Hey 6speeders,

I felt like this was a more appropriate place to start this thread rather than the GT-R forum since it caters primarily to the R35 owner group, but I haven't posted on this forum for a little while after selling my last two fun cars, my 1991 NSX and a highly modified '75 Datsun Z.

I moved to Japan about 6 months ago and have had alot of good car experiences since getting here, from the anxiety of driving on the left side of the road for the first time to my first trip to Daikoku Futo in my S15 Silvia Spec R.

I bought and drove around a Suzuki Alto for about 3 months while I got situated and it was one of the most ridiculous (and lowest mileage) cars I've ever driven/owned. Sold the car and bought a black '99 Silvia Spec R to experience. That was a good car, and very solid, but I could see how I would enjoy an S2000 more however.



I helped a friend purchase an '89 Skyline GT-R a couple months ago and started to look for my own, so I listed the Silvia for sale. For those who are unaware, the NHTSA and DOT 25 year exemption is rapidly approaching for the earliest R32 GT-Rs, the first of which will most likely land on US shores next August in 2014.

I found a buyer for the Silvia at almost the same time as I found a car I wanted to buy from auction out of Nagoya. This is #2317, a Gunmetal Grey Metallic Nissan Skyline GT-R manufactured the second week of October 1989. My buddy's car, #2555, is in the background. Here is the way I found the car.









About to go through inspection. The wheels are Volk GTP 17x9JJ +23 I found on a local ad site.



How it looks currently. I purchased R32 GT-R specific nismo LMGT4s from a guy in Iwakuni a month ago. Extremely difficult to find. Matched them with the new Dunlop Direzza ZIIs in 255/40R17.











A few bonuses I found after poking around at the car include a rather large intercooler, BNR34 injectors (they don't flow any more I don't think), Blitz SBC electronic boost control, Apexi intakes, MOMO wheel, HKS cat-back exhaust (not sure if Hi Power or something else), what look like tein springs on stock strut/damper assemblies, 320km/h nismo speedo/odo cluster, nismo hood lip and front fascia (w/ brake ducting) and an aftermarket clutch. Some of these pieces will have to be removed or hidden in order to export the car to the US.

A few things I found that weren't so great was the glovebox door lock was broken (replaced the whole box), the front seats have considerable wear, the floormats are stained/falling apart (removed them) and there's a gaping hole where the audio used to be.

I'm going to go through the car and change all fluids, inspect for wear and get a good baseline before any real mods occur. A few things needed to be fixed before the rigorous Japanese inspections.

If anyone is considering purchasing a federally legal R32 GT-R here in the near future, be very wary. These cars are very complex and are prone to rusting. I have seen quite a number of these cars and finding one without rust is very very difficult.

I really enjoy the car so far. It feels a little more weighty than the Silvia, but the S15 is pretty gutless compared to this car. The RB26 is just absolutely guttural. The HICAS feels a little odd at first, but the turn-in is fantastic and the ATTESA E-TS feels pretty awesome when it kicks torque to the front. Having said that, I can feel the NSX itch growing because this car's no NSX...it does feel like a 1989 in a few ways, but they're very different cars, so I would like them both.

Enjoy!

 

Very nice....I would love to import one of my own....

 

I spent the last 7 years in Japan. Had a blast. I remember Daikoku Futo and the Wangan. My only regret was not getting a license. Nice car by the way. I'm really jealous.

 

Congrats. The Skyline GT-R is a hell of a car. I had a Motorex R33 GT-R but I actually prefer the R32.

 

Awesome car...looks familiar. I get to play with this little beauty every day. Just finished tuning the standalone and tweaking the NISMO Group A AWD controller. It's a 1994 NISMO R32...one of 500 made. Running full R34 drivetrain, Getrag 6 speed tranny, R35 brakes, fully built motor, and tons of other stuff. She's making 590 to all four wheels at the moment.

 

Tom.....that is a fantastic car.....VERY NICE....Do you have any interior shots and engine bay as well...

 

You can see some more pics of it here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/champio...th/9040573741/

I don't wanna hijack the thread...

To the OP...if you need help getting it imported legally, shoot me an email. I can put you in touch with the right people who can tell you how to get it done properly.

 

Lucky, bastard!! This is my favorite of the Skyline GT-R's!
How did you import it? Back when I got my R33, I didn't want the feds at my door, so I had to bite the bullet and get a Motorex car, which was 2-3 times what a "state-titled" car.
The fed situation had actually happened to a friend of mine who had a customer car seized at his shop. It was a yellow R33 GT-S with AZ plates.
I carried copies of all the federalization docs with me at all times and that incident reinforced my reason for doing so.

I'd love me an R32 today, though.

 

The person who imported this one just imported two others, both NISMO editions. I believe that one of them might still be for sale. PM me your contact info and I'll pass it along to him. I think he was asking $25k for the car. It was in GREAT condition too. If it's still available, it's a great car!

This one is fully legal, registered, titled, has all the NHTSA paperwork, and 100% legit. It can't be confiscated.

 

Nonsense. A GT-R is a GT-R. I think you only see more of the R35 discussion because, until recently, it wasn't a globally marketed car.

Your car is awesome! I'm glad you get to enjoy an older model. They were definitely a lot of fun.

 

Damn.. The older gtr's hold a special place in my heart.
Ok dumb question .. What would it take or much would it take to get this converted to left hand drive? If even possible ??

Or did they export them to Europe left hand drive and try and bring one of those over?
Ok I'm done ..

 

I don't think they came LHD from the factory, but Autech did quite a few cars with the conversion.

With enough money, anybody can switch to LHD - we see guys convert their 240's/Supras/<insertimporthere> to RHD all the time.

 

Thanks jasper , do you have any idea what the conversion costs roundabout ? Has to be crazy money

 

Back in the '90's, when I was stationed in Japan, I had a couple Skylines as well (R32 GT-R, and R33 GTS-T), and I looked into shipping costs, legalities, conversions, etc..., military wouldn't allow it. Around 2005, I did some serious math (as the time for 25 years is approaching the R32 (1989 - 2014) to be imported with no issues). I came up with a number that started exceeding $30,000, so I gave up, with the rumors of the R35 coming to 'The States.

I'm sorry I can be any further help. I do know of a couple of individuals that converted their cars from LHD to RHD in an attempt to pull off the 'JDM' thing, and it ran them around $40k (Nissan 240) to $60k (Supra). But they also did other things that may have added to that overall cost (full fiberglass dashboard, importing JDM RHD parts, etc...).

 

thanks man,