The Z-tune, R400, and, of course, Brian O’Conner’s electric blue R34 from 2 Fast 2 Furious are a few particularly uncommon Nissan Skylines. But there is only one Godzilla that is genuinely as uncommon as a unicorn: the magnificent R33 LM.
The silhouette of this squat, wide-arched R33 may be recognizable to Gran Turismo players from the opening movie of the first game. Since then, every episode of the racing franchise has featured a similar vehicle. But unlike the fantasy realm of pixels where several copies can coexist, there is only one hard copy in existence.
It is kept at Nissan’s magnificent Zama DNA garage. A carefully crafted toy box stuffed to the gills with the Japanese manufacturer’s back catalog. We also met the LM there for a brief one-on-one conversation.
We begged and begged to be allowed to drive it, but that was not possible. Even Carlos Ghosn, the biggest of all Nissan bigwigs and chairman, president, and CEO, has never been permitted to operate a vehicle.
Even still, we continued to plead, threaten, and even consider stealing it in order to experience driving without a PlayStation controller.
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By selling for more than $500,000, a perfect R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R with only 6 miles on the odometer set a new sale record.
With only six miles on it, this uncommon 2002 R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nur has become the most expensive Skyline ever sold after selling for 60.5 million yen (approximately $545,000) at a recently ended auction. After selling for $400,000 a year ago, another V-Spec II Nur was previously thought to be the most expensive Skyline. Over the past few years, the R34 Nissan Skyline has become more and more well-liked among vehicle enthusiasts. Many people consider the Nissan GT-R of the R34 generation to be the best model ever. It was the final vehicle to sport the legendary “Skyline” logo and the GT-distinctive R’s straight-six engine. It was produced between 1999 and 2002.
Nissan first branded their cars with enhanced performance equipment as V-Spec in 1993. Nissan introduced the V-Spec II Nur, which was loaded with a variety of high-performance parts, at the end of the R34’s production run. The Skyline GT-R was tested at the storied German racetrack, the Nurburgring, and set lap records there long before it became the norm for all manufacturers of high-performance vehicles. The Nur was short for Nurburgring. It included an upgraded 2.6-liter RB26DETT inline-six engine with twin turbochargers that produced 276 horsepower, racing brakes that were used in Japan’s N1 endurance racing series, a gold serial number plate, bronze-tinted factory 18″ rims, a Getrag six-speed manual transmission, and an ATTESA all-wheel-drive system. Additionally, it included a rear active limited-slip differential that was electronically controlled.
Nissan produced 718 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nur vehicles, making them a rare and valuable collector. Although it only has 6 miles on the odometer, this specific specimen with the serial number BNR34-403129 was never registered. It was offered for sale as a part of a sale of rare and collectable vehicles that were never registered on Yahoo Japan Auctions. A 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 with a little over 100 miles, a 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster with fewer than 2 miles, and a 1996 Corvette Grand Sport with only 98 kilometers were also offered in the auction. The buyer’s information has not been made public, and it is unknown whether the immaculate R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nur will be shipped to the US or remain in Japan. In any case, the car cannot be lawfully brought into America before 2027 due to the 25-year limitation.
What Nissan Skyline is the most elusive?
The GT-R is considered by many to be the pinnacle of Nissan’s performance vehicles, and the popular Skyline GT-Rs from the past only serve to reinforce this notion.
The most well-known run of all the Skylines occurred between the R32 and R34 models, with the R33 serving as something of an ugly duckling in between the R32’s Bathurst victory and the R34’s Fast and Furious renown.
Despite this reputation, the R33 GT-R has subsequently gained the same level of notoriety as the other two, and as a result, its price has risen dramatically.
The renowned NISMO 400R, which is not only one of the rarest vehicles ever produced by Nissan but is also probably the coolest vehicle ever, sits directly at the top of the R33 GT-R line.
Only 19 of the 40 NISMO 400R models built in 1996 are believed to still survive. While Midnight Purple may be the most well-known GT-R color, this was the final GT-R to ever be painted Deep Marine Blue, another fan favorite.
The 400R was a four-wheel drive vehicle with a 2.8-liter RB engine that generated 400 horsepower (298 kW). Power was transmitted to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
In addition to being extremely rare, this automobile included many NISMO components that could only be found on this particular model and could not be purchased separately.
The NISMO LMGT2 wheels on this vehicle serve as an illustration of this. Although they have subsequently been made, these incredibly rare wheels were only available for the 400R, and sets of them have been known to fetch over $20,000.
Given this, it should come as no surprise that the vendor is demanding a hefty sum for the vehicle; however, the current asking price of more than $3 million is well beyond the means of the majority of Skyline aficionados.
What Nissan Skyline R34 is the rarest?
The price of the Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R Nismo Z-Tune, which a US auto collector is said to have spent $1,985,000 for, has been clarified. He claims that while this specific Z-Tune is the most expensive one ever bought, the initial reports substantially overstated his actual purchase price.
Only 19 Z-Tune versions were produced, making them the rarest of all R34 variants. Nismo sought to produce 20, which is a beautiful round number, but ultimately was only able to find 19 pre-owned R34 V-Spec II vehicles.
There is a good reason for the very high demand for R34 GT-R vehicles. You should know that this Z-Tune smashed the record and then some before we delve further into this issue.
When a Z-Tune was last for sale, according to our records, potential buyers were prepared to spend up to $600,000, but that was seven years ago.
Why are R34 aficionados so enthused about the Z-Tune? In addition to being scarce, it has a very fascinating past. Nissan needed to be persuaded that it needed to be produced, so Nismo bought a 2002 V-Spec II and installed a number of engine enhancements taken from its Le Mans racing vehicles. The Z-engine Tune’s block is stronger and has been bored out to 2.8 liters. 493 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque were produced as a result of Nismo’s addition of a set of improved turbochargers.
In case you were wondering, the original batch of R35 GT-Rs that were released in 2007 had “only” 480 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque.
Nissan then gave Nismo the go-ahead to purchase a number of secondhand vehicles in order to modify them into Z-Tunes. Less than 18,000 miles had been put on each of the cars. Z-Tune Silver was applied to all but one of the vehicles; Midnight Purple III was used to complete the last vehicle.
They also incorporated more racing-related details. The Z-Tune is a little bit broader to fit the bigger wheels, and the vents on the hood are useful. It has a Brembo brake configuration specifically made for this car and a racier suspension arrangement from Sachs.
The approach Nismo utilized to construct it is another aspect that makes it unique. Each car was disassembled and manually rebuilt. Even more welds were added by Nismo, and other pieces that customers would never see were replaced with carbon fiber alternatives.
That conveniently brings us back to the R34 demand. As you may be aware, the R34 won’t be able to be legally imported for a few more years. Not that it matters because, according to reports, there are warehouses filled with valuable JDM classics that are just waiting for the deadline to approach. These cars, according to legend, have already been sold.
The R34 is one of the pinnacle poster cars from the Playstation Generation, which is currently wealthy. The previous generation purchased expensive vehicles like the original Lamborghini Countach for the same reason.
The lucky owner, who received delivery of the car in December of last year, is 458destroyer on Instagram, a well-known supercar collector known for spending a lot of money on the cars he wants. There is no scarcity of money, as you can see from looking at his stream. He declined to disclose the precise amount he paid out of respect for our privacy, but he did express his joy at having the Z-Tune in his collection at last.
What color of the Skyline is the rarest?
There were eight colors that the general public could choose from for the Nissan Skyline GT-R variant with the R32 engine. One more color, 2M8, a two-tone black and white, was created, although it was used for 14 Japanese police cars. Other color variations for the Nissan Skyline R32 that weren’t GT-Rs were also available in the JDM market. The fact that #326 white wasn’t available as an original color until Series 2 automobiles (from August 1991 onward) was peculiar. According to GT-R Registry, gunmetal or gunmetallic grey (#kh2) made up 44.9% of all sold vehicles. The original paint code is stated on the blue information plate under the hood, on the right side of the engine compartment. Other than police vehicles, the R32 GT-rarest R’s color is BL0, or Greyish Blue Pearl, which accounts for only 141 vehicles, or 0.32% of the total. One R32 GT-R in BL0 has been sold, and we currently have another one that will be put up for sale soon.
This image must be quite uncommon. This is the closest you can go to seeing all the colors at once in one location.
Bayside Blue or TV2, an R32 GT-R painted in the R34 GT-R color. We observe quite a few of these. Typically, a car’s base color is gunmetal. A few early vehicles, or Series 1 vehicles, were gunmetal in color and painted white or 326 because this color was not available in the earlier vehicles.
This vehicle is red pearl metallic, or AH3. It is a GT-R since it is a BNR32. The plate also mentions an RB26dett engine. That has a displacement of 2568cc. A FS5R30A transmission is being used. Although the front and back ends of the GT-R are both 4.111, the rear end is.
What is the rarest Nissan GTR?
We predicted that this R34 Skyline GT-R V-Spec II Nur may surpass $500,000 back in April. When the vehicle sold last weekend for $549,000, our forecast came true (including fees). The Kenmeri 1973 Skyline GT-R sold for $430,000 in January 2020, shattering the previous record for a Skyline at auction. The auction was held online by the Japanese company Bingo (previously BH) Auctions.
This automobile is pretty unique, as you would expect from the priciest example of any car. With its more potent engine and several enhancements, the V-Spec II Nur trim is close to the top of the GT-R food chain (muscle car fans: think 440 six-pack and a pistol-grip shifter). With only 10 kilometers on the odometer, it is also effectively a wrapper vehicle. It was the star of a collection of nearly-new, unregistered vehicles that also featured a 1996 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport with 96 miles and a 2017 Porsche 911 Speedster with 3 kilometers.
The record, however, also provides insight into the current GT-R market, notably for models from the R34 generation (1999-02). Consider that this exact automobile was sold at BH Auction for $316,500 back in 2018 to get an idea of how rapidly things have changed. In a little more than 3 years, the value has increased by 173 percent. The record-breaking sale follows the $320K+ sale of a 1999 GT-R on Bring a Trailer. Another that is now advertised has soared beyond $250K with one day left. These are the only sales that we are aware of. The private market, as we’ve lately reported, is likewise blazingly hot.
Collector cars frequently see a rise in value when they get closer to the 25-year mark at which they can be registered in the US. The R34 seems to take that excitement to a whole new level: Prices are already skyrocketing for the early cars, which won’t be fully legal in our country for another four years. It appears that the time to make that decision was a few years ago. Many importers provide choices to buy and store one till they become 25. Due to fierce competition from purchasers in Japan and other countries (the final destination of this GT-R is still unknown), it’s not just Americans who are envious of them. Our insurance data also show that interest in the R34 is particularly young-skewing, suggesting that demand for the vehicle will only increase as more millennials enter their prime earning years.
All in all, we anticipate that prices will continue to rise for a while. It might take some time before we see another vehicle that pushes the limits of the R34 market, but when we do, this record is guaranteed to fall. Million-dollar Skyline deals may already be taking place behind closed doors due to instances like the NISMO manufactured 400R (R33) and Z-Tune (R34) being far rarer and sought-after. When we see our first seven-figure Skyline up for sale, only time will tell. That day might be closer than we think.