Okay, fine. We’ve shown you the obscure Isuzus and Daihatsus from the Tokyo Auto Salon, but people need their Skyline GT-R fix. It used to be that just seeing any Skyline GT-R was an unforgettable moment in a Gran Turismo-lover’s life, but these days R32 through R34 chassis are expected sights at any stateside car show. Now, to catch attention one really has to crank up the wow factor, and that’s just what the Craft Sports booth did.
Skyline GT-R specialty dealer Craft Sports has been dealing in Godzillas since 1995, and is one of the go-to places for those looking to import one. They have a giant warehouse in Japan storing cars that are waiting to be bought, or that are ready for shipment to owners abroad.
Nearly all of the cars displayed are for sale. The red R34 with the Z-tune bumper and fenders, R-tune carbon fiber hood, S-tune suspension and NISMO LM GT4 Evo wheels is available fo a mere ¥40 million ($261,000 USD).
The purple R34 Vspec also wears Z-tune bumper and fenders, R-tune carbon fiber hood, S-tune suspension and NISMO LM GT4 Evo wheels and rings in at ¥80 million ($522,000 USD). Behind it, a Bayside Blue Vspec II with — you guessed it — the same laundry list of NISMO parts and stickers at ¥100 million ($653,000 USD).
If the R34s feel a bit cookie cutter, a rare TommyKaira R Full-Spec might be more your speed. The original magnesium wheels have been replaced with NISMO LM GT4 Evos, but this is peak 90s tuning, putting out 420 horsepower when regular R33s were still bound by the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 276. This one goes for a cool ¥25 million ($163,000 USD).
Another R33, fully NISMO-kitted with S-tune suspension and NISMO LMGT1 wheels, could be had for ¥35 million ($229,000 USD). The wheels alone cost more than a Nissan Sentra, but overall it seems the TommyKaira is a better deal.
At the heart of the booth were two cars that were decidedly not for sale. Craft Sports’ demo cars were two replicas of Group A legends. The R32 Skyline GT-R ran undefeated for four years in the Japan Touringcar Championship, and these cars featured two of the most memorable liveries.
Hasemi Motorsport’s Reebok scheme was campaigned for two seasons starting in 1990. It won the series outright for 1991, cementing the livery into Japan’s motorsports history. Hasemi won again in 1992, but by then it was wearing the Unisia JECS orange and white. Hoshino Impul’s Calsonic blue is probably most memorable, having consistently ran the same colors for all four years of the R32’s lifespan and winning twice, in 1989 and 1993.
Craft Sports’ booth was beautifully set up as a showcase of and homage to the Skyline GT-R. If you went to the Tokyo Auto Salon hoping to see a dream lineup of the JDM generation’s “it” car, the booth did not disappoint.
