Nick Stavrou’s R32 Nissan GT-R: Reader ride
Nissan's legendary R32 GT-R was way ahead of its time...
Nick Stavrou’s R32 Nissan GT-R
Getting this car was the fulfilment of a childhood dream. I’d always been a fan of the racing at Bathurst and, when Nissan brought out this car, I decide I had to have it one day.
Of course it was much too expensive for me at the time, at well over $110,000, but all the hype over winning at Bathurst, then being banned, and the Godzilla nickname was irresistible. I bought this car years later from another collector.
This GTR is actually my second – the first was a Japanese import – and one of the rare Australia-delivered versions.
They’re a different car. These cars in their original form are like ghosts. They only came out in burgundy, silver and black and are clearly identified by visual modifications which set them apart from the Jap spec. These include: the outer round tail lights are orange in colour and used as indicators, space to hold six-digit number plates without having to bend them, original Nissan badges, FM radio aerial mounded on the roof, factory fitted Australian compliance alarm system, and quarter panel indicators just to name a few. Overall there were about 115 modifications made.
They sit and drive differently, and there’s some cosmetic changes.
It’s hard to find an unmolested one these days and only 100 were brought in. Just 25 of them were black, and they cost $118,000 compared to the normal $111,000. That was when you could get a starter Porsche for $60,000.
The specification was unusual for its day, but pointed to a lot of modern cars: 2.6 litre twin turbo six, with four-wheel-drive. A few famous people owned them, such as Kerry Packer and Russell Crowe.
There really isn’t any need to tamper with them, as they’re quicker than a lot of current HSVs, even though they’re pushing 18 years old.
They would do a 13.2sec quarter mile and are the true predecessor to the new R35 GTR, and are very rare.
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