One currently for sale
‘A rare find’ is how James Henderson, proprietor of Greenside Cars in Norfolk, describes the R32 Skyline GT-R on his books. It’s an unmolested 1993 car with just 75,000 miles on the clock and in white – that’s ‘Crystal White’ in the Japanese firm’s parlance of the time – rather than the seemingly de rigueur ‘Gun Grey Metallic’ in which nearly half the cars were sold.
“It is a rarity today to find one that’s so original, because so many have been modified,” says Henderson of the car that was imported into the UK in 2010. “It’s not been chipped or breathed on in any way. It’s as it left the factory, apart from the steering wheel, which has been re-trimmed somewhere down the line. It has Middlehurst Nissan provenance; they brought it into the country about 10 years ago.”
Henderson has listed the car at £28,000 with a year’s MOT, and reckons values are on the up, having broken through the £20,000 barrier in the past 12 months or so. The new ‘25-year rule’ introduced in the USA allowing for the importation of cars that never met federal safety and emissions standards has increased demand for R32s in North America. Henderson points out that an early-90s Skyline GT-R recently sold at auction for in excess of $80,000 (£62,000).
Henderson admits that he’s biased.
“I had one of the first cars to come into the country back in the early 90s, and have had a few more since,” he says. “The R32 GT-R is fun to drive, reliable and sure-footed.”
Greenside Cars, Holt, Norfolk. Tel: 01263 713362
www.greensidecars.com
Few know the Skyline like Middlehurst Nissan. Here’s the key to keeping its turbocharged heart beating
One previously restored
Middlehurst Nissan is the specialist for Skylines. It has an association with the cars stretching back to the early 1990s when former British Touring Car driver Andy Middlehurst, who runs the business, won back-to-back National Saloon Car Cup titles in 1995-96 aboard a Group N-spec production R32.
It’s just finished an engine rebuild of an R32, supplies parts around Europe and also has an R33-shape Skyline GT-R under restoration. It’s even undertaken a ground-up rebuild of the car in which Middlehurst achieved his 1990s on track successes.
The 1994 GT-R came to Middlehurst after oil pump issues.
“The oil pumps tend to fall apart inside with mileage,” says Middlehurst. “Once we’d got the engine out of the car, it made sense to undertake a full overhaul. It’s important to check the oil pressure if you are buying one. At 4000rpm with 80deg C oil temperature you should have four bar of pressure.”
The overhaul included a Middlehurst upgrade, replacing the original ceramic turbocharger impellers with steel.
“The turbos can be problematic, especially if you put too much boost through them,” adds Middlehurst. “The blades can shatter. If the parts are ingested, it kills the engine. Too much boost can also stretch the conrods, which causes the bearings to rotate on the crank.”
The customer’s engine left Middlehurst Nissan with 360bhp. That’s attainable with one bar of boost and won’t cause any problems in the future.
Middlehurst Garage, St.Helens, Merseyside. Tel: 01744 26681
www.middlehurst.co.uk
