The Nissan Skyline GT-R has always been coveted, thanks in part to its forbidden fruit status thanks to the 25-year rule. As time has gone on, more and more of these cars have become available in America, and the coveted R34 generation is now arriving on our shores. There’s a rather attractive example on Cars & Bids right now, but something’s not quite right. enough add up about this one.
The vehicle in question is a 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec, listed in Gulfport, Mississippi by seller HBWholesales. It’s a desirable build, and we’re told it has a clean Florida title and 56,200 km (~34,900 miles) on the odometer. At the time of writing, the highest bid stands at $100,000 with two days left. That would be a steal, but you’d expect the price to go up a bit before the auction closes.
However, delve into the numbers and things get a little curious. As noted by the Facebook page Free Spirit Team, Entering the VIN into Google reveals some irregularities.
The car has a new VIN plate marked BNR34-001222. This appears in several places, the main one being Classic.com. This site lists the current Cars and Bids auction page, but it also records an old attempted sale by Collecting Cars in September last year. At that point, the vehicle was listed in Malaysia with just 14,724 km (9,149 mi) on the odometer, with the total mileage being unknown, suggesting the vehicle had no original group.
Dig deeper and you’ll find a more curious result. A car with the same VIN appears on the Instagram account @wheelsporn, posted on November 1, 2023. At that time, the Indonesian account had listed the car with 72,000 km (~44,000 miles) on the odometer. Interestingly, in the last 21 hours, the post was edited to list the VIN as “BNR34-00xxx…”. The car also appears quite different in detail. The stereo, exterior lighting, and intercooler are all different, and under the hood, there’s at least one different cam cover, intake, and turbo setup. The mod list is also quite different, with the engine apparently having an N1 block, HKS forged pistons and rings, a Trust intercooler, a GReddy radiator, and relies on an HKS FCON ECU.
In contrast, Cars and Bids lists the car with a rather different array of modifications. We’re told it’s currently fitted with a Tomei exhaust and titanium downpipe, an HKS wastegate, and a GReddy intercooler. It also features a Haltech 2500 ECU with a flex-fuel tune, though we haven’t been provided with any dyno charts to indicate how much extra power these mods could produce. In any case, few if any of the parts match the Instagram post, and there’s no mention of an N1 block or forged internals. Oh, and the car apparently runs on a Volcan battery… most commonly seen in the UAE.
Of course, none of this means that the car listed on Cars and Bids isn’t necessarily what it claims to be. It’s entirely possible that administrative errors are at the root of the problem, or that the posts from Indonesia and Malaysia are themselves fake. The car could also have been legitimately purchased and modified this year; some of the original lights included in the Cars and Bids sale support this idea. The seller claims to have purchased the car earlier this year.
Regardless, this irregularity has raised questions about the vehicle’s legal status in the United States. This is partly because not all R34 GT-Rs are legal for import into the United States yet. If indeed this vehicle is BNR34-001222, it was built in January 1999 according to GT-R Register. It’s been over 25 years now, so could were legitimately imported into the United States. Commenters on the auction page have asked for documentation to verify the matter.
On the seller’s side, HBWholesales has done its part to answer questions on the auction page. As noted Free Spirit Team, Cars and Bids’ photos show a VIN plate that does not appear to be a genuine item, with typos and a different font than a factory example. This contrasts with an earlier photo shared by the seller of a worn and damaged VIN plate. The current seller also notes that they have contacted the original importer for more details on the car’s status and import approval. The seller has posted an import invoice dated 10/25/2023 for the VIN in question from a Method Auto Group in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
“The seller has been unusually diligent and responsive in working with us and trying to figure out what’s going on. He’s continuing to investigate the situation,” the site’s founder, Doug Demuro, told us in a text message. “If we don’t come to a positive conclusion before the auction ends, we will obviously cancel the auction for the benefit of our bidders. But we have a few days, and given the seller’s positive attitude and legitimate efforts to try to learn more, we’re inclined to give him a little more time to do the necessary research.”
This problem is compounded by the fact that while cars generally require proper import paperwork to get a title, not all state DMVs return these documents with the title. If you’re buying a PT Cruiser from your friend, this probably doesn’t matter, but for cars that are close to 25 years old, it’s a much bigger deal.
(Mercedes’ rating: Luke from Team Free Spirit does extensive research on the history of an import vehicle so buyers don’t get ripped off. The shoddy VIN plate, which is in a font that Nissan doesn’t use and has a typo in the engine/transmission area, makes you question the rest of the vehicle. There was no mention of a restoration on the vehicle until the VIN discrepancy was pointed out. There’s also the question of whether this vehicle is a 1999 or newer model, which would impact its import status. Thankfully, the seller seems to be working hard to figure this all out. – MS)
Overall, this is a nice R34. However, until its status is confirmed in more detail, you may want to exercise caution. Importing cars like these involves large sums of money, and you always want to make sure you’re getting value for your money.
Image credits: Cars and offers