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Most R33 Skyline GT-Rs live out their lives as all-wheel-drive street cars. This one, a 1996 V-Spec listed on Collecting Cars in New South Wales, was stripped, rebuilt and converted to rear-wheel drive for time attack. According to the seller, it competed at the 2022 World Time Attack Challenge at Sydney Motorsport Park and finished fourth in the Open class. Bidding sits at A$52,000 after three bids, with about three and a half days left as of Monday.
What the results show
The seller says the car was driven by Aaron Borg. The official WTAC 2022 results list an Aaron Borg of NSW in a Nissan Skyline R33 entered under the WBT team, running car No. 29, in fourth place in the Open class with a lap of 1:30.8030. The results page lists the entry as an R33 rather than specifically a GT-R, and the listing does not say who owned or entered the car, so bidders should ask the seller to connect the dots in the comments before they bid.
From street GT-R to race car
The R33 GT-R was built for the Japanese market in the mid-1990s with a twin-turbo 2.6-liter RB26 and a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system. The seller says this V-Spec now runs a Bullet Billet 3.0-liter block stroked to 3.2 liters, built by Mostech Race Engines in Queensland, and makes 1,157 horsepower at the rear hubs. Power goes through an Albins ST6 six-speed sequential gearbox to the rear wheels only, a conversion that sets it apart from the car Nissan sold. The seller says Pace Motorsport, which it describes as V8 Supercar engineers, carried out a full chassis overhaul.
The rest of the list reads like a race shop's parts bin. It includes a CNC-ported race head, a new Garrett G45-1600 turbocharger, six individual coils on an R35 conversion, a dry-sump oil system, an ATI fuel cell and a Motec M150 ECU tuned by Phil Armor. A fire-suppression system, roll cage, Sparco seat, built-in air-jack system, carbon doors, Lexan windows and a custom rear wing braced into the boot floor round out the aero and safety gear. Spare center-lock wheels, Yokohama Advan A050 tires and the tools to service them come with it.
What to know before bidding
The car is a right-hand-drive Japanese-market example and the listing shows mileage as to be confirmed. The seller reports it was last serviced in February 2023, was serviced regularly for races and has documentation. A comment on the listing corrected the VIN to BCNR33-021245 after a bidder noticed the original was missing a digit, so it is worth checking the paperwork closely. The listing also notes the VIN was checked against Australia's Personal Property Securities Register, with no security interest recorded.
A purpose-built time attack car is a long way from a collector's R33 GT-R, but it has something most of them lack: a documented result against some of the fastest modified cars in the Southern Hemisphere. If you are into Skyline history, our look at Paul Walker's R34 GT-R shows the other end of the spectrum. Check the original listing for the full gallery, comments and the time remaining.
