NISMO To Make Nissan R32 GTR OEM Replacement Parts
The "Heritage Parts Program" will first offer OEM parts from NISMO for the R32, eventually offering the parts for others in the bloodline.
The Nissan R32 Skyline GTR is legendary. Nissan reintroduced the GTR name in 1989 to replace the Skyline GTS. Nissan wanted to develop a better car for Group A racing. And that they did. The Skyline GTR did it's job on the track in Group A and Group N touring car racing. The production model was a hit as well.
For years, the Skyline was unicorn here in the United States, almost an urban legend. A friend would swear they saw one, but would never have a camera, or even their phone handy, to snap a picture. I came across an R33 GTS25t in the wild in Florida back in 2013. I swear. I even took a picture. The "25 Year Rule" made them difficult to import. Not impossible, but very difficult, and expensive. I have doubts that the R33 I came across was "legal".
A questionably legal R33 Skyline GTS25t spotted in 2013.
With the R32 now old enough to be legal in the United States, they are much easier to find. Though when you do find them, they are often heavily modified. Sometimes, very questionably.
Those modifications become an issue when trying to undo them. If one buys a even slightly modified Skyline GTR with hopes of getting it back to stock and maintaining it, finding OEM parts was a problem. You couldn't just walk into your local parts store and get what you need. You were stuck with eBay and enthusiast forums, where buying a used part can be a gamble.
But no longer. Later this year, NISMO will start offering replacement OEM parts for the R32 Skyline GTR. What they are calling the "Heritage Parts Program" will be up and running in the very near future. Nissan briefly mentioned this in a press conference yesterday. They spent about a minute discussing it, burried in the middle of a 38 minute press conference.
What little information they gave out was exciting. Nissan has tasked NISMO with handling this program. The R32 Skyline will come first, and if successful, they will expand the program further. NISMO plans to have the parts available for sale in Autumn of 2017. There is no word yet if this program will be offered globally, or only in Japan, but The Drive has reached out to Nissan for more information.
You can watch the Nissan press conference below. The mention of the Heritage Parts Program starts at 13:44.