Possibly Your First Car in Gran Turismo 2 - Kyle’s 1989 Nissan R32 GTS-t Type M

Every time I get out of these feature cars and back into my
Axia, it always surprises me how light the gear throws are and how light the
clutch is in the Axia. Suddenly, driving a car just got a whole lot easier. And
when I switch to my automatic Persona, you can imagine just how relaxing the
drive is. I haven’t driven any luxury cars yet and I expect them to be even
more of a relaxing driving experience.
At this stage in my reviewing experience, I have to admit
that I find these feature cars to be harder to drive. They are loud, the
throttle is super sensitive, and the gear shifters feel a little bit harder. Perhaps
I’m just not used to the sports car setup. And perhaps having one of my own
would help me familiarise with this category of cars (Financial priorities
shift once you get married). I totally understand why most of these feature
cars are usually weekend cars or track cars. They’re great fun, but driving in
heavy traffic can be tiring and leaving the car parked in unfamiliar areas is
always worrisome. And in the case of this R32, driving can get very
uncomfortable due to the absence of air conditioning.
This whole endeavour of reviewing cars has certainly allowed me to drive cars I’ve only ever driven in Gran Turismo before. But more importantly, I have the opportunity of meeting many amazing yet humble people. It’s a very humbling experience for myself. And I can’t thank these guys enough for their time and for trusting me with their car. This time around, I have to thank Kyle who happens to be a driving instructor. And he’s not your average driving instructor. He teaches advanced driving and defensive driving to uniformed forces and supercar owners. It sure sounds like a dream job for some of us.
A Little Backstory on the R32 (And Some Modifications)
This started out as a father and son project. And the car was purchased in Melaka not long after seeing it online. They drove all the way down from Selangor to Melaka just to go get the car. They were lucky it wasn’t a scam. (I wish my dad loved cars, but he seems to be more interested in learning new languages). Kyle started driving at 16, which is a year earlier than the usual age in Malaysia. His car history includes a TE71 Levin Coupe and an Altezza. For more abusive track driving, he currently uses an S13 which is in a more battered condition than this R32.
This is a GTS-t Type-M. It’s a rear-wheel-drive, unlike the 4WD GT-R and it was originally fit with a turbocharged RB20DET. (That’s what the GTS-t Type-M comes with from the factory). This one, however, was already fit with a turbocharged RB25DET when purchased ten years ago. The Garrett GT35 turbine provides 1 bar of boost to the massive in-line 6 engine. If you look in the picture you’ll notice the turbine being hidden by a custom-made heat shield. When asked if the initial plan was to buy a GT-R, he said no. The GTS was preferred over the GTR because of the RWD drivetrain.
The vents you see in the front are Nismo aftermarket parts. The bumper had to be cut for this installation. Other exterior enhancements include streamlined side mirrors, TE37s, and a GTS-R emblem by East Bear (a company from Japan).
Looks wise Kyle is aiming for the GT-R look. It’s already got a R32 GTR front bumper and an R32 GTR fuel tank. The original GTS-t Type-M does look bland next to the GT-R. The GTR is also wider. A trained eye would notice a GTS converted to GTR by looking at the rear profile of the car. The GT-R has a more prominent widebody bulge near the taillights and the rear wheel arch. This car was also a different colour when purchased.
Kyle was kind enough to list the performance modifications
done to the R32. I may have mentioned some in earlier paragraphs.
- Garrett GT35 Turbine (1 bar of boost. There is lag)
- R32 GTR Intercooler
- Greddy Grex Oil Cooler (positioned at the lower left bumper
vent)
- Haltech Platinum Sport 2000 ECU
- Ogura Clutch (I assume this includes a lighter flywheel
because the engine revs high even with the slightest touch of the throttle.)
- R32 GT-R Fuel Tank. (OEM Lightweight fiberglass GTR fuel
tank, stores more fuel and better fuel baffling compared to original GTS fuel
tank.) You can notice the huge fuel tank peeking out underneath the rear bumper
- R33 Brakes
You might notice the lacking of a muffler tip. That’s because he hasn’t managed to get an exhaust that goes around the R32 GTR Fuel Tank. Right now, the exhaust ends somewhere behind the fuel tank. A catalytic converter is absent.
What Is It Like to Drive?
Very uncomfortable (If you compare it with standard
passenger cars). This R32 is very track oriented and it is evident with the
lack of all passenger seats and the lack of a radio. The battery has also been
repositioned in the trunk to give more space in the engine bay. The interior is
virtually stripped down with the exception of the original dashboard and the
door trims. The RB25DET with the aftermarket exhaust was very satisfying to
hear. The throttle was super sensitive and the clutch was tall. The gear shifts
were sharp (thanks to the Ogura clutch), and I took the liberty of stretching them
which was way more satisfying than it usually is in my little Axia.
The hood is long since it houses a longitudinally mounted
in-line 6 so estimating where the car ends is a bit tricky. This is my second
time in a car with bucket seats and my advice for you, is don’t install bucket
seats unless you’re going to track the car seriously. If you’re just doing it
for the looks, don’t. They’re not great to get in and out of. Bucket seat
covers also wear out more quickly because you chafe them on your way in &
out. Get semi-bucket seats instead for more comfort.
Admittingly, I was sweating balls at traffic lights because the air conditioning has been removed. Kyle is very particular about the weight of the car so he chucked the air-cond out. Removing the air-conditioning system saves about 20kg and the removing the air-cond fan allows for better airflow to the radiator. I’m not sure how much weight has been reduced by removing the seats. His next target area for weight reduction is the sun-roof, which isn’t a feature in the GT-R R32.
Talking about the interior, this 1989 car certainly offers some
quirky controls. The wiper stalk and headlight stalk are non-existent. Instead,
these are integrated into the dash as knobs. The possible reason behind this
being to give more clearance for the driver at the steering wheel area. There
still is an indicator stalk, but it’s very minimalist. Some radio controls are
integrated with the dash although the radio is non-existent.
The doors slam with a loud ‘bang’ just like any other older
car instead of the soft ‘thud’ in modern cars. There’s no soft touch plastic
whatsoever, no place to charge your phone, no cruise control, no ABS, no
traction control, no parking sensor, and no cupholders. But it doesn’t matter… because
it’s a track car, and more importantly, it bears the famous Skyline name even
when it’s not the GT-R.
The Nissan Skyline R32 GTS-t Type-M was my first car in Gran
Turismo 2.
What was yours?
The Skyline R32 has Many Variants…
…and so did many other older cars. Things just aren’t packaged the same way anymore. Cars used to have various engine options. Remember our own humble Wira? There was a 1.3, 1.5, and even a 1.8 version if you were a real Wiralution enthusiast at heart. Nowadays there’s usually only one engine option, with varying levels of luxury, or feature options. This modern way is of course, more cost effective for car manufacturers because of economics of scale. And the fact that normal people tend to buy cars for their features instead of performance figures supports that business decision. The R32 itself has 14 variants and I shall share them here with you… (Obviously, these were sourced from Wikipedia)
- GXi Coupe
- GXi Sedan
- GTE Coupe
- GTE Sedan
- GTS Type-X
- GTS Type-J
- GTS-25 Type-X
- GTS-25 Type-S
- GTS-25 Type-XG
- GTS-t Type-M
- GTS-4
- Autech GTS-4
- GT-R
- Nismo S-Tune
- 1.8L CA18i I4
- 2.0L RB20DE I6
- 2.5L RB25DE I6
- 2.6L RB26DE I6
- 2.0L RB20DET I6 Turbocharged
- 2.6 RB26DETT I6 Twin Turbocharged
A wild guess tells me the RB25DET in Kyle’s R32 was sourced from an R33 Skyline.
Some Notes from the Owner
In his own words…
“I had a fascination
with cars ever since I was young, was exposed to Initial D at a very early age
and the rest was history.
(Used to own a TE71
Levin Coupe with complete AE86 running gear and an Altezza but those are done
and dusted and now left with an R32 and S13.)
I had the car when I was
16, it was a father and son project. And I’m very fortunate to have a father
that shares the same hobby and passion as me.
It’s not a hardparker,
gets utilized, driven hard and goes sideways when given the opportunity.
R32 GT-S Yes, and
honestly initially the GTS was my preferred choice over the GTR. Mainly because
it is rear wheel driven, lighter in weight, less wear and tear compared to the
GTR, doesn’t need 500hp+ to make it feel "alive" because the lack of
4wd system, and comes with better steering angle and caster geometry from
factory due to the lack of front driveshafts.
And after owning an
R32 and S13 it made me realize that although both of the cars share a lot of
things especially in the rear suspension/subframe assembly, both of the cars
feel completely different from each other. The R32 chassis feels more premium,
more GT-esque, which makes it an awesome car to cruise and drive around with, as
compared to the S13 which feels more raw and rough around the edges but still a
very capable and a competitive car.
And of course, the
Skyline’s unmistakable RB Inline-6 sound is a joyous soundtrack to cruise
around with.
What I'd like to add is that simplicity is key, especially with cars like these. Less headache and dramas too.”
Conclusion
JDM Cars from the 90s have a huge fan base. And the kids who
used to look at these cars in awe can now afford them. The NSX, Supra, and
3000Gt are just a few to name. I don’t see them as daily drivers in this day and
age. But my gut feeling tells me these cars will appreciate in value. As prices
rise for premium classics such as an original GT-R R32, the price for other
variants of the R32 (or Skyline) will follow. You can flip this in the future.
As for ride experience, I can’t judge the R32 just by
driving this one. It’s been track prepped. I imagine a stock R32 (GTS) would
feel a bit more like a grand tourer with the massive inline 6 in front.
Does it matter that
it’s not a GT-R?
No. People can hardly
tell anyway when you zoom past them.
Should you buy an
R32?
If you’re a hardcore
R32 enthusiast, go ahead. If you’re looking for a drift car, Sylvias seem to be
the more popular choice.
Will it give you
massive street cred?
Yes. The R32 GT-R was
the pioneer of the Godzilla nickname. And a car that looks like it emits a
similar aura.
Thanks again to Kyle for the opportunity with the R32 GTS-t
Type-M.
Until then.
Featuring yours truly in the background.
There's always the first one. Leave a comment!
Ooops.. You need to login to do so, login with one of the social media below.