FEATURE - 1991 Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: Muscle Car Warehouse, NSW

To understand the mixed reactions to Nissan’s R32 Skyline GT-R, you have to understand its impact on Australian touring car racing in the early 1990s. Built as a race car first and a road car second, the GT-R made a massive impression here, just as it did overseas. But the R32 also made a few enemies…

When the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) replaced its locally-developed Group C rules with the international Group A formula in 1985, it opened the door to cars that hadn’t been seen at the pointy end of domestic competition for years, plus others that hadn’t raced here at all. The Ford Mustang returned and new arrivals included the Jaguar XJ-S, Volvo 240T and Rover Vitesse.

Nissan had been involved in the final years of Group C with the Bluebird Turbo, but they sat out the first year of local Group A racing. When they returned in 1986, it was with the DR30 Skyline RS in a team managed by the experienced Fred Gibson. George Fury won five rounds and came within a hair of clinching the championship that year, while at Bathurst, Gary Scott put a DR30 Skyline RS on pole and would finish the Great Race in third.

It was more of the same in 1987, but this time, Glenn Seton had to be content with a runner-up finish in the ATCC, then a second at Bathurst following the disqualification of the Eggenberger Ford Sierras.

An upgrade to the HR31 Skyline GTS-R for the 1988 season proved disastrous locally, with delays in securing parts meaning the new arrival didn’t even make the ATCC grid until Round 5. Lack of development time meant the ’88 season was a write-off, although a third place for George Fury at the penultimate round did provide a glimmer of hope.

The HR31 Skyline GTS-R went around again in 1989, this time with more development miles under its wheels, plus the addition of Jim Richards and Mark Skaife alongside Fury in the driver lineup. Two podiums for Richards and a win for Fury were the highlights in the ’89 ATCC, while Bathurst saw the factory Nissans finish third and fourth.

The Year of Change

Even before the 1990 ATCC season had begun, there was a lot of buzz around Nissan’s replacement for the HR31 Skyline. The new R32 would be the seventh generation Skyline, but the first since 1973 to be available as a GT-R.

Built to dominate Group A racing, the R32 Skyline GT-R combined the ‘HICAS’ four-wheel steering that had been available on the previous generation Skyline with a new ‘ATTESA ET-S’ all-wheel drive system developed specifically for motorsport. The GT-R’s ‘RB26DETT’ 2.6 litre six-cylinder engine was fitted with twin turbochargers to deliver 206kW, but could be wound up to more than 400kW for racing. A five-speed manual was the only transmission offered.

To offset the weight of the ATTESA, the GT-R ran some aluminium body panels, with subtle bodyside flares added to accommodate wider wheels and tyres. Larger brakes, sportier seats and revised instrumentation were other features exclusive to the new Skyline GT-R, which could sprint from 0 to 100kmh in 5.4 seconds and hit a top speed of 250km/h.

The famous ‘Godzilla’ nickname for the R32 GT-R was applied by Wheels magazine in 1989. They recognised that Nissan was gunning for the dominant Ford Sierra RS500 in Group A with their new creation, which officially hit racetracks in 1990.

In that year’s All Japan Touring Car Championship (JTC), the R32 GT-R went undefeated throughout the season. It was the same in 1991 and 1992, by which time, no team in JTC’s Division 1 was running anything other than a GT-R. Such was its dominance, when the R32 Skyline GT-R’s domestic career ended in 1993, it remained unbeaten in 29 starts.

In Australia, Jim Richards would be the first to put a roadgoing GT-R through its paces, but Skaife would debut the racing version - at the sixth round of the 1990 ATCC season. Skaife's fast start in the race was undone by a mechanical DNF, but it was enough to convince Richards (who was leading the championship) to switch from the old HR31 GTS-R to the new car for the penultimate ATCC round at Barbagallo. A fourth place in that race, followed by victory in the finale at Oran Park saw Richards take the championship, his first with Nissan and third of his career.

National Dominance…

Within a handful of rounds of the 1991 ATCC, it was clear that Nissans were now the cars to beat. Between them, Richards and Skaife won the opening five rounds. Tony Longhurst broke the streak in a BMW M3, and would win again in the penultimate round, but seven of nine rounds that season went to Nissan, with 1-2 finishes in six of them. Richards/Skaife then teamed up to record a dominant win at the 1991 Bathurst 1000

In 1992, the GT-R kept winning, taking four victories from nine ATCC rounds, with Skaife achieving his first championship. As most know, Bathurst that year ended in controversy, with the famous podium quote from Richards (you know the one!) followed by changes to ATCC regulations for 1993 that banned turbocharged cars, ending the GT-R’s dominance at a stroke. Ford and Holden fans who were sick of seeing “their” cars beaten by Godzilla were happy, but enthusiasts of genuine, motorsport-oriented engineering lamented the GT-R’s passing from local competition.

Even before the 1991 ATCC had begun, there were plans to capitalise on the Skyline GT-R’s local success by making a handful available to the Australian market. This had been mooted since its unveiling in 1989, but apparently only came to fruition thanks to some cajoling from Nissan’s local representatives.

Nissan never intended the R32 GT-R to be sold outside of Japan, but Australia would become the only place where it was officially available. In total, just 100 examples would be offered, released late in 1991, but a high price tag (more on that in a bit) meant they stayed in showrooms for a long, long time.

… Local Delivery

GT-Rs for the Australian market were built in two batches of 50 through the middle of 1991. Colour choices were limited to Red Pearl metallic (37 cars), Black Pearl metallic (26 cars) and Jet Silver (37 cars), although some sources say the split was 45 Red Pearl, 30 Black Pearl and 25 Jet Silver.

Before it could receive local compliance, the R32 was subjected to more than 200 changes. Most of these were minor and arguably had no impact on performance. Visual identifiers included a Nissan badge (instead of the stylised Skyline ‘S’) on the bonnet, the addition of side indicators (from the 300ZX) on the front guards, a roof-mounted aerial, high-mount rear brake light and revisions to the tail lights – the indicators on JDM GT-Rs became reversing lights, with the outer stop/tail lights becoming the indicators.

Under the skin, side intrusion beams were added to the doors. A transfer case oil cooler, fuel filler restrictor, shielding for the rear suspension, revised muffler and other parts were also fitted. In the cabin, the local GT-Rs received the sound system from a Maxima, a 260km/h speedometer (180km/h for JDM versions) and some other changes to the instrumentation. The speed limiter was disconnected, Exa sunvisors were fitted and the front seat belts modified. These, along with the addition of child seat anchors and a jack, were the main changes.

Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday - Maybe

On its introduction in 1991, the Australian-market R32 Skyline GT-R listed for $110,000. This pricing was unheard of for a Nissan at the time, being almost 60 per cent more than their most expensive model – the $70K 300ZX. It also approached the territory of Honda’s NSX supercar ($160,000 approx. in 1991).  

Despite the racetrack success, and a Wheels magazine test in 1991 that declared the GT-R to be a better handling car than the more expensive NSX, Porsche Carrera 4, Ferrari Mondial and BMW M5, the six-figure asking price attracted few takers. Australia's economic recession during this time didn't help, either. As such, around 35 cars are thought to have remained unsold, even at the end of the GT-R’s ATCC campaign in 1992.

Interestingly, Kerry Packer dropped into the aforementioned Wheels test and spent hours punting a new GT-R around Eastern Creek. He then promptly requested a pair of the hot Nissans – one for him and one for his son, James - cancelling an order placed with high-profile Sydney car dealer Rick Damelian for a couple of Honda NSXs. Ralph Sarich, inventor of the orbital engine, was another notable GT-R buyer.

Being such a premium and exclusive model, GT-R sales were limited to a handful of Nissan Australia dealers. Hornsby Nissan was one of them and where the car featured was originally sold. Back then, Hornsby Nissan boasted they were Australia’s No.1 GT-R dealer, backed by factory-trained GT-R technicians and the only dealer to offer the GT-R in all three colours.

How many GT-Rs Hornsby Nissan sold is unrecorded. It’s also unknown if the Packer cars came from this dealership.

Number 48 is Great

The GT-R featured, number 48 of the 100 Australian-delivered cars, was sold new by Hornsby Nissan to a Sydney doctor. It popped up in Rick Damelian’s Prestige yard a few years later. A Queenslander purchased it from Damelian in 1997, pampering the car for decades up north before passing it on to his family. The current owner acquired it from that family in 2023 and brought it back to New South Wales.  

With no known repaint, restoration, panel replacement or mechanical work beyond the usual maintenance, this car presents as remarkably original, with all the factory markings visible, too. The 27,352km odometer reading is believed to be genuine, of which the current owner has added less than 50km. The 16-inch alloys are original and the space saver spare is unused. More remarkably, this GT-R wears its factory-fitted Yokohama tyres, too.

Following the GT-R’s short-lived run as an official offering, the availability of cheap grey imports dulled the exclusivity of the genuine Aus-market examples and diluted their value. That’s started to turn in recent years, with cars that were selling for half their original value a decade or so ago now asking for money in the $100K range and sometimes more.

The car featured is currently on consignment with Muscle Car Warehouse in Kogarah, NSW. The asking price of $185,000 places it at the top of the tree for an Australian-delivered GT-R, but the condition, originality and very low kms goes some way to justifying that price. Other examples that JUST CARS have found for sale or offered at auction were cheaper, but had at least double the mileage, with all the caveats that implies.

Just as important as this car’s low mileage and outstanding condition inside and out is the fact that it hasn’t been messed with. There are no aftermarket add-ons or changes to the suspension, wheels, brakes, sound system and the like. Potential buyers are advised to contact Muscle Car Warehouse to get more information and confirm this car’s bona fides.

A Modern Classic

As much a piece of Australian motoring history as it is a pointer to an important period in Australian motorsport history, the R32 Skyline GT-R is starting to get the appreciation it deserves. Some resentment still lingers from its time in the ATCC, but most can now see – and appreciate – the GT-R for the remarkable piece of performance engineering that it is.

Australian-delivered R32 Skyline GT-Rs are now collector’s items, with surviving examples treated accordingly, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be enjoyed. If you own a car as purpose-built for performance as the car featured, it’d be a shame not to. Just fit some fresh tyres first!

Thanks to Motor Book World for research material used in this article.

Motor Book World, VIC. Ph: (03) 9830 2644. www.motorbookworld.com.au

For Sale

Described as a real time-warp car, this genuine, Australian-delivered Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R presents much as it did in 1991.

On consignment with Muscle Car Warehouse, this low km (27,352km) example, #48 of 100 for Australia, has no visible dents or blemishes in the paint, with an equally impressive interior. It remains stock inside and out, wears its original alloys and still has its original Yokohama tyres, too.

The asking price is $185,000.

See the advert online with the ad code JACFD5324020.

For more details, contact Muscle Car Warehouse on (02) 9553 8965.