1992 Nissan Skyline R32 GTR Coupe

The Japanese manufacturer Prince introduced the 'Skyline' name in 1957, denoting its luxury model. When the company merged with Nissan in 1967, the name was applied to the C10 in 1968. This time, 'Skyline,' along with GT-R, was used to denote performance.

The original R32 GT-R Skyline was built to contest Group A competition, and its accomplishments in the Australian racing scene earned it the nickname 'Godzilla.' Its dominance in Group A competition led to it being banned from the ATCC.

In June 1990, the R32 GR-R Skyline made its debut at Mallala, with the racing program being run by Gibson Motorsport. By 1991, it had captured an outright victory at the Bathurst enduro, with drivers Jim Richards and Mark Skaife outpacing the competition. In Japan, the R32 GT-R made its debut at the inaugural race at the All Japan Championship held on March 1990, the All Japan Touring Car 300km race held at the Nishi-Nippon Circuit.

The R32 Skyline dominated each of the three seasons of the Japanese Touring Car (JTC) seasons, from 1990 until 1993, winning the championship and occupying nearly every position on the podium of each race. The highest level of competition was from the JTC-1 Group A, which was won by an R32 Skyline from 1990 to 1993. Team Impul won the championship in 1990 with their R32 Skyline GT-R; Hasemi Motorsports won in 1991 and 1992 (R32 Skyline GT-R). The final year of the JTC Group A competition was won by Team Impul (R32 Skyline GT-R).

This particular R32 GT-R, chassis number BNR32*002808R, was campaigned in the 1993 Japanese Touring Car (JTC) Group A championship by team Object T. It finished 3rd in the championship and won the final Group A race of the 1993 season. During the nine races of the 1993 season, this R32 was on the podium five times. It was driven by Japan's Hisashi Yokoshima and Tom Kristensen from Denmark.

This Skyline R32 GT-R Group A 'BP Trampio' racer is powered by a dual overhead camshaft, twin-turbocharged inline six-cylinder engine displacing 2,568cc. It has ECCS multi-point electronic fuel injection and delivers approximately 600 horsepower. There is a five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel independent suspension, and four-wheel power-assisted disc brakes. The magnesium BBS wheels are wrapped with recently installed race tires.

This R32 GT-R was stored in a museum for twenty-five years, and has been recently mechanically serviced and returned to the track. The engine is the same unit that powered the car in 1993, built by the Nissan Kohki Motorsport Division called Reinik/Reimax.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2023