GTP Cool Wall: 1995-1998 Nissan Skyline GT-R R33

1995-1998 Nissan Skyline GT-R R33

  • Total voters
    140
  • Poll closed .
Not as subtle as the R32. This is the one the JDM-lite crowd flocked to buy. Not one of these exists in the country without a superfluous HKS sticker on it somewhere. Uncool.
 
This was probably my favourite car in Gran Turismo 2, in Midnight Purple Pearl. Not my favourite GT-R though. Cool
 
Skylines might be good cars, but they aren't cool. Too many have been ruined with drain pipe exhausts and noisy waste gates.

Uncool
 
SZ, assuming it's original and un-modified. I think I've only ever seen one in person that wasn't modified at all, unfortunately it was also badly neglected despite being sold by a garage and was still £14,000.
 
Never cared for Skylines, just never saw what the hype was about. The R33 doesn't seem as uncool as the R32 or R34, so uncool it is.
 
Stotty
Skylines might be good cars, but they aren't cool. Too many have been ruined with drain pipe exhausts and noisy waste gates.

Uncool
Click to expand...
This, and silly dump valves.

They are the ingredients for some eargasmic sounds though:

 
Man I remember that GT1 National A License test on Trial Mountain with this beast. Frustrated me to the point of boycotting GT1 for a while, the first time I had ever done it with a video game, but retrospectively, that's what made this car so charming, and for evoking such a significant memory, it's Sub-Zero.
 
Easy cool. Slips through the cracks in a middle-child manner similar to the E36 M3, but still looks great. I'd want one long before I'd want the generations on either side of it.
 
2clicks
Man I remember that GT1 National A License test on Trial Mountain with this beast. Frustrated me to the point of boycotting GT1 for a while, the first time I had ever done it with a video game, but retrospectively, that's what made this car so charming, and for evoking such a significant memory, it's Sub-Zero.
Click to expand...
Wow your not the only one, when I had GT1 it took me nearly 6 months to pass this(I was like 8 at the time).
 
SZ...Always loved the R33,specially in midnight purple or white

The one in this picture is from my neighbor...he own's a Subie WRX as well. :)
 

Attachments

  • 20150628_173325.jpg
    20150628_173325.jpg
    58.8 KB · Views: 25
Tornado
it's not the one people want; greatly helping it avoid the Underground Effect.
Click to expand...

Joey D
but the R33 some how manages to escape the JDM crowd so it's at least cool
Click to expand...

---

TheCracker
This is the one the JDM-lite crowd flocked to buy. Not one of these exists in the country without a superfluous HKS sticker on it somewhere
Click to expand...

--

As none of the pre-R35 models were sold here in the States, I've no idea which side is correct here. :confused:
 
They're both correct. Look at it this way, Tornado and Joey are in the U.S., TheCracker is in England. Being that the Skyline has always been around across the pond, more accessible, more are modified. Too rare on this side to see much of the crowd surrounding them.


It's interesting to see a car's image vary from country to country.
 
huskeR32
As none of the pre-R35 models were sold here in the States, I've no idea which side is correct here. :confused:
Click to expand...

The R33 was legally sold in the states, or rather legally imported by Motorex, I believe for a couple of years. So there are a few here, but they were never sold on any scale.

But @Downhill Dino hit the nail on the head, being from different countries car culture varies drastically. It why many Americans will think something like an old muscle car is cool but many Europeans will not.
 
Legally imported 1991-2002 Skylines do exist, but the numbers are probably in the low hundreds if not tens. It's not exactly something you'd see in the wild.

Joey D
But @Downhill Dino hit the nail on the head, being from different countries car culture varies drastically. It why many Americans will think something like an old muscle car is cool but many Europeans will not.
Click to expand...
There's also varying opinions on what coolness is.
 
huskeR32
As none of the pre-R35 models were sold here in the States, I've no idea which side is correct here. :confused:
Click to expand...

While the R33 was actually the second-lowest production of GT-Rs worldwide by a very significant margin (R34 12k, R33 16k, R32 42k), the normal R33 Skylines were so popular here that the GT-Rs that were actually imported lost some of their lustre.

It's not that uncommon to actually find a well looked after R32 GT-R run up about the same price as a well looked after R33 GT-R in Australia, even though the R33 was a superior car for reliability that didn't literally starve itself of oil.
 
I think R32s and R34's were semi-officially imported into the UK too, in small numbers. Not sure about R33s. But as we too are RHD, Japanese imports are really quite common. R32's always had a certain amount of prestige here due to its success internationally in Group A racing. By the time the whole JDM movement gained pace, the R33 was old hat as the R34 was already available. R33s were at just the right price range, as imports, for that kind of enthusiast to get hold of and modify. A stock R32 would be something to cherish as they're likely to become quite valuable, where as an R33 was just fodder for the 'tuning' crowd.

It maybe even comes down to where in the country you live. A lot of Japanese importers sprung up in this part of the country, several gaining bad reps for importing poor quality cars and selling them cheap. So i base my opinions on the cars i've seen around and on sale locally.
 
^Andy Middlehurst was the official importer for the UK after a lot of begging at Nissan. The number was quite limited. (edit :R33= 100 / R34= 80 cars officially imported)

From head, I know the R33 & R34 (only GTR) were sold in the UK by them, the R32 I think he sold them used (import). Could check it. I know he imported R32 to race for himself.

The Uk promotional ad for the BCNR
(including 90's mustache)



Found something on their site:

"Although still built in Japan, the R33 Skyline GT-R model for the UK had finishing touches applied at Nissan Motorsport Europe in Oxfordshire. This including the fitting of additional coolers for the engine, gearbox, rear differential and transfer box. Additional items such as an mph speedometer, fog lights, approved anti-theft systems and a Kenwood stereo unit were also fitted. Middlehurst Motorsport offered a few extras, such as Connolly leather for the interior which gave the GT-R an improved interior quality feel. Selling price of the R33 Skyline GT-R was £50,000, with a 3-year/60,000 mile warranty.

When the new generation R34 Skyline GT-R was launched in 1999 the logical choice for Nissan was to work exclusively with Middlehurst Motorsport again by subcontracting the work to convert and build the
GT-Rs to UK specification. Similar to the R33 GT-R this involved the fitment of coolers for the engine, gearbox and transfer box. Along with an anti-theft system, Kenwood stereo system and Connolly leather. Middlehurst also visited Japan to perform trial builds at NISMO and later helped Nissan GB prepare and provide support for their press fleet of GT-R.

The cars quickly sold even when priced at £54,000, with a 3-year/60,000 mile warranty and a Middlehurst-managed pick-up and delivery service.
"
 
Ibonibo
^Andy Middlehurst was the official importer for the UK after a lot of begging at Nissan. The number was quite limited. (edit :R33= 100 / R34= 80 cars officially imported)

From head, I know the R33 & R34 (only GTR) were sold in the UK by them, the R32 I think he sold them used (import). Could check it. I know he imported R32 to race for himself.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that sounds about right. i had it in my mind that it was Janspeed who had imported them, as they did stuff as a 'works' Nissan team at about that time too. 👍
 
I actually see Skylines fairly regularly in the UK. R33s in particular, but also R32s, with a roughly even split of GTRs and GTSs. R34s are rarer and almost always GTRs.
 
huskeR32
---



--

As none of the pre-R35 models were sold here in the States, I've no idea which side is correct here. :confused:
Click to expand...
Look at it this way. The people who are going through the trouble to import and illegally register their Skyline GT-Rs as 240SXs or 300ZXs aren't going through the trouble and risk to get R33s. They want the ones that won all those races in the early 90s, and the ones that have the huge cult of personality around them from the early 00s when the tuner scene was first exploding. Not the unloved middle child.
And the people who are waiting it out and paying for the expensive and rare legally imported Motorex R33 models aren't the guys who are going to cover them with vinyl and Veilside kits.


In the UK, where the importation laws are much less strict and they were actually sorta offered for sale when new, this obviously doesn't apply.
 
If I could vote, I'd give it a MEH. It's the Mondeo of GT-R family tree. Bland and inoffensive in the mid-90's style..
 

Latest Posts

Back