listings and more than 260 live auctions on site at the time of writing there’s bound to be something that tickles your pickle. So what are you waiting for? Be more like Tristan. We like Tristan.