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Anyone who’s dreamed of owning a classic Nissan Skyline GT-R now has their chance, as three gorgeous examples are about to hit the RM Sotheby’s auction block during Monterey Car Week, on August 18-20. Two of them are R32 Skylines, one a mint-condition road car and the other a race car with an impressive history. The third Skyline is an R33-gen car, wearing a stunning Midnight Purple paint. All three cars are desirable for different reasons and it wouldn’t surprise me if one very deep-pocketed collector snags up the trio for themselves.
The oldest car in the group is a 1989 R32-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R in black, with a gray cloth interior, and only 29,250 kilometers (18,175 miles) on the odometer. It’s mostly stock, too, with its only modifications being an upgraded Reimax exhaust and gorgeous gold BBS wheels. Unsurprisingly for a car headed to auction in Monterey, the R32 looks nearly perfect, with everything from its paint, to its interior, to its engine bay looking showroom-new. Back in ’89, the R32 Skyline GT-R was one of the most technically advanced cars in the world. Not only did it use Nissan’s iconic twin-turbocharged 2.6-liter RB26DETT engine, with a five-speed manual, but it also had Nissan’s ATTESA-ETS all-wheel drive system and HICAS all-wheel steering. Many modern day supercars owe a lot of their technology to the success of the R32.
Next up on the Skyline auction block is a piece of Japanese racing history, a 1994 R32 Skyline GT-R Japanese Grand Touring Car Champtionship GT1 (JGTCC-GT1) car. Not only is it a race-winning touring car, it was driven by legendary Japanese driver Masahiro Hasemi. While Hasemi isn’t super well known outside of Japan, he’s a racing legend domestically and R32s were his specialty. This 1994 Unisia JECS-liveried touring car featured carbon fiber bodywork, a rear-wheel drive conversion (to adhere to regulations restricting all-wheel drive cars), and an Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission. It also used a Group A-spec version of the famous RB26DETT engine, pushing out 450 horsepower. Being a race car, it lacks a passenger seat, has a full roll cage, a racing seat with a four-point harness, and that’s pretty much it inside.
The last of the Skylines headed to Monterey is a completely unmodified 1995 R33 GT-R, with only 1,590 kilometers (988 miles), making it extra minty fresh. However, the best part of this R33 is its color—a wonderful metallic Midnight Purple. It’s powered by the same RB26DETT engine as the R32, along with the same five-speed manual, all-wheel drive, and all-wheel steering system. The R33 became world famous, even in markets where it wasn’t sold, thanks to its appearances in the Fast and Furious franchise. That fame, combined with its incredible color, might make it the most desirable of the bunch.
Skylines of this era have always been beloved by car enthusiasts and for good reason. They were, and still are, among the best driver’s cars in the world, were highly successful in motorsport, and featured classic good looks that have only gotten better with time. Whoever has deep enough pockets in Monterey is going to come home with at least one truly special Skyline.
