ChromeCars has one of the most irresistible assortments of collector cars on the Classic Driver Market, but lately it seem they have taken to farming Godzillas. Thankfully, we’re not talking about an apocalyptic array of 100 story-tall lizards, but rather the equally menacing four wheeled variety from Nippon. That’s right, today were honing in on the Nissan GT-R, and ChromeCars have kindly provided us with six incredibly rare examples of the breed for your reading enjoyment.
Before we can dive into all the nerdy, technical details surrounding these high velocity machines, we must talk about colours, because there’s one specific shade that drives Godzilla fans into a frenzy. No, we’re not talking about Bayside Blue — a hue that is synonymous with the R34-gen GT-R — but rather purple, and it just so happens that five of the six cars in question are painted in variations on the shade. With the next GT-R all but confirmed to be electric only — and here’s a glimpse at what that might look like — now is the perfect time to pick up a petrol-slurping Godzilla of your own. Take a look below, you might just find your dream GT-R!
1995 R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BCNR33)
Our first not-so-friendly purple dinosaur of the day is this R33 GT-R V-Spec finished in Midnight Purple (LP2). Wider, longer and more curvaceous than the world-beating R32 it replaced, the R33 was the first generation of Nissan’s supercar-slayer available in purple, but that didn’t mean everyone was willing to tick the box on the option sheet. Of the 16,668 R33 GT-Rs built, just 805 were Midnight Purple (LP2) V-Specs like this example, and even fewer survive today.
Like the R32 and R34, the R33 was powered by the legendary RB26 straight six, one of the greatest powertrains ever built, but the V-Spec gained a few extra upgrades that any JDM fanatic will appreciate. Stiffer suspension, an upgraded AWD system, and an active limited slip differential make this GT-R an even sweeter steer, so if you’ve always lusted after the R33’s swollen arches and aggressive front end, this could be the car for you.
1999 R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (BNR34)
Next up we have the R33’s successor, a 1999 R34 GT-R V-Spec, this time finished in Midnight Purple II (LP4). Unlike the original Midnight Purple (LP2), Midnight Purple II is a slightly darker, colour-shifting paint with hints of blue. Only 282 Midnight Purple II R34 GT-R V-Specs were built out of a total production run of 11,578. Again, while these cars fetch impressive figures today, for a long time they were underrated and under-loved, meaning the actual number of cars remaining falls far short of those initial production figures.
Launched alongside the standard R34 in 1999, the V-Spec gained a number of desirable performance improvements and visual upgrades. Mechanically speaking, the R34 V-Spec got stiffer suspension, an active limited slip differential, and brake air ducts. The visual differences are even more impressive, with the V-Spec benefitting from a full carbon fibre Venturi-style rear diffuser, as well as a more aggressive front splitter. And for our American readers, there’s an added bonus with this specific car. Because of the rarity of this factory Midnight Purple II R34 V-Spec, this car can be immediately imported to the USA thanks to the ‘Show or Display’ import exemption, while more common variants of the breed will have to wait to qualify for the 25 year import rule. Those seeking instant gratification, look no further.
2000 R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec NISMO CRS (BNR34)
This R34 GT-R V-Spec might look almost identical to the one above, but there are a number of fascinating details you won’t want to ignore. Firstly, the colour is Midnight Purple III (LX0), which is even rarer than the colours we’ve mentioned already with just 132 examples like this built. Relative to Midnight Purple II, Midnight Purple III has an even more noticeable colour shift with a more bluish tint than its predecessor, and features an eye-catching gold metallic flake.
However, this car’s intrigue doesn’t end with the incredibly rare paint, because when Chris from ChromeCars began digging through its history file, he made a startling discovery: a number of invoices dating between 2012 and 2013 from Nismo’s legendary Omori factory. Now, this isn’t 100% confirmed and Chris is currently engaged in ongoing research, but this car could well be a pre-production car for Nismo’s Clubman Race Spec (CRS) program. If you don’t know, the CRS program could be considered Nismo’s in-house restomodding service, which restores and converts ‘normal’ R34s into something akin to the unicorn-status Z-Tune R34, provided you are lucky enough to secure a build slot, and you have very, very deep pockets.
Now, the CRS demo car was officially unveiled in 2014, meaning this example could well be the prototype for the entire program. That would be significant enough in itself, but if it turns out to be true, then this would be the only CRS GT-R to be originally finished in Midnight Purple III, as Nissan originally decreed each CRS would be painted grey. Considering the base price of an R34 today, and that the CRS conversion reportedly costs in excess of 500,000 dollars, the next custodian of this GT-R could be a very lucky man indeed.
2013 R35 Nissan GT-R
Waving the fast and furious R34 GT-R goodbye, we move onto this lovely Midnight Opal R35 GT-R. Again, the colour purple has special significance here, because after the R34’s production ended, Nissan didn’t offer a purple hued paint finish for around 12 years, until this special edition arrived. Only 115 Midnight Opal R35s were built worldwide, and of that a mere 3 were destined for Europe, which Chris refers to as the Euro spec cars. That’s because this special edition was originally only intended for Japan, the USA, and Australia, but some wealthy GT-R fans managed to convince the big wigs at Nissan that they were deserving too.
Not only does this car boast that alluring paintwork, but the JDM nerds will notice subtle details like the gold production plate in the engine bay. Aluminium forged wheels and a full carbon fibre rear wing complete this AWD monster, which impressively shows just 6,000 kilometres on the odometer since new. If you want one of the rarest colours Nissan has to offer in an easily daily-drivable package, this R35 is ready and waiting.
2022 R35 Nissan GT-R T-Spec
Now you may be thinking this is where the purple GT-Rs end, but this R35 GT-R T-Spec is, in fact, finished in Midnight Purple (DAP), despite appearing green in certain light. Just 250 T-Specs were ever built, and there were only 82 finished in Midnight Purple like this car. T-Spec cars gained carbon-ceramic brakes, a carbon wing, an exclusive rose gold engine cover and lighter RAYS wheels. Excluding the Nismo variants, this is arguably Godzilla’s ultimate form, representing the pinnacle of the internal combustion-powered GT-R.
That would already make this a very special example indeed, but this T-Spec takes things even further with 150,000 dollars of optional extras, among them an interior finished entirely in Mori Green leather. While on a normal day we would be climbing over ourselves to get a chance at driving any of the R34s on offer, the spec alone on this car has us totally in love. However, there is just one last detail to mention: Nissan never intended to build any European market T-Specs, and this car is the sole exception, making this the only Euro T-Spec in the world. It also just so happens that this car is literally brand new. Collectors, please form an orderly queue.
2022 R35 Nissan GT-R NISMO Special Edition
Ending on a definite high note, we present to you this fabulous R35 Nissan GT-R Nismo Special Edition finished in Jet black, aka the big daddy of the Godzilla lineage. Just 7 of these track-focused monsters were ever built in euro spec, and this is one of just two examples finished in black.
The Nismo Special Edition is powered by a 600 horsepower twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 featuring the same turbochargers as Nismo’s GT3 cars. Each engine is hand-assembled in a sterile room by Nismo’s master technicians — known as takumi — and features a special takumi certification plate, similar to AMG’s hand-built engines. Rays lightweight wheels, oodles of carbon fibre trim — including a fully exposed carbon bonnet — and massive Brembo brakes complete this ultra-desirable limited run supercar. Like its T-Spec stablemate, this example from ChromeCars is still factory fresh and has never been driven, meaning you could have the rare honour of breaking in that masterpiece of an engine.
