One to Buy: ex-Object T 1992 Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R Gr.A
Although the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and BMW E30 M3 largely dominated their respective classes in Group A touring car racing, neither proved so successful that the rulemakers decided to abandon the category in favour of an all new formula.
However, that was precisely the course of action taken by the organisers of the Japanese and Australian Touring Car Championships after several years domination by the Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R.
With its advanced underpinnings and infinitely tuneable twin turbocharged straight six engine, the GT-R vanquished all before it in a similar fashion to its PGC-10 and KPGC-10 predecessors between 1969 and 1972.
Perhaps even more impressively, the R32 GT-R ultimately proved so effective that it went on to dominate the Japanese GT Championship once outlawed from the touring car scene.
Set to go under the hammer at Bonhams’ Amelia Island auction on March 2nd is this sensational survivor of the 1993 Japanese Touring Car Championship.
Chassis 2808R was campaigned in that year’s series by Object T and ran in the yellow and green colours of title sponsor, BP fuels. It was driven throughout the ‘93 campaign by Hisashi Yokoshima and Tom Kristensen who fininished on the podium in five of the nine rounds.
Most famously, Yokoshima and Kristensen won the Fuji 500km season finale which was the last major international race organised for Group A machinery. Other notable results that year included second at the Autopolis 300km, a trio of third place finished in the 300km races at Mine, Aida and Tsukuba, fourth in the Suzuka 500km and fifth in the Sendai 300km.
Today, chassis 2808R is offered in highly original race ready condition and, with an estimate of US$375,000 to US$475,000, looks good value compared to some limited edition GT-R road cars.
Reprinted below is Bonhams’ description for this superb Group A R32 GT-R:
Chassis BNR32X002808R
The very last winning 'Godzilla' GT-R in Group A racing
Winner of the final 1993 Intertec Group A race at Fuji Speedway
Driven by the legendary Tom Kristensen, record holder for the most Le Mans victories
Presented in highly original, unrestored, as raced condition
Sorted mechanically and ready for historic racing
Estimate $375,000 to $475,000
It was in 1957 that the 'Skyline' name was introduced by the Japanese manufacturer Prince, to denote its luxury model. After the company merged with Nissan in 1967, the moniker jumped ship to the Nissan brand with 1968's C10 variant. Its new custodian regarded it as a performance badge, with the first GT-R appearing in 1969. As the flagship Skyline, it focused on delivering speed and style.
Routinely voted by the classic car magazines as one of the greatest Japanese cars of all time, Nissan's high-tech Skyline GT-R burst onto the motoring scene in 1989 to universal acclaim. Built specifically to contest Group A, the original R32 GT-R Skyline dominated the Australian racing scene, earning the nickname 'Godzilla' and ultimately, banishment from the ATCC.
Debuting at Mallala in June 1990, the R32 race program was run by Gibson Motorsport and from the outset it was clear the car had the potential to be a race winner but it wasn't until 1991 that everything came together for the team and drivers Jim Richards and Mark Skaife crushed the opposition, including a win at the all-important Bathurst enduro.
Despite increased minimum weight and reduced boost bar for 1992, the Skyline continued its winning ways, famously scoring a repeat win at Bathurst in the toughest condition - and a hostile reception from the crowd when Richards and Skaife took the podium. In Japan, the unveiling for the R32 GT-R in a racing series was the inaugural race at the All Japan Championship held on March of 1990, the All Japan Touring Car 300km race held at the Nishi-Nippon Circuit.
The Japanese Touring Car (JTC) seasons competed from 1990 until 1993. The R32 Skyline absolutely dominated each of these seasons, not only winning the championships, but also occupying practically every podium position of each race. Each year, the highest-class cars known as JTC-1 (Group A) had a championship won by an R32 Skyline from 1990 all the way until 1993. It was purely evident the car had absolute advantages of the entire racing field.
In 1990, the Team Impul won the championship with their R32 Skyline GT-R; in 1991 the championship was won by Hasemi Motorsport, also in an R32 Skyline GT-R. In 1992, the season saw a repeat winner for the championship with Team Hasemi taking the victory once again in an R32 Skyline Gt-R. In the final year of 1993 JTC Group A racing the victory of the season was taken by Team Impul in you guessed it, a dominant Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R. This was a proven track record of the amazing ability of the R32 Skyline GT-R to not only to be in charge of the majority of the racing victories in Australia, but to also devastate the competition in Japan.
However, the GT-R only started to become a phenomenon during the late 1980s. This was the decade when otherwise relatively humble saloons and coupés found themselves being injected with awesome amounts of power and performance; think Ford Sierra Cosworth, BMW M3 and (slightly later) Lotus Carlton, and you've some idea of the exalted company the R32 was keeping.
Intended as Nissan's main weapon for JTC Group A racing, the pure-bred motorsport versions featured electronically controlled all-wheel drive with twin-turbocharging boosting power to 599bhp. They became so all-conquering and adept at crushing their opposition that the nickname of 'Godzilla' was soon applied to the type. And justifiably so. Since then, the moniker lives on with more popularity than ever.
THE MOTORCAR OFFERED
This beautifully well-kept R32 GT-R racecar comes direct from the place of its birth following a lifetime of race winning pedigree and skilled preservation. Having been campaigned in the 1993 Japanese Touring Car (JTC) Group A championship by team Object T, this Skyline finished 3rd in the championship, and it won the final Group A race of the 1993 season.
Being the winner of the final JTC Group A race can factually give this very Skyline GT-R the special name of "the very last Godzilla." Out of nine races in the 1993 season, this R32 achieved five podium finishes while being driven by the skilled hands of Japan's Hisashi Yokoshima and the legendary Tom Kristensen from Denmark.
Later in his career, Kristensen would become the record holder for the most victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a total of nine Le Mans wins. His first win at Le Mans took place only four years after his JTC Group A victory in this R32 Skyline, and his six wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring started six years after his renowned win at Fuji in 1993.
Kept dry and properly stored, this example appears to be one of the best-preserved Skyline's from the legendary Group A series—a small testament to the level of detail and extent of care bestowed upon the car after its racing career. Many of the other Skyline's in the Group A series have since been restored or heavily modified to compete in the following years JGTC series, where this example has been kept in original, and in as raced condition.
This example was acquired by the current owner in 1996, and has kept the car in excellent, unrestored condition during his ownership. This #11 car was kept in up to date mechanical condition, and is ready to be utilized on the race track. The magnesium BBS wheels are equipped with recently installed race tires, as this vehicle had a track outing recently at Fuji speedway in 2021.
After being stored in a museum for 25 years, it was great to see the car mechanically serviced and return to the track where it had its last victory. The engine powering the car is the same unit it raced with in 1993, built by the infamous Nissan Kohki Motorsport Division called Reinik/Reimax.
Very original in presentation, the car was built in partnership with the Nissan works factory specifically for JTC racing and endurance series. Victory Spec, or Vspec models were produced to celebrate the racing success of Nissan in the Group N and Group A racing series, exactly what this #11 racecar achieved.
This example completed the 1993 JTC Group A season and was retired after its season ending first place finish. In the Group A category of the All Japan Touring Car Championship, out of four seasons raced from 1990 to 1993, all 29 races of the series were reigned supreme by the R32 Skyline GT-R.
After the last Group A race at Fuji Speedway in 1993, the series concluded and was replaced by the All Japan Grand Touring Car (JGTC) series in 1994, ending the Skyline's years of JTC Group A domination. In the following year of 1994 in JGTC, the R32 did continue to race, however, it wasn't in Group A spec, it was competed in a more aggressive JGTC specification. Here lies an incredibly rare opportunity to acquire an untouched, unmolested, race winning Skyline GT-R with a deep racing history.
