Tuesday 18th December 2018

Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33): Spotted

Not all R33s have received major engine modifications and new bodykits...

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The R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R was very nearly never officially imported into the UK. Nissan didn't strike a deal with Middlehurst Motorsport, the eventual sole Skyline dealer for the country, until the model was two years old - and even then, only 100 ever made it over. Plenty more were imported via other means and have been in the two decades that have followed, but by and large, the R33 remains a rare sight on UK roads.

These days, car collectors and investors would find such a combination of rarity and performance impossible to ignore, leaving many cars set for a life of low mileage and sheltered storage. But back in the 1990s buying a car like this and overhauling it to suit your personal taste was not nearly as sacrilegious; in fact, it was practically encouraged.

The Fast and Furious franchise was only around the corner, waiting to convince many that the standard R33 was merely a base for heavy modification. The result was a market of significantly modified cars, some with extremely large outputs - see the 850hp car here - and garish aftermarket bodykits. Only a slim few slipped through the net and remained in factory specification.

This is no bad state to be in, though. With a twin-turbocharged 2.6-litre six-cylinder engine producing a gentleman's agreement 280hp (although the suspicion is they made quite a bit more), the R33 could sprint from 0-60mph in five seconds, meaning it was just three tenths behind the lighter and far pricier Ferrari F355. With the advantage of an ultra-complex (for the time) all-wheel drive system, the Nissan was actually quicker than many supercars in the real world.

A standard R33 is no bad thing at all, then. In fact, in 2018, it's definitely the preferred choice on the used market. Unless you're looking for your next drift car or you believe paying a few thousand pounds for a decal kit is worthwhile... One stands out amongst the crowd thanks to its minuscule modifications list, which comprises just two changes. The first is a big bore cat back exhaust, obvs, and the second is a set of Bilstein dampers. But the rest of this 56,000-mile-old R33 is completely standard. It's a fresh import from Japan too, so it's avoided the underside destruction caused by salted winter roads, while also being of well-equipped Series 3 form.

At a fiver short of £26k it may not be cheap, but remember, only last year we found a similarly healthy R33 for close to ten grand less.

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SPECIFICATION - NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R (R33)

Engine: 2,568cc, twin-turbo straight six
Transmission: 5-speed manual, all-wheel drive
Power(hp): 276@6,800rpm
Torque(lb ft): 271@4,400rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 1997
Recorded mileage: 56,000
Price new: £50,000 (for official UK imports)
Yours for: £25,995

See the original advert here.

[daveco]

To me that seems cheap.

These were the last of the Skylines that were not over styled and THE car for the Gran Turismo generation.

Are you sure that torque figure is correct??

[David87]

Indeed. I would have thought these were far more expensive than this by now. For me, it's my favourite Skyline - especially in the lovely purple colour they did.

[GravelBen]

Here is another unmodified R33 Skyline:

[davidcharles]

hate articles like this, makes me wish i still had my old R33....i was very lucky and had a UK spec one for 6 years and it was brill. Was a very good everyday car with loads of room and a big boot, easy to drive as well. Would love another but they are just getting too old now and too expensive, it would have to be a weekend car but thats a no go. If anyone on here won the lottery and they had £25k laying about i would have one as a gift...;)

[Gilhooligan]

Would love to own one one day. Probably a controversial statement but I’ve always preferred the R33 over the R32 and R34.

[SonicShadow]

Article said:

It's a fresh import from Japan too, so it's avoided the underside destruction caused by salted winter roads

Japan has snow/ice and uses salt in some prefectures too. Very much depends on where it's lived. They have rot boxes just like us, we just don't see them because they don't end up in a dealer lot or at auction.

[TwinExit]

I had one for over 5 rears and used it almost daily, it's roomy and surprisingly comfortable - even with the V-SPEC dampers.

The car definitely comes alive when you remove the factory boost restrictor pill, power would be in the 360-380 HP range on pump fuel.

Be weary when buying one that has been modified for substantially more power, start it up when cold, listen for knocks/rattles, look out for blue smoke (turbo seals), and that the engine pulls through the revs without hesitation. Always insist on receipts, work done by reputable tuners and proof of maintenance.

Edited by TwinExit on Tuesday 18th December 10:33

[Ultrafunkula]

Awesome. A Nismo 400R is still my favorite Nissan!

[ChrisHampshire]

davidcharles said:

hate articles like this, makes me wish i still had my old R33....i was very lucky and had a UK spec one for 6 years and it was brill. Was a very good everyday car with loads of room and a big boot, easy to drive as well. Would love another but they are just getting too old now and too expensive, it would have to be a weekend car but thats a no go. If anyone on here won the lottery and they had £25k laying about i would have one as a gift...;)

I too had a UK spec car and when I bought it at 18 months old back in 1999 it was not much more expensive than this one is now!

[dinkel]

Today was a good day:

[DannyScene]

An R33 is on my list to own in the next 2-3 years, leaning towards a RWD GTS-T though

[TheJimi]

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.

[scottygib553]

That 'zorst looks a bit beefier than standard but otherwise it looks fab. The standard wheels always seemed to be a one size too small compared to the rest of the car I thought.

[kusee pee]

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.

My MNP R33 GTR gets more looks and appreciation than any car I've owned.

[Guvernator]

I had a UK spec R33 many moons ago, paid about £10k less than what this one is being sold for too. Still one of the most memorable cars I've owned. There can't be many UK spec R33's around, I thought they'be worth more by now but the R33 always did seem to be the unloved step child in the pack.

The R32 was the original and the R34 was more iconic for being driven by Paul Walker of Fast and Furious fame (RIP). so good examples of both are usually worth more than R33's now.

[TwinExit]

scottygib553 said:

That 'zorst looks a bit beefier than standard but otherwise it looks fab. The standard wheels always seemed to be a one size too small compared to the rest of the car I thought.

I went through 4 exhaust systems with my R33-GTR, it started out with some 3 inch cat-back which corroded and disconnected from the back-box, I replaced it with a 4 hour custom jobby which droned, then bought a 3 inch HKS Priest de-cat system which was really quiet at idle and cruise, and had nice tone when you boot it.

I wanted the 'OEM' look / sound so I sourced a stock cat-back, in hindsight I wished I kept the HKS system as the standard one did kerb power a bit and it wasn't any more discreet.

[TommoAE86]

DannyScene said:

An R33 is on my list to own in the next 2-3 years, leaning towards a RWD GTS-T though

I had one and it is the best car (admittedly a small and underwhelming history) by a whole continent. Mine was black, imported from Japan and was completely unmodified, my plan was to start from factory spec and work my way up but in the end it was just brilliant the way it was so managed to resst temptation and kept it standard for 3 years.

I bought it because it was one of the first cars I bought in Gran Turismo so I wanted to drive it in real life to see if it could live up to how good it was in the game and it really was. It has cemented my love for Japanese cars and I regret selling it everyday.

[coldel]

I had the GTST version (upgraded power to a touch under 300bhp) on coilovers extra bracing etc. have to say it felt a bit lardy and didnt corner as well as I would have liked. In a straight line though pretty good fun, also looked great and turned heads. Much prefer my current Celica GT-4 for out and out driving fun.

[TwinExit]

coldel said:

I had the GTST version (upgraded power to a touch under 300bhp) on coilovers extra bracing etc. have to say it felt a bit lardy and didnt corner as well as I would have liked. In a straight line though pretty good fun, also looked great and turned heads. Much prefer my current Celica GT-4 for out and out driving fun.

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.

[davidcharles]

ChrisHampshire said:

I too had a UK spec car and when I bought it at 18 months old back in 1999 it was not much more expensive than this one is now!

i dont normally have regrets BUT i got rid of mine too quickly. Wish i had kept it and stored it until i could afford to fix / sort it properly. Mint untouched R34's are even more highly priced now... can get an R35 cheaper!