The Aussie Nissan Skyline

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Everyone knows the R32 Nissan Skyline of the early 90s, especially the giant killing GT-R that now commands giant money. But before that there were seven generations of Skyline and this is from the seventh generation known as, you guessed it, the R31. This Aussie built luxury Ti spec example was sold new in NZ in 1989. It has the 3 litre RB30 engine - that also found its way into the Holden VL Commodore - and a 5 speed manual gearbox. This survivor is coming up for auction in Timaru next week.

The Skyline first appeared way back in 1957 as the Prince Skyline. It became a Nissan product when the two companies merged in 1967 and is still made today.

But the R31 was the only Skyline to be manufactured in Australia. It was the first Skyline to feature the famous RB engines and it also did rather well in the Aussie Touring Car competition with the likes on New Zealand’s Jim Richards behind the wheel.

This particular example was built in Australia in 1988 for the NZ market. Apparently the Aussie sold cars had the engine modified to meet emissions standards which resulted in a lower power output. But fear not, the cars built for the NZ market were fitted with an unrestricted Japanese built RB30 engine. This example also has the 5 speed manual transmission.

While the Ti has the less desirable four door body shell, it is also loaded with all the goodies you could get in 1989. Sure, by today’s standards that’s not a particularly impressive list, but in 1989 you’d receive a few envious looks as you rolled down your electric windows and luxuriated in your velour upholstery whilst soaking up the cool, cool air conditioning.

This example is a rare survivor and appears to be well looked after. And with an auction estimate on $12000 - $14000 it looks pretty good buying for a manual 3L Skyline.

The auction takes place on Thursday 10^th September at Turners Timaru. More details here.