Few names convey feelings of lust quite like that of "Skyline." Though the nameplate itself has been around, in one form or another, since 1957, it wasn’t until Nissan's introduction of the R32 in 1988 that enthusiasts really started to take notice.
Thanks to its recently-attained import inclusion status, more examples are beginning to show up for sale here in the U.S. But few are as stunning and as bone stock as the one you see here. Hitting the auction block as part of the RM Sotheby’s Arizona sale in January, this completely original R32 has driven just 23,360 kilometers (14,515 miles).
Under the hood is the same inline six-cylinder engine that came on the car new. In race spec, the Skyline was good for as much as 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts), proving to be a real success on the track. Stock, the car produced just 276 horsepower (205 kilowatts) thanks to strict Japanese regulations.
Still, paired to a five-speed manual gearbox and one of the best all-wheel-drive systems ever produced, the R32 was (and still is) a thing of legendary performance. From a standstill, it will hit 60 miles per hour in about five and a half seconds, and on the Nurburgring, Nissan recorded an 8:22:38 lap time way back when in 1989.
Production of the R32 lasted from 1989 until 1994, before it was replaced by the arguably more advanced R33 and eventually the holy grail R34. But ask any enthusiast which Skyline is the one to have, and they’ll tell you R32 every time. This particular example will be hitting the auction block on January 19, 2017, in Scottsdale, with early estimates suggesting it could go for anywhere between $50,000 to $70,000.
Source: RM Sotheby's
Gallery: 1989 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R Auction