The Stock R33 GTR

[Steve85]

Hey all. It's been a while (thanks life), but i've gone and bought a second GTR. This time for my wife. I needed something appropriate that should hold its value. 
A few years ago a guy popped up saying he had a mint R33 GTR with almost no kms and no mods. I wanted it then, but had no cash monies. 

Fast forward a few years and a lot of money;

 

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Hory shet that's mint ?

[Steve85]

Before i purchased the car i did my homework. I first matched the online ad to this old post (since dug up by me)

I also recongnised from the images on the for sale advertisement that it had been to V-Spec Performance in Melbourne and onto the hoist. So I rang them up and ask them about a mint KR4 R33 GTR that they might have inspected about two years ago. Simon down there remember the car and we had a chat about it. He confirmed for me that it had appeared genuine to him at the time. 

I spoke to the seller via phone and text message and obtained some images of the paperwork that would come with the car. There was a lot of info papers spread across the floor of someones lounge room. One of the pieces of paper was very obviously a RacePace motorsports invoice (i'm pretty familiar with these). So (and you can probably guess), i called up Gareth down at RacePace and asked him if he remember any mint condition R33 GTRs with few kilometers. He didn't, at first. After a bit of prompting and sending him to the Carsales ad, he remembered. It had come in not running. Again we chatted about it and he ran me through what he could remember. The car had been stored for a long time and the fuel had gone off and caused a little but of damage to the fuel system that they had then repaired. They had also changed all the fluids. 
Gareth was able to tell me after he remembered that he too, thought this car was a legit low kms car. 

Armed with that info, and with the seller telling me that the car was supposedly still in excellent condition for sale in Sydney, NSW. I did what anyone else would (or should do). I sent it to Croydon Racing who know their GTRs for an inspection. The guys at Croydon were great and performed a very thorough inspection and drive test for me. The car tested mechanically well and presented as a legitimate low km car. I talked with Dom for a while about the car and he put my mind at ease that it was in excellent and unmodified condition. 
The car now has 9600 kms on it, but it is in amazing condition. Really puts my car to shame.

We negotiated a price (well, i'm not great at this, i paid what he wanted) and I paid a sizable deposit quickly. 
Unfortunately things slowed dramatically from there. The seller went away (overseas), then I went away (on a break from work really) and it was another 4 weeks before things started to roll again. 
I arranged shipping for the car and paid the rest of the money. The car arrived and went straight to RacePace for security and Roadworthy inspection (prior to registration) reasons.

 

My wife went and picked up the car and brought it home to be friends with my LM. I'm really hoping to get her into driving it or showing it off or anything really.  It seems the perfect car for her, stock so it drives easy, it shouldn't get in any trouble with the police or EPA as its quiet and it has very little in the way of power. Perfect entry level GTR (well except for price). 
 

[Steve85]

I should add a couple of things. The car was on LMGT4s but, I'm not the biggest fan (cue internet abuse). I just didn't think they suited this car all that well. I actually like the original wheels. However, now its in the driveway, 17 inch wheels on this car look like 15 inch wheels. hmmmm.

It also came with an insane amount of paperwork including original Nismo catalogues and also Brochures from Nissan about the ADM R32s. Strangely the rare catalogues and brochures are just as exciting to me. (cue more internet abuse). 

This car won't be a build as such, if anything, i'll be pulling non standard items out of it (i doubt it), but certainly no modifications will take place. The only one i can image happening would be the Turbine wheels. As a non V-Spec it's probably got Ceramic wheels, and they don't age well. 
The other thing is the fog light has been rewired to be a reverse light. I'll probably re-re-wire it to be a fog light that operates via the switch again. 

Edited November 21, 2018 by Steve85

[Steve85]

7 minutes ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

Hory shet that's mint ?

Haha, thanks. I feel like mint doesn't even cut it ?. It makes my other one look like utter crap. It's basically a brand new car. No scuffs, no marks on the inside. A grand total of 3 scratches (two very light ones in the paint, one on the front lip). 
I've own new cars that weren't this nice. 

[Steve85]

Here's the catalogues/brochures that came with the car. There's also an entire history from the first owner, all the way back from 1998 (when I was 13).

 

Edited November 21, 2018 by Steve85

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

That's amazing, yeah keep it dead stock with just the stock turbos re-cored with near standard size with a pair of billet compressor wheels (just because) so the stock turbos don't grenade a motor. 

[GTSBoy]

I dislike R33s and would give my left nut for that one.

But then I'd have the usual problem.  It's only a car, so it should be driven.  But it is the closest thing I have seen to a museum piece and it should be preserved.  What to do!?!

[niZmO_Man]

1 hour ago, GTSBoy said:

I dislike R33s and would give my left nut for that one.

But then I'd have the usual problem.  It's only a car, so it should be driven.  But it is the closest thing I have seen to a museum piece and it should be preserved.  What to do!?!

Drive it twice a year

[PranK]

Just beautiful. Well done Steve. 

[Steve85]

1 hour ago, GTSBoy said:

I dislike R33s and would give my left nut for that one.

But then I'd have the usual problem.  It's only a car, so it should be driven.  But it is the closest thing I have seen to a museum piece and it should be preserved.  What to do!?!

Drive the LM seems to be the logical conclusion...

 

3 hours ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

That's amazing, yeah keep it dead stock with just the stock turbos re-cored with near standard size with a pair of billet compressor wheels (just because) so the stock turbos don't grenade a motor. 

I can't remember if it was N1s or V-Specs with better cores. But yes, that's my only worry really, well that and theft (obviously).

[No Crust Racing]

Agree re LMGT4s, so much hype for such little visual pleasure. 

You have the perfect combo "normal" R33 GT-R, normal as in not an N1/ 400R etc, so imo you should be aiming for like 1-2 drives a year and only short distances and only on perfect roads and weather conditions, it's a collectable in its own right. 

God i wanted that when it was for sale, congrats
 

Edited November 22, 2018 by ActionDan

[No Crust Racing]

25 minutes ago, Steve85 said:

Drive the LM seems to be the logical conclusion...

 

I can't remember if it was N1s or V-Specs with better cores. But yes, that's my only worry really, well that and theft (obviously).

N1s

[BakemonoRicer]

That's a great find mate. I think the hardest part about owning a GT-R would be to keep it in stock condition. 

They're too much of a monster ready to be awakened and they DO have a reputation to live up too.

I think the value will ascend more in stock condition, but the question is....will you ever sell it?

I strongly feel I will never sell mine as they are just too hard to find in the pristine condition we both have. I think anyone selling an immaculate R33 for any less than 100k at present is a fool, they will be worth big money soon!!!!!!!!!! 

They are the fastest chassis out of all GT-R's. #Winning!!!!!!

[No Crust Racing]

1 minute ago, BakemonoRicer said:

pristine condition we both have.

f**king lol, right o Benny, put down the pipe mate. 

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

1 hour ago, Steve85 said:

I can't remember if it was N1s or V-Specs with better cores. But yes, that's my only worry really, well that and theft (obviously).

I would just send the turbos off to Tao @hyper-gear and get them highflowed with near stock sized billet wheels. Don't even bother with the V-Spec, N1 turbos.

[No Crust Racing]

Just for my knowledge, I thought it was only N1 R33 turbos that weren't ceramic? V-spec were still ceramic or have I got it wrong? 

 

[BakemonoRicer]

Forget N1 turbo's, for a factory special do Nismo R1 turbines w/ the Nismo inlet pipes. Expect completely smooth flow from the twins due to the perfect merge of the inlet piping. They are N1 killers.

 

 

[Shyboy]

Congrats 

she is beautiful ?

[Steve85]

Thanks for all the love. The plan is to keep the car 100% stock. So no N1 or Nismo components.

Like i touched on the only thing I can think of that won't be stock is the turbine wheel. This car does has ceramic turbine wheels. 
I believe they can simply be rebuilt at my leisure (cause its not a daily) and it should stop them destroying themselves and parts of the engine with them. 

Does anyone know if these expire with time or is it only heat cycles and centrifugal forces that are issue? 

1 hour ago, ActionDan said:

Just for my knowledge, I thought it was only N1 R33 turbos that weren't ceramic? V-spec were still ceramic or have I got it wrong? 

 

I looked it up (thank your search function) it's N1 turbos that were steel and V-Specs still had ceramic wheels. 
I got myself confused above when I said V-Spec. 

 

1 hour ago, Dose Pipe Sutututu said:

I would just send the turbos off to Tao @hyper-gear and get them highflowed with near stock sized billet wheels. Don't even bother with the V-Spec, N1 turbos.

This is exactly what I had in mind!!!