Another year, another round of auctions in which Japanese steel is dangled in front of bidders who wouldn’t have given a flying Figaro two years ago. This time it’s another Skyline GT-R, not the Hakosuka or Kenmeri but Godzilla himself, the BNR32, and it has fewer than 14,000 km on the clock.
Of all the classic Skyline GT-Rs, the R32 is probably the most fitting for the Scottsdale, Arizona bid-fest. The crowd there is made up largely of muscle car horsepower freaks. Last year, a rare 4-door PGC10 barely fetched $80,000 as it was likely confused with a Datsun of some sort, maybe a Maxima. So perhaps then the supercar-smoking, circuit-dominating, Gentleman’s Agreement-violating tuner king will do better.
The car will be sold today at RM Sotheby’s auction in Scottsdale today. From the description, the classic gunmetal gray specimen is a one-owner example, has never been modified, and has fewer than 8,700 miles. Routine service, whatever that means for such a low mileage car, has nevertheless been conducted at a Nissan dealership in Tokyo, Japan.
The car will have a few challenges to overcome. It doesn’t have any shiny chrome bits, its cabin looks about as luxurious as a strip mall dentist’s waiting room, and most bidders will think an RB is a roast beef sandwich franchise. If it sells for an good price, it will further propel the prices of R32s (and all Japanese classics) upward. If it flops, then those who have been lusting after one for ages can breathe a sigh of relief as they scramble to find another. It’s a bold choice for RM and the seller, but perhaps inevitable the minute R32s became legal to import.
UPDATE: Sold for $82,500! Reports from the floor say the underbidder was a 9-year-old kid!
Images: RM Auctions
The R32 is near and dear to many of us. I am keeping an eye on this !
So sad. This likely means that the closest I’ll ever come to owning this dream car was having a set of those wheels on my old S13. Prices will rise.
Funny bit about the audience and roast beef sandwiches though. You made me crack a smile while you broke my heart. 🙂
Humor’s the only way to swallow the pill.
Arby’s: For when you want to punish your stomach in anger.
No no no, You just need to look to your neighbors to the north sooner rather than later. http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/edmonton/1991-nissan-skyline-gtr-12000obo-serious-buyers-only/1106147858?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
And if you’re less West and more East then http://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camions/city-of-toronto/jdm-nissan-skyline-gtr-32-1994/1093048493?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Two nice cars on either side of the country for less than 10k USD.
‘Murica can come get these right now! Our exchange rate is near historic lows (good for USD buying cheap CAD). Do it!
$12,000 CAD = $8,600 USD today
Not to mention their previous registration is in Canada which if I’m not mistaken speeds the process up depending on state.
Damn i hope this goes for nothing.. and to an owner who will actually appreciate it for what it really is (and was..).. not another accountant who just sees the easy dollar.
I cant imagine anything worse than a whole heap of greedy ‘car enthusiasts’ rushing to drag these out of Japan, just to flip and make a buck. Buying/investing/flipping/selling/whatever classic cars is a cold, tasteless part of this hobby.
As for the car itself though – absolutely stunning. Not particularly uncommon to find perfect low km examples of the BNR32 (seen plenty come up for sale over the years); but every one is beautiful..!
Like the meat in RB’s, the price is a bit of an unknown, but will be interesting to see where the hammer falls.
Always enjoyed spotting those tail lights and that “R” on the roads in Japan. Have seen a few more (with random plates) at shows in SoCal, but look forward to catching some in the wild as Godzilla continues to trickle in.
unless the guy from thesmokingtire is 9 years old, i believe your buyer info is a tad incorrect
He said the underbidder was 9, not the buyer.
$82,500. There goes any hope I had left of prices stalling.
I don’t see how prices on these will go down. This was obviously a top condition car and should command a premium. The race heritage, continued production of the skyline and GTR, and relative reliability will probably increase demand in the future.