Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) | PH Auction Block
Flawless down to its floor mats, here's a GT-R not to miss
The classic car market’s fascination with all things JDM shows no signs of abating. There are the usual factors to consider, like the US import rules and ageing millennials who loved the hero cars growing up (so might now have the money for one), but also the current state of Japanese car makers. Once renowned technological innovators and loved by car enthusiasts across the globe, Japanese manufacturers simply aren’t as competitive (or as interesting) as they once were. So the glory days look even more appealing.
The picture for European enthusiasts is especially bleak right now when it comes to Japanese firms. A Mazda MX-5 is brilliant, and so is a GR Yaris (if you can get one), but there’s precious little beyond that. The Civic Type R is almost done, so is the Supra, and the less said about Subaru and Mitsubishi the better. Then, of course, we’re onto the almost unbelievable plight of Nissan.
Here’s the company that pioneered a lot of the four-wheel drive, four-wheel steer, active diff tech that’s now commonplace; it was also, of course, a very early adopter of electromobility with the Leaf. If any company should be making huge strides forward in EV performance cars, it’s Nissan. The Ariya NISMO looks like a very half-hearted effort from a company famed for its innovation. Let’s hope the company has long enough left to make amends.
Even before Nissan’s current travails, the GT-R was a shining beacon of awesomeness. It’s surely being revered even more so now with the badge no longer on sale anywhere. That being said, the R33 generation never seemed quite as loved as those other 2.6-litre GT-Rs; it could never reset expectations quite like its predecessor had, and most preferred the look of the later R34. But times change, and now all of those RB26-engined cars look like wonderful throwbacks to a time when Nissan ranked among the more interesting Japanese companies.
There can’t be very many left better than this one. It’s in genuinely incredible condition, the more remarkable for having lived in this country since the 20th century. This would look great for a fresh import out of Japan; that it’s been subjected to the UK’s roads and weather makes this R33 GT-R almost unbelievably good. It’s 18 months from 30 years old, for goodness sake.
Somehow it’s covered fewer than 20,000 miles in that time. The Skyline was imported new, modified by Middlehurst in 1999 (the same company that prepped the official UK cars) and has been with two owners prior to the current one. They really don’t come up like this very often.
Having been recently recommissioned (off the road from 2017 to 2023), this GT-R is likely as good as it’s ever been. The belts are fresh, the tyres are new, the paintwork flawless and the dreaded oxidisation nowhere to be seen. You couldn’t make it up - or rather you could, but nobody would believe you. A rust-free, low mileage, only very lightly modified Skyline R33, up for auction in 2025 having lived its entire life here.
For Skyline enthusiasts, Nissan nerds and JDM aficionados, this really isn’t one to miss. Nissan’s future might not look too bright, but its past looks better with every passing day. And what a great excuse to visit Northern Ireland if you haven’t already.
There have been a lot of traders and private sellers listing JDM cars for frankly laughable prices in recent times, most of which are just sitting around gathering dust.
The auctions give an insight into where the market really is. I could only find one R33 having sold on PH. Okay it had a nasty bodykit, but that sold in £23k in April. I couldn't find any UK sold R33s on Collecting Cars (aside from a Nismo), but on there nice R32 GTRs have been changing hands for £25k to £35k, with several R34 GTRs selling for mid £70ks. A far cry from the £120k plus most traders are asking. Low mileage NSXs tell a similar story compared to the overpriced ones in the classifieds.
If you look past the listing prices it feels like a buyer's market at the moment. Nevertheless, good luck to the vendor. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.
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