The Nissan Skyline GT-R has always been coveted, thanks in part to its status as forbidden fruit thanks to the 25-year rule. As time goes on, more and more of these cars become available in America, and the coveted R34 generation is now coming to these shores. There’s a rather interesting example on Cars & Bids right now, but something’s wrong enough add them 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 the Facebook page noted Free Spirit Team, Entering the VIN into Google reveals some irregularities.
The car is marked with a new VIN plate marked BNR34-001222. This appears in several places, including on Classic.com. That 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 time, the vehicle was listed in Malaysia with just 14,724 km (9,149 mi) on the odometer, with a note stating that the total mileage was unknown, suggesting that the vehicle did not have an original instrument cluster.
Dig deeper and you will 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 message has been edited to show the VIN as “BNR34-00xxx…”. The car also appears very different in details. The stereo, exterior lighting, and intercooler are all different, and under the hood there’s at least a 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, Trust intercooler, 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 equipped with a Tomei exhaust and titanium downpipe, HKS wastegate, and GReddy intercooler. It also features a Haltech 2500 ECU with flex-fuel tuning, although we haven’t received dyno charts to indicate how much additional power these modifications could produce. In any case, few if any 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 is to say that the car on Cars and Bids isn’t necessarily what it claims to be. It’s entirely possible that clerical errors are to blame, or that the posts from Indonesia and Malaysia are themselves fake. The car could have also legitimately been 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, the 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 this vehicle is indeed BNR34-001222, it was built in January 1999 according to GT-R Register. This is now over 25 years ago, so could were legally imported into the United States. Commenters on the auction page have asked for documentation to verify the matter.
On the seller side, HBWholesales has done their part to answer questions on the auction page. As noted Free Spirit Team, Photos from Cars and Bids 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 approval of the import. The seller posted an import invoice dated 10/25/2023 for the subject VIN 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, although cars generally require correct import documents to obtain a title, not all state DMVs return these documents with the title. If you’re buying your friend a PT Cruiser, it probably doesn’t matter, but for cars that are nearly 25 years old, it’s a much bigger deal.
(Note from Mercedes: Luke from Team Free Spirit does extensive research into the history of an imported vehicle so buyers don’t get screwed. The shoddy VIN plate, which is in a font not used by Nissan and has a typo in the engine/transmission area, makes you doubt the rest of the vehicle. There was no mention of a restoration on the vehicle until the VIN plate discrepancy was reported. The question also arises as to whether this vehicle is a 1999 model or newer, which would impact its import status. Fortunately, 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 Deals