This R33 Nissan Skyline just sold for $235k

There’s a premium to pay for unmodified, classic Japanese performance cars. We just didn’t realise it’d be this kind of premium, because this R33 Skyline recently sold for $235,200. Or around £175,000.

The rather fetching purple R33 you see above was delivered to its original owner back in 1995 in Japan and has been seemingly wrapped in cotton wool ever since. Auctioneer RM Sotheby’s notes that while “the GT-R has always been a popular target for customisers to add performance enhancements and body modifications, this R33 desirably retains all of its original stock configuration and factory finishes”.

So the ‘Midnight Purple’ paint is straight from the factory. The two-tone grey interior remains as it was when installed the first time around in Japan. As does the 2.6-litre twin-turbo straight-six up front, here still only producing 276bhp and 271lb ft of torque. We say ‘only’ because even distant alien life forms understand the inherent tuneability of an RB26DETT. It even carries the original safety stickers and decals in the engine bay.

A clean engine bay, you’ll note. The condition of this rare R33 appears to be immaculate, and the fact it’s covered just 28,650 miles means it’s got a long, long life ahead of it still. It only arrived from Japan in 2020 – the US’s 25-year historic import rule precluding earlier delivery – and is said to have received “exceptional care” throughout its life.

Enough to warrant a $235k price tag?

Photography: Blue Chip Denver/RM Sotheby's