Nissan Skyline 400R tipped to sell for over $1.8 million at auction
Words: Andrew Sluys
A 1996 Nismo Skyline 400R has been tipped to sell for over $1.8 million when it crosses the auction block this month.
Set to be sold by the Broad Arrow auction house, this Skyline is one of the most sought-after of its kind, with only 44 ever produced.
Based on the often-overlooked R33 GT-R, Nismo built upon this proficient base and seemingly turned everything up to eleven.
Featuring bespoke guards, bumpers, and overfenders that weren’t sold individually, these 400Rs are almost impossible to replicate.
Beneath the bonnet, the RB26 engine was bored out to 2.8-litres, and paired with larger turbos that made for a peak power figure of 400hp (or 298kW).
This power unit was developed by Reinik, which is the same company that worked with the Calsonic team and their legendary R32 GT-Rs in the Australian Touring Car Championship.
As for performance, it would hit 100km/h in four seconds, and was capable of a 300km/h top speed.
This example has covered just over 16,000km, meaning it would surely have plenty of life left in it.
These 400Rs were hand-built in Nissan’s Omori factory, using almost exclusively Nismo parts, such as the super-rare LM-GT three-piece wheels.
Nissan had plans to produce 100 of these 400Rs, but just 44 were built.
In 1996, Nissan priced these 400Rs at a seemingly steep $230,000, which was a significant amount more than the standard R33 GT-R.
While this seemed expensive at the time, inflation adjustment puts it at just $400,000, so it would have been a worthy investment with the power of hindsight.
