The year is 2006, and I’m a kid at home, stealing my dad’s computer to watch bootleg Video Option DVDs online while simultaneously watching bootleg Initial D episodes. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift released around the same time, and I can only assume that, collectively, all of those things created a tidal wave of JDM car obsession for many people of my generation.
My eyes really opened up when the GC8 Impreza WRX appeared in Initial D, which sent me down another rabbit hole: Group A and WRC Subarus. The timing was a little strange, as Subaru was scaling back its WRC program around then before ultimately pulling out entirely. But that soon evolved into an obsession with more ‘90s AWD and turbocharged Japanese cars: Pulsar GTi-Rs, Evos, Celicas – and Skyline GT-Rs.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2023, when Ken Block, one of my idols in the automotive space, tragically passed away. I’d been fortunate enough to shoot images for Ken through some of his racing antics and film projects. He lived every day as if it were his last and truly enjoyed it. His hobbies also aligned closely with mine – mainly cars and bicycles. Working with Ken, even in a small capacity, really pushed me to enjoy every aspect of my life and pursue the things I wanted to do, without feeling pressured by society’s expectations.
After being flooded with KB content on social media for about two months following his passing, I figured I’d bite the bullet and make a terrible financial decision while I was still relatively young – but more importantly, while I still could. It was a very “YOLO” moment for me, as I like to consider myself relatively frugal. I’ve usually been the type to save my money for the future. But what’s the point of saving for the future when tomorrow isn’t promised?
Obviously, saving money is the more sensible approach, and is ultimately what I’ll do in the long run. But at that point, I had this inherent need to be consciously dumb and wasteful with my money. Given that I’d already built my dream GC8, I figured the next realistic purchase should be a GT-R.
The A80 Toyota Supra was on the table as well, but the grass will always be greener on the other side, so I opted for the GT-R. I don’t really have any specific ties to any of the R32/33/34 chassis, but I figured the R33 would be the best fit for me. It seemed as though the jump in differences between the R32 GT-R and R33 GT-R was more significant than the jump between the R33 and R34. That tracks as well, since the R34 was being developed at a time when Nissan was struggling financially and had to scale back much of the development of what would become the now-legendary car. In that sense, the R33 ended up being relatively similar to the R34. With R34 GT-Rs pushing north of US$130K, the R33 GT-R made the most sense to me.
Just a few weeks later, I bought this example from Toprank. I’d like to think I got a pretty good one. It’s a 1995 car in QM1 white – the most produced color for the model, with around 6,000 examples, accounting for almost 40% of all R33 GT-Rs.
The car came with Nismo clusters, stock-replacement Öhlins shock absorbers, an upgraded short-throw shifter, and a really old RS-R/Invidia exhaust. Everything else was stock. Because the cluster was swapped out, I was a bit sceptical of the car’s actual mileage and condition. But after seeing the spotless underside, I knew it was well cared for. Not a single spot of rust, not a single bent part of the chassis, and no existing leaks.
Jumping forward to 2026, I’ve done so much, yet so little, to the car. My general idea was to enjoy the Skyline as it was intended, without going overboard with modifications. I learned my lesson with my Subaru, as I jumped at the opportunity to swap the engine and transmission just a year into ownership. I found a 2005 STI and immediately pulled everything out and stuffed it into my 2.5RS. Looking back, I probably should have just enjoyed the car as it was for a little longer before chasing more power.
It would be too easy to drain my wallet and throw everything into making the R33 fast. In today’s world of 800hp+ Skylines, it was something I wanted to stay away from. So, over the last three years, I focused on everything else. The power will eventually come, but I wanted to at least take care of all the preventative maintenance and upgrades ahead of time. I’d like to think that it’s paid off.
One thing that surprised me about the R33 is how easy it is to live with here in the US. You’d think it would be more difficult, given that Skylines were never sold in the Americas, let alone any RB-powered cars. But it seems Nissan and much of the aftermarket industry have made it as painless as possible to own and maintain them.
Nissan and Nismo’s US websites stock everything from R33 floor mats and 5-speed transmissions to brand-new Nismo clutches and everything in between. While scrolling through their websites again for this article, I even found genuine R34 Z-Tune body panels for sale. What?! If it’s not on their websites, numerous aftermarket retailers have parts in stock and ready to ship. I ordered replacement CV boots, which were delivered to my door the very next day, as they were sitting on the shelf at my local Nissan dealership. Big thanks to whoever at Nissan USA decided to make parts for these Skylines so readily available.
Moving on to the aftermarket side of things, various companies aren’t just reproducing parts for these cars – they’re doing the R&D to create better, more modern components for them. Let’s take my newly installed CSF Race radiator as an example.
CSF is one of the few companies investing time and effort into developing products for 30-plus-year-old Skylines. With the influx of these cars into the States, it definitely makes sense. CSF previously offered a billet radiator manufactured in collaboration with Toprank, and this is the new updated version of that.
What makes it more efficient than the OEM radiator and other aftermarket offerings is the shape of its tubes. Unlike traditional ‘O’-shaped tubes, CSF uses its own ‘B’-shaped tubes, which transfer heat more efficiently while fitting into a tighter package. The radiator also has a drop-in design, which made installation that much easier for me, since I’m not the most mechanically minded person. CSF also offers it in black, so you know I had to go with that.
I’ve also overhauled the brakes with new braided lines, pads, and rotors. My friend rebuilt all the axles with the previously mentioned CV boots that I picked up after both inner front boots burst. That was a fun few hours of meticulously cleaning off all the exploded grease.
The car struggled with fuel sloshing and inaccurate fuel readings, so I fitted a new drop-in surge tank with two E85-compatible fuel pumps (for future reasons) to mitigate that. I also picked up a set of used coilovers to lower the car because I hated the look at stock height. While I think the R33 Skyline GT-R wheels are amazing, I think they look best on any car that isn’t an R33. Anyway, I picked up a set of rare, Japanese-made BBS LM SRV wheels to slap on the car. But I want to track the car in the near future, and I eventually switched to Titan7 T-R10 wheels after I found out just how valuable the BBSs are.
The stock battery died about a month into ownership, so I picked up an Antigravity one with the restart feature, just in case something goes wrong. I relocated the oil filter to a more convenient location with a GReddy kit, and also added Trust’s GREX oil cooler and exhaust while I had the tab open. I picked up a brand-new silicone ancillary hose kit from HPS, too.
Friends kept telling me that the coil packs struggle once you start adding power, so I swapped mine for PRP’s R35 kit. The most important thing I did, however, was add a Nismo titanium strut bar that I picked up at Omori Factory in Japan. It does absolutely nothing better than the stock one, but it looks cool.
Moving on to the interior, I picked up a Nismo titanium shift knob that is objectively worse than the stock one, as it burned my hand once last summer. But I love the way it looks, so I’ll stick with it for now. I also picked up a set of Top Secret floor mats at Tokyo Auto Salon, where they were about a third of the price compared to the ones on eBay. I may have even had to throw some clothes away to fit the floor mats in my luggage. A necessary sacrifice for the greater good, if you ask me.
I’ve put a few thousand miles on the car since I’ve owned it, and it’s been a blast. I’ve essentially given the car a ‘tour of LA,’ taking it from the canyons of Malibu to my favorite fast-food burger joint, and everything in between.
What’s next? As much as I’d like to say I want to add more power, I probably won’t. The used shocks I picked up are definitely starting to show their age, so I finally got some new KWs to slap on, which I’ve been procrastinating on. I’ve also had several people urge me to switch to a standalone ECU, so I guess we’ll see how that goes.
Driving the car around LA also has its pros and cons. With any RHD car, turning left at intersections can be a bit of a struggle, so I do my best to avoid those. Fast-food drive-thru lanes aren’t as easy to navigate either, as they’re obviously designed for LHD vehicles. Surprisingly, though, many California In-N-Out Burger locations have drive-thru lanes that cater to both LHD and RHD cars.
From what I was told at their official museum, the drive-thru windows used to be on the right. The idea in the 1950s was for the mother to receive the order on the right side of the vehicle while the father drove from the left side. This made it safer to hand food to the children in the back seats. Fast-forward 70 years, and it’s a small +1 to owning a JDM car in California.
Overall, the Skyline has been fun. Has it been amazing? Honestly, no. But that’s OK. I feel like I’ve become desensitized to seeing amazing GT-Rs, as they are pretty much all I ever see these days at car shows, car meets, and everywhere in between. I’ll work my way toward making it amazing over the next few years. Until then, I’ll keep tinkering away at all the smaller things.
