Nissan R33 GT-R

Traditionally viewed as the black sheep of the R-Chassisfamily, today the R33 is probably the one to buy

- Alex Affat

IN CASE you hadn’t noticed, Skylines are on an absolute tear at the moment. For a while it seemed like world records were being toppled at auction week after week; and run-of-the-mill examples are now asking numbers once unimagined by those who were around in the glory days that were the mid-late 2000s. This is aircooled Porsche stuff people, and I’m sorry to tell you but no, these are most certainly not $15k cars anymore…

The R33, in particular, had traditionally been regarded as the middle child of the lineage; its bloated dimensions made it the butt of many ‘boat’ jokes and it had less significant racing history than the mighty R32 (Godzilla), and it also wasn’t as rare as the R34.

Today though, it’s the one to buy. They weren’t always ‘cool to own’ so you’ll notice that median condition is generally better than that of R32s, which were treated as bargain performance missiles for years. They’re also a far superior chassis and, in certain key regards, represent the greatest generational dynamic leap between the three RB-powered iterations.

While internet experts are quick to assert that the R33 is over 100kgs heavier than its Godzilla predecessor, the extra mass is distributed smartly. You get a more solid feel, better torsional rigidity and much greater mechanical grip than the oversteer-happy R32. Its claim to fame was a production car lap record at the Nurburgring, and the first car to break the eight-minute barrier.