RE: Nissan Skyline (R33): Spotted

[coldel]

TwinExit said:

Of course the R33 platform will feel 'lardy', it has a long straight 6 motor at the front, it's a long wheel base coupe and weighs in at 1350-1600 KG.

The problem is too many people who only hoon around in hot hatch-backs of the day (Civics, Saxos, Escort RS) and cars from the 1980's apply the wrong mindset when buying into the bigger motor Japanese performance cars of the 1990's.

The R32 and R34 are both lighter. I had a V6 in my 350z and it felt much better on the road. I would say its dynamics make it much less a coupe and more a GT car, but in terms of handling it was quite lardy and you could hear the chassis creaking a fair bit when say bumping down off a kerb, definitely more so than many other cars of its ilk.

[s m]

TheJimi said:

The sheer road presence of an R33 GTR is, even now, really quite something, imo.

Not many cars make me feel the way I feel when I see a nice R33 GTR on the road.

[bloomen]

Looks wise these do less than nothing for me. The just look bloated.

The R32 is miles more appealing. I wouldn't kick an R34 out of the garage either though I'd probably give it to a passing rag and bone man.

[TwinExit]

coldel said:

The R32 and R34 are both lighter.

The R32 was significantly lighter in 1989-1991 trim, before the crash safety stuff was added on later models, the R34-GTR V-Spec weighed over 1600 KG in full trim - virtually as the R33 GTR, but the shorter wheelbase, stronger bodyshell and suspension tweaks helped too.

In any case, a 300 BHP Nissan Pulsar GTI-R lover from the early 00's will not be that impressed with a Skyline if all he wants to do is blat it hard between roundabouts.

[Guvernator]

They aren't actually that impressive in standard trim with around 300bhp. They really need a stage 1 tune and a 1 bar map to push around 380+ bhp to really start to come alive. They are also rather heavy so not really an agile car for flinging down the lanes. Having said that though they are still surprisingly chuck-able for their size and weight and the rear biased 4WD system is a riot.

The main standout has to be the engine though, the RB26 is one of the best turbo engines I've had the pleasure of driving, a 8000rpm redline, character and urgency in the upper reaches of the rev range that modern turbo engines can only dream of and it even sounds fantastic too, again something usually rather difficult to do on a turbo engine.

I know modern emissions regs have put paid to a lot of this but manufacturers really could take a lesson or two from the RB26 on how to make a properly fun and characterful turbo engine rather than the mostly anodyne, diesel-a-like, muted things they produce these days.

[mrbarnett]

coldel said:

...you could hear the chassis creaking a fair bit when say bumping down off a kerb...

[WCZ]

nice cars but i'd rather have a modified one tbh

[SlimRick]

Here's one I sold a good few years ago - completely standard, it was a lovely car.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95h10OflASw

[Benni]

My first encounter with a R33 was on the net, on the exvitermini site,

where videos like that were hosted :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poh-EVmsxFY

Wonder what Mario is doing now ?

[Guvernator]

Benni said:

My first encounter with a R33 was on the net, on the exvitermini site,

where videos like that were hosted :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poh-EVmsxFY

Wonder what Mario is doing now ?

Ahh the infamous Top Secret gold R33 with over 1000bhp, a power output which was pretty much unheard of in a road car at the time. Smoky got banned from driving in the UK for filming himself doing 200mph with that car on the M25 IIRC.

[TheJimi]

Guvernator said:

Benni said:

My first encounter with a R33 was on the net, on the exvitermini site,

where videos like that were hosted :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poh-EVmsxFY

Wonder what Mario is doing now ?

Ahh the infamous Top Secret gold R33 with over 1000bhp, a power output which was pretty much unheard of in a road car at the time. Smoky got banned from driving in the UK for filming himself doing 200mph with that car on the M25 IIRC.

Yeah, I Max Power had exclusive coverage iirc. He used the Supra.

[coldel]

mrbarnett said:

coldel said:

...you could hear the chassis creaking a fair bit when say bumping down off a kerb...

Unfortunately needs must when you live in zone 3 in London, no luxury of a lovely smooth driveway with dropped kerb. As an aside it makes you an awesome parker

[Guvernator]

Before I bought my stage one R33 I test drove one with just shy of 700bhp, it was pretty much undriveable on the road. Put your foot down...wait wait then OMFG!!!!! st yourself at the sheer mind bending acceleration and then brake HARD before you plow into the back of that car which 2 seconds ago was about 200 metres away. I passed on that one and got something a bit more sedate with "only" 400bhp.

I can't imagine what one with over 1000bhp would feel like.

[TheJimi]

Clarkson, whilst driving the JUN Hyper Lemon R33, called it "semtex with a steering wheel"


Link - https://youtu.be/ptCCIVPoyhw

Edited by TheJimi on Tuesday 18th December 20:19

[SonicShadow]

Benni said:

My first encounter with a R33 was on the net, on the exvitermini site,

where videos like that were hosted :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poh-EVmsxFY

Wonder what Mario is doing now ?

It's about: http://www.speedhunters.com/2016/10/exvitermini-gt...

[J4CKO]

bloomen said:

Looks wise these do less than nothing for me. The just look bloated.

The R32 is miles more appealing. I wouldn't kick an R34 out of the garage either though I'd probably give it to a passing rag and bone man.

Ditto, I dont mind these but they look a bit unresolved after the R32 with its sharp edges and perfect proportions, but its kind of growing on me, anyone who played GT on the PS1 cant really say they arent a fan, just prefer the R32, and to a lesser extent the R34, R35 still not sure about.

[aka_kerrly]

Blimey, i guess it was inevitable that the R33 prices would be heading north now that the early ones are starting to arrive in the USA/Canada as R32s became $50k+cars

Personally, I'd be happy with a R33 GTS-T Type M although a chap I work with has a R33 saloon which is rather subtle.

[MX6]

GTR's are seriously pricey now. It's a shame in a way that these and other '90's Japanese coupes are now essentially classic cars with the price tags to match, it seemed more fun when they were just a cheap RWD coupe platform to mess about with like lego and thrash about in.

[coldel]

A function of people having money that isn't worth investing in bank accounts and looking at potential appreciation investments unfortunately. The R33 GTR I remember was always the black sheep of the Skyline family, said it wouldnt go up in value, 3-4 years ago you could get one for £10k no problem. But people it seems are happy to jump on bandwagons and pay silly money, no way an R34 is worth upwards of £50k its just a result of over demand for a car that 6-7 years ago could be picked up for £25k.

[samoht]

coldel said:

The R33 GTR I remember was always the black sheep of the Skyline family, said it wouldnt go up in value, 3-4 years ago you could get one for £10k no problem. But people it seems are happy to jump on bandwagons and pay silly money

It was the black sheep of the GTRs, true, but it's fundamentally the same engine and drivetrain, so to me it would seem more illogical if it wasn't dragged up by the rising values of the R32 and R34.

coldel said:

no way an R34 is worth upwards of £50k its just a result of over demand

Aren't the values of most things determined by the interaction of supply and demand, though?

The R34 GTR is seen as the ultimate of a whole era of cars that emerged from the peak of the bubble economy, when Japan caught up with the rest of the world and briefly overshot. It packed a whole load of advanced technology that has only recently been incorporated into European cars, and is a figurehead for an entire subculture of modification and street racing. As such, it's gone from a left-field alternative to a 911 to a classic in its own right, valued for what it represents as much as for its ability on the road.