skyline
skyline

Once, twice, three times a Skyline

Riley Riley

Not one but a brace of three iconic, race-bred Nissan R32 Skylines are up for grabs at Shannons next auction.

If you miss out on the first, or even the second car offered, you still have one more chance to grab one of these iconic cars.

Part of a well-known Nissan GT-R R32 collection, they are believed to be have been originally owned by Nissan’s factory race team, Gibson Motorsport.

Numbered 22, 46 and 76, they are among 100 Australian-spec, right-hand drive GT-Rs brought into the country by Nissan in the 90s — priced at $110,000 a piece.

These Australian-delivered Nissan GT-R R32s are rare and continue to be highly sought-after among enthusiasts, ensuring values remain strong.

One of Japan’s all-time greats, Nissan’s legendary R32 Skyline GT-R was a technological Tour de Force conceived with one goal in mind — to dominate Group A racing.

Unveiled in 1989, Nissan’s engineers came up with the most sophisticated car to come out of Japan yet, combining all-wheel drive and the Super HICAS all-wheel steering system, with a sublime DOHC 2.6-litre in-line six.

With power output rated conservatively at 191kW, the actual figure was nearer to 224kW, but in full race trim was capable of being tuned to achieve more like 373kW.

Nissan’s homologation special was clothed in typically understated bodywork that belied its performance.

An R32 held the unofficial lap record at the legendary Nürburgring in Germany, while the car’s track record here in Australia is the stuff of legends.

The R32 dominated the Australian Touring Car Championships, with three successive titles from 1990-1992 and victories at Bathurst in 1991 and 1992.

Thanks to its dominance it earned the nickname ‘Godzilla’.

Bathurst crowds may not have appreciated the Nissan’s dominance at the time, but the R32 certainly earned the respect of the Australian motoring public.

Available in just three colours — red, black and silver — the Aussie GT-Rs differed from their Japanese counterparts in several details, including the badges, outer tail lamp lenses, Maxima stereo unit and Bosch roof-mounted aerial.

The GT-R badge continued to be worn by succeeding generations of Nissan’s ultimate supercars but for many enthusiasts, particularly those of the Playstation generation, the original R32 holds a special place and the Australian-delivered cars have taken on legendary status among collectors and enthusiasts around the country.

All three cars are expected to fetch between $70,000 and $85,000 when they go under the hammer in Melbourne on July 16.

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