This Is What Nismo's £300k R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R Restoration Looks Like

As it gets harder and harder to make fast, noisy internal combustion-engined cars that comply with modern regulations, manufacturers are increasingly looking to their back-catalogues to satisfy the desires of petrolheads.

Few are as in tune with this as Nissan. Its Nismo Heritage Parts department produces a veritable feast of brand new for various generations of the Skyline GT-R, including RB26-DETT engine blocks. And if you have especially deep pockets, Nismo will restore a whole car for you at its facility in Japan.

The programme, detailed in the new video above, specifically targets the R32-generation GT-R. Providing your car makes the grade (Nismo won’t restore any old R32), the process starts with the vehicle being completely dismantled. Optionally, the shell can be stripped back to the bare metal.

The body is measured to check for any torsional rigidity lost over the years and rectified as necessary. Meanwhile, the engine is broken down into its component parts, thoroughly overhauled, reassembled and bench tested.

The chassis is treated to any new components it might need, which considering the age of the R32 is likely to include new bushings, linkages, dampers and more. It’s the same deal for the drivetrain, with the gearbox, clutch, differentials, transfer case and driveshafts all taken to bits and rebuilt with any refreshed stuff as needed.

Newer fire resistant standards mean Nismo can’t use the kind of fabrics originally fitted to the R32’s cabin. Instead, upholstery normally used for the R35 GT-R is employed. If that doesn’t cut it for you in terms of originality, Nismo’s technicians will merely clean the existing stuff. Extremely thoroughly, no doubt.

Once it’s all back together, the car is test driven, signed off and given a special numbered plaque. The whole process takes anything from six months to a whole year, and the cost varies depending on any optional extras like engine tuning. Nismo says the “standard reference point” for a resto job is 45 million yen, which is £300,000…