Nissan Skyline R32
Not
the first one and not the most famous one. But the start of a new age of
performance for JDM, street tuners, drifters, race cars and street weapons. The
R32 probably was most famous in the US in video games like Gran Turismo on the
Playstation. We didn’t have the internet exposure when these cars were making their marks on the Tarmac. However, it
didn’t take long and with the help of a few predecessors the skyline R32 would be in the
company of supercars around the world.
Casting:
The casting started out in 2002 (First Edition 2002 in
Blue). The casting remained the same until 2016. The race casting represented here has been retooled into a
street version and has been renamed the Nissan Skyline BNR32. This original casting is
setup in a street drifter style with some ground effects racing
decals and aftermarket wing. The new version has been featured mostly in stock looking liveries but the original casting was usually in a
race theme. There are some really nice features on the casting. The hood has
vents and hood pins cast in and clearly visible (sometimes these features get
covered by paint or decals and lost). The tail of the car features a spoiler
and not one of those huge ones, a complimentary wing to give the race look. The
rear bumper has the taillights and the taillight bezel cast in to it. The front
bumper has a massive opening for the intercooler letting you know there is more
under the hood than you might expect. The right-side headlight is cast to look
like it is a turbo inlet, also a tell-tale sign of a highly modified street
ripper. The casting version shown here is molded in a right hand drive
position.
The older R32 casting is not a fan favorite, however, the
new tooling is already gaining popularity. However, this casting has had some great looking releases. My
personal favorite was the Gran Turismo casting released in 2016. The R32 also made
the Treasure Hunt line up in 2007. The new tooling also made the 2019 super
Treasure hunt list and is fetching a collector premium at the moment. This
casting is part of a very important line up of castings that represents a huge
moment in modern automotive history. Mattel did a great job getting the looks
of a streetable or raceable R32 that is a must have in every JDM collection. The
new BNR32 is also a great casting but has the look of more of an off the lot
car than a racecar like this casting.
On The Street
The Skyline started its life in 1969. There are a couple
historic versions that have separate castings so I will get back to those
models in a later writing. The car we are looking at in the casting is the R32
and was produced from 1989 – 1994. [2] The high-end car that resembles the
casted version would have was a twin turbo charged 4 cylinder making approx.
276HP (The now famous RB26DETT). It was all wheel drive and weighed in just
over 3000lbs. The specs don’t offer instant wows because of the era. The Japanese
market was swarming with competition in this era. Mazda RX7, Toyota Supra,
Mitsubishi Lancer, Subaru WRX were all street tuner cars that would have been
competitive in pricing and availability. Some on that list were absolute street
beasts. Nissan is however, no slouch to street cars that perform and the
Skyline R32 was meant to back up that statement. Not real flashy on looks but
if the car leaves like a rubber band was unleashed from full tension, who needs
flashy looks? With a little tinkering and modification, these cars could easily
be pumped up to 500-600 hp!
We would have to travel overseas to the midnight street
racing scene of Japan to see a close to this model in action. Up until last
year, the GTR was on a ban list for import into the United States. The R32 was
removed from the 25 year or newer ban in 2019. (The R33 ban ends in 2020!)
Several reports point to the possible influx of these cars in the next few
years.
The R32 has made history many times in the hands of race
car drivers and earned the Skyline GTR its infamous ‘Godzilla’ name. On the
track, it won both 1991 and 1992 Bathurst 1000 races (revised regulations kept
R32s from competing in 1993!), it won the entire 1993 season of JGTCC in the
famous Calsonic livery. The R32 also entered the 1991 Spa 24hr race where the Godzilla
took pole position, fastest lap and overall win putting it on the podium above
BMWs and Porsches that dominated the series before the arrival of the R32. [2]
The car was so fast and handled so well in race trim that it was banned or
regulated out of almost every series it was entered in. (Japans Superbird?) Although
the newer versions took the spotlight in movies and in the videogames, the R32
is where the term Godzilla (as applies to cars) was created and is the model
that I can only imagine was one of the cars that kids went crazy for in Japan,
Australia and the UK. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday right?
Happy Peg Hunting, check the pegs for those Metalflake Grey
BNR32s. Just could be a ‘super’ haul!
Thank you,
Collector Quentin
I personally own all of the actual diecast pictured in
these posts. However, all packaging artwork, Mattel and Hot Wheels logos, wheel
descriptions or paint descriptions in regard to the Hot Wheels versions are
copyrights of the Mattel toy company.
Nissan and GTR are trademarks of the Nissan Motor Company,
LTD.
[1] Casting information gathered from
[2] On the street information gathered from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Skyline_GT-R
accessed December 27,2019
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