Rarely Kept Stock: 1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R R32

Though for the most part I'm an American car, truck and motorcycle enthusiast (especially classic cars, trucks and motorcycles), more recently I've become interested in cars originally not sold in the United States. Thanks to the United States' 25-year-old vehicle importation rule, cars 25 years or older that were originally not available for sale in the US can now be legally imported into the country. One of those cars is this 1989 Nissan Skyline GTR, which is refreshing to see in stock, unmodified form. Find it here on Hemmings in Jupiter, Florida, with an asking price of $29,000.

Though the first Skyline GT-R was introduced in February 1969, the GT-R's roots can be traced back to the S54 2000 GT-B and the Prince Skyline sport coupe and convertible. The original GT-R was built from 1969 to 1972 (known by Nissan internally as the PGC10 and KPGC10), and was redesigned in 1973 (known as the KPGC110) before going on a 16-year hiatus. In 1989, the GT-R was revived in 1989 for homologation so Nissan could retire and replace its GTS-R racer. Production began on August 21, 1989, thus beginning the rebirth of the GT-R's legacy. Finding a clean, unmodified R32 GT-R is hard to do today, even with the 25-year import rule to its advantage. This R32 GT-R is a first-year model, and was imported over from Japan to the United States in 2015.

Looking over the car, the outside appears to be in good condition, and according to the seller, the paint is mostly original, with the exception of the front and rear bumpers and a small spot on the left rear quarter panel. According to the seller, the respray was done right before the car was imported from Japan, and though there is some slight orange peel, the seller says "the color matches nicely". Thankfully, the previous owners and seller left the car stock and unmodified, and new tires were mounted on the original wheels. I would address the original peel on the bumpers, give the car a nice wax and shine, and take this car to the local shows and cruise nights.

Essentially a detuned race engine, the heartbeat of the R32 GT-R is the twin-turbo RB26DETT straight-six. Rated at 276 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, the RB26DETT uses a seven-main bearing cast-iron block with an aluminum cylinder head, dual overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder (for a total of 24 valves), solid lifters, six individual throttle-bodies, cast pistons with oil squirters, sodium-filled exhaust valves, and two intercooled, ceramic-impeller Garrett turbos mounted low on the passenger side of the cast-iron engine block. With mileage reading at 198,000 kilometers (approximately 123,000 miles), the RB26DETT is backed by a five-speed manual and is bone-stock, with a recent compression test showing all six cylinders near 150 psi; the timing belt was replaced in February 2014 at 140,126 kilometers (approximately 86,000 miles), and since the car was imported to the United States, new NGK spark plugs, new coil-pack wiring harnesses, and new brake pads and rotors front and back were installed. Additionally, the clutch and brakes were bled and the oil has been changed regularly. The exhaust system is original, the seller uses high-octane non-ethanol unleaded fuel, and extensive service documentation in Japanese and a service system is included; I would touch up the paint on the driver's-side exhaust manifold and drive this car with gusto.

Am I the only one who finds that this interior is ahead of its time? Much like its detuned race engine, the interior of this GT-R is very racy, featuring race car-like bucket seats, a right-hand drive three-spoke sport steering wheel connected to rack-and-pinion four-wheel steering, a console-mounted boost gauge, and an 8,000-rpm redline tachometer mounted next to a 180 km/h (approximately 112 miles per hour) speedometer. According to the seller, the interior is unmodified, with the seats having only minor wear (most notably the outer portion of the driver's seat) and a non-operable clock. The driver's side door panel insert has been replaced, but the rest of the interior is original, including its headliner, Japanese inspection decals, and toll-collection device. The air conditioning features climate control and blows ice cold, and the power windows, door locks, and power folding exterior mirrors all work very well. Overall, this is one of the nicest, mostly stock R32 GT-Rs I've ever seen, and with the exception of shelving the stock speedometer for a NISMO 320 km/h (approximately 200 mph) speedometer, I would drive this car as-is; what are your thoughts on this clean, stock first-year R32 GT-R?