Gift-Wrapped GT-R

We’ve covered many 15+ year old Japanese import vehicles in previous articles, but none are as downright serious as this – the Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R.

Wanna go ballistic without breaking the bank? Well, with an on-road cost from as little as AUD$20k – for a limited time only - the imported R32 GT-R provides awesome bang for your buck. Released onto the Japanese domestic market in 1989, the R32 GT-R is one of the most recognised supercars of all time.

And with good reason!

The GT-R is packed with one of the most powerful and sophisticated 6 cylinder production engines of its day. The mighty RB26DETT engine breathes through a DOHC, 24 valve head boasting an individual throttle body for each cylinder (to enhance response). Boost pressure is produced by twin T28 turbochargers blowing through a large air-to-air intercooler.

The RB26’s quoted power output is a politically correct 206kW (at 6800 rpm) though the realistic figure is closer to 225kW. Peak torque (355Nm) arrives at a relatively high 4400 rpm, which is indicative of the engine’s revvy nature. Its 8200 rpm rev limiter is no wank...

But it’s the way the Skyline GT-R puts its grunt to the bitumen that makes it stand out.

The GT-R is equipped with an electronic-controlled AWD system, which operates unlike a typical Subaru or Mitsubishi viscous AWD system. The GT-R’s ATTESA ETS system sends drive solely to the rear wheels in normal, light-throttle driving but apportions torque to the front wheels as the rears lose traction; think of it as a ‘reactive’ AWD system.

Slamming through a 5 speed gearbox and with AWD traction, the R32 GT-R can accelerate from a standing start like nothing else. Depending on the launch technique, the car can comfortably reach 100 km/h in the 5 second range. Top speed is electronically governed at 180 km/h – but there’s the power to run past 250 km/h...

The ATTESA AWD system is also used to aid the 1430kg GT-R’s handling.

In hard cornering, torque is sent to the front wheels when power is applied and rear wheelspin is present – the extra front-end traction pulls the car straight and lets you accelerate towards the next corner. In the early stage of corner turn-in, the GT-R uses Super HICAS to steer the rear wheels out of phase by up to 1 degree. This helps point the nose into the corner.

In practice, all the R32 GT-Rs we’ve driven have been heavily biased toward power oversteer; later-model GT-Rs use a recalibrated ATTESA system which gives a more neutral balance. But we’ll discuss altering the handling later...

The GT-R’s front suspension employs unequal upper and lower control arms with an additional link, while a sophisticated multi-link rear exists out back. Braking hardware comprises drilled 295mm front and 297mm rear discs working with 4 and 2 pot calipers. ABS is standard fitment – note that the ABS is calibrated to suit motorsport.

The R32 GT-R body has gone through an interesting cycle. It was seen as ‘cutting edge’ when released, but not so long ago it was regarded dated – these days it’s often called a “classic”... Whatever your opinion, the Skyline GT-R is one imposing figure. The guards are pumped to accommodate the forged alloy 16 x 8s and 225/50 tyres, the front bumper has a lower lip and massive cooling aperture, side skirts improve under-car airflow and the boot lid wears a ‘proper’ wing – one that you can feel working at high speed. The GT-R’s bonnet and guards are also made from aluminium to help save weight.

Inside, the GT-R is quite sombre but there’s the undeniable feeling that you’re in something fast. The winged front seats provide good lateral support (though lower back support is poor), the leather wheel is nice to hold and there are plenty of gauges. The GT-R scores a centre 3 gauge cluster containing a battery voltage, oil temperature and boost pressure meter. Unfortunately, these gauges are very poorly marked. The Japanese-spec speedo is also marked to only 180 km/h.

The GT-R is a 4 seater but, realistically, it’s uncomfortable for any more than 2 adults. The boot is also quite small and shallow.

But let’s face it – GT-Rs are bought for their raw speed, not practicality.

After 15 Years of Use...

So what sort of things can you expect when buying a 15 year old Japanese Skyline GT-R?

Well, the first thing to expect is some aftermarket modification. At minimum, most R32 GT-Rs have already been fitted with a big exhaust and pod filters. Many are also decked out with an array of interior gauges, piggy-back computers and interceptors, a heavy-duty clutch, big wheels and adjustable suspension.

These are the ones to be really careful of.

A high percentage of modified GT-Rs have been circuit raced, drag raced, street raced or drifted – sometimes all of the above... The GT-R engine is remarkably strong but it cannot escape the ravages of detonation and lean mixtures – and we’ve seen some terminally damaged modified RB26s from Japan.

There are also some general maintenance issues to be aware of. The standard clutch isn’t particularly durable (which is why many GT-Rs run an aftermarket clutch), front suspension bushes wear out rapidly and it’s wise to replace all engine, gearbox, hydraulic, diff, brake, brake and power steering fluids; this can cost several hundred dollars on its own...

Note that most Japanese aftermarket coil-overs have minimal compliance and are unsuited for Australian roads. If aftermarket coil-overs are fitted to a particular vehicle, chances are you’ll want to replace them.

Tuning Potential...

There are more aftermarket parts to suit the Skyline GT-R than you can poke a stick at.

The first engine modification should be to ditch the factory exhaust system (if still fitted). A full-length 3 to 4 inch mandrel system is the way to go – you can buy a new or used aftermarket Japanese system or have a local exhaust workshop fabricate one for you.

The standard air intake is the next obvious place to tackle. We’ve seen many GT-Rs make good power with the standard airbox modified to accept a large diameter cold air intake. Alternatively, there are aftermarket kits that replace the airbox with a pair of filters that attach to each airflow meter. The better set-ups also come with a heat shield to prevent ingestion of under-bonnet air.

Nissan gave the GT-R a pretty good intercooler from factory so there’s no need to upgrade it if you run a maximum boost pressure of around 16 psi. An intercooler water spray is a good addition if you feel the need to take action.

Unfortunately, the standard ceramic turbines are known to fail at increased boost levels. You can either have the turbochargers rebuilt with more durable steel turbine wheels (along with maybe some ‘high flow’ mods) or purchase a pair of ‘N1’ replacement turbos. There is also a selection of aftermarket bolt-on turbochargers to meet your power requirement.

One of the easiest and most popular engine management upgrades is to plug in an A’PEXi Power FC. This unit gives extensive control over mixtures, ignition timing, idle speed, correction factors, rev limit and eliminates the Japanese ECU’s 180 km/h speed limiter. Note that many people also upgrade to larger Nissan Z32 airflow meters when upgrading to a Power FC. See The APEXi Power FC Engine Management ECU for details.

With these basic mods – along with a mildly upgraded clutch to hold the torque – you’ve got a machine that’s near-unbeatable on the street.

From here you can buy aftermarket management, upgrade intercoolers, high-capacity single turbo kits, replacement intake manifolds and various engine internals. GT-R quarter mile times have regularly fallen below 10 seconds – how fast do you want to go?!

Note that tweaking the GT-R’s ATTESA AWD also makes a huge difference to handling.

The ATTESA system takes inputs from ABS wheel speed sensors, lateral and longitudinal G sensors and throttle position. By modifying the output of these sensors you can dramatically alter the handling characteristics of the car. See Godzilla Tamed for full details.

There is also a host of aftermarket suspension hardware for the GT-R. Adjustable castor rods, camber kits, adjustable struts and various other components are readily available. The brakes are most cheaply upgraded using the discs and calipers from the R32 V-spec, V-spec II or R33 GT-R.

V-specs?

After achieving success in various forms of motorsport, Nissan released the V-spec (Victory Spec) version of the GT-R in 1993.

The V-spec doesn’t produce any more power but it does bring revised AWD calibration, 17 inch BBS wheels and lower profile 225/50 17 tyres. We believe that the suspension was also lightly modified. But more important are the brakes – the V-spec scores 4 pot Brembos with 324mm discs at the front and 2 pot Brembos with 300mm discs at the rear. These brakes were carried over as standard fitment to the R33 GT-R.

In 1994, the R32 GT-R V-spec II was released. The only difference to the original V-spec is in the tyres – big 245/45 17s were fitted as standard.

A Lightly Tuned Example...

Rajon of Queensland owns this white Japanese-import R32 GT-R – and it’s a good example of what can be achieved without major mods.

This particular vehicle arrived from Japan with no mods but these days it’s a different story. Exhaust flow is vastly improved using a Veilside 3 ½ inch system while the air intake is free’d up thanks to a HKS twin pod set-up.

The stock turbos were recently removed to make way for a pair of relatively mild HKS 25/30 bolt-on units along with HKS dump pipes. These turbos are set to deliver a substantial 1.3 Bar (19 psi) of boost pressure, which is cooled by an upgrade intercooler. An oil cooler also ensures engine durability when pushed for extended periods.

The engine management is tweaked with a Mines’ ECU, which was removed from a Japanese R32 half-cut. With these bolt-ons, Rajon’s R32 GT-R pushes out about 300kW at the back wheels and is realistically expected to run a low 12 second quarter mile. An OS Gikken twin-plate clutch will help get the car off the line without slip.

The aging OE dampers are replaced by Bilstein adjustable inserts and the front-end is tied together with an aftermarket suspension tower brace. Rajon says these suspension mods give a noticeable handling improvement. The brakes remain stock aside from high quality pads.

Queensland’s All Star Tuning (+61 7 3265 7185) can be thanked for much of the work.

Important Update!

At the time of writing, the laws regarding import and registration of Japanese import vehicles have changed.

Under the new laws, any vehicle newer than January 1^st 1989 must qualify under RAWS (Registered Automotive Workshop Scheme) and meet all relevant ADRs before it can be registered. As a result, the on-road cost of a R32 GT-R will increase considerably.

But there is an opportunity to get one on-the-road cheap - if you get in quick.

Some vehicle importers – such as YahooMotorsport (iprimus.com.au) – have a small number of R32 GT-Rs currently in stock and we believe these vehicles can be ADR’d under the previous regulations. YahooMotorsport currently has two R32 GT-Rs sticker’d at AUD$17,500 (non ADR’d). Add a pair of door intrusion bars, fuel filler restrictor and some other fairly basic ADR mods and you should get one on the road from about 20 grand.

And that, good readers, is a screaming bargain – so get in now while you can!