1991 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R

The Skyline R32 GT-R (Grand Tourismo Racer) — nicknamed “Godzilla” for effortlessly crushing all competitors in Group A Series racing — won 29 consecutive races in the Japanese Touring Car Championship and three consecutive championships in the Australian Touring Car Championship after being reintroduced by Nissan in 1989.

This remarkable track record is part of the reason the Skyline R32 GT-R has such a strong cult-like following among serious car enthusiasts around the world. Other reasons include impressive appearances in games and popular street racing movies like The Fast and Furious series, a reputation for having launched the JDM car scene, a leading role in serious street and drag racing, the exclusivity wrought by a 25-year import restriction in the United States — which finally ended in 2014 — and performance that is nothing short of incredible. If you want maximum bang for the buck, it’s hard to beat a well-tuned Skyline R32 GT-R imported directly from Japan.

On YouTube, you can watch grown men morph into excited little boys when they punch the GT-R’s pedal and get pressed against the seat. It likes to go fast, revving almost instantly to 8000rpm, and handles almost any road with assurance even after tuners have taken advantage of the unlimited potential of the chassis to upgrade the engine beyond a jaw-dropping 800 hp.

As Nissan’s flagship performance car, the Skyline R32 GT-R showcased some of the company’s most advanced technology. The 2.6-liter RB26DETT twin-turbo inline-six engine was extremely powerful, producing 600 hp in the racing version and 276 hp in the production version. This powerplant was matched with a 5-speed manual transmission, a race-tuned AWD system called the ATTESA E-TS, and a Super-HICAS four-wheel steering system.

The AWD and 4WD systems deliver phenomenal traction and handling. You can push the Skyline R32 GT-R hard around challenging corners without oversteer or wheelspin. It handles the road so effortlessly that even seasoned professionals are often shocked when they take a glance at the speedometer and tachometer.

The Skyline R32 GT-R may not look as streamlined and sporty as European and American supercars from the same era, but it outperforms most with relative ease. This unpretentious, understated styling is one of its many charms of the GT-R. Refined yet ready for business with clean lines, a long hood, four round headlights and a big, serious spoiler, the appearance only matches the aggressive performance when the body is painted up for races, movies and games. Many used Skyline R32 GT-Rs in great condition are just waiting for foreigners in Europe, America and elsewhere to purchase and import them from Japan.

The most sought after version of the Skyline R32 GT-R is the 1990 ‘Nismo’ (Nissan’s motorsport division) edition, because it closely resembles Nissan’s Group A racing cars in both style and performance. Nissan only produced 560 of these Gunmetal Grey gems and transformed 60 into racers.

Americans obsessed with the Skyline R32 GT-R have been waiting an excruciatingly long 25 years to import them from Japan without incurring the wrath of the law. Now that the wait is over, they can import pre-1991 versions from Japan with major import exemptions (except in California, where they must wait another 13 years!). The Skyline R32 GT-R is also quickly gaining value, making it a great investment.

Wherever you live in the world, you’ll find the best deals on a used Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R and other Japanese performance cars like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Toyota Supra TT and Impreza WRX STi are in Japan. Our dedicated team at Japan Car Direct can keep you informed of suitable used vehicles on auction every week, negotiate with Japanese used car dealers, arrange for professional third-party inspections, ensure all of your questions are answered, place bids or make purchases on your behalf, inform you of every detail in English, arrange for the used vehicle’s export to your nearest port and more. We’re here for you every step of the way and dedicated to making the entire export / import process easy and enjoyable.