R33 Skyline GT-R LM is One-of-One and Currently in LA

One-of-one R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R LM is perhaps the rarest of all Skyline models, and it’s currently in the United States.

You’d be hard-pressed to find an automotive enthusiast who isn’t familiar with the R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R. However, even the most casual fan of cars could take one look at this particular GT-R example and realize that there’s something extraordinary about it. Its aggressive, wide stance, wide bodywork, and the massive grille badge indicate that it is a “GT-R LM.”

It is, in fact, the only R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R LM in the world. It’s so exclusive, in fact, that Top Gear once reported that not even the then CEO of Nissan had ever driven it. It’s typically tucked away in Nissan’s Zama DNA Garage and only handled with white gloves. So, when we casually stumbled upon it at The Petersen Automotive Museum in LA, we were a bit shocked.

What is the R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R LM?

Nissan built the R33 Skyline GT-R LM for homologation purposes. To compete at Le Mans in 1995, Nissan needed the Skyline GT-R to be homologated via a single road-legal example in racing configuration. So, that’s precisely what the company built. This is the only R33 GT-R LM that ever was and ever will be.

Under the hood, it has the same juiced-up RB26DETT that the racing version has. However, the racing version makes 400 horsepower, while the road-going version is detuned to “only” 300 horsepower. The interior is largely similar to a standard R33 GT-R with the addition of some truly awesome checkerboard Recaro seats and a Nismo Alcantara racing steering wheel.

The car is registered in the UK, but is extremely rarely driven. Classically, this feels like the time to berate folks for driving cars built specifically to be driven on the ragged edge of their capabilities, but we’ve beaten that dead horse plenty.

An Icon Permanently Memorialized in Digital Format

If the car looks familiar to you, you’re likely a Gran Turismo fan to some capacity. That’s virtually guaranteed to be the only place you’ll ever have a smidge of a chance at driving the R33 Nissan GT-R LM. So, get those racing thumbs ready and go have a good time.

Overall, the chance to see this car in person is an extremely rare opportunity. So, we’re more than grateful that Nissan let the legendary Petersen display this beast for a bit.

Photos: Braden Carlson