Late last year, NISMO announced a new program in Japan to fully restore Skyline GT-Rs, beginning with the R32 generation. The NISMO Heritage program started in 2017 with the remanufacturing of hard-to-source, out-of-production parts for R32s, before graduating to a complete, bare-metal restoration service for those deep-pocketed enough to pony up the cash.
It’s important, immaculate work. And NISMO has just posted a video of the entire process, from start to finish, on its YouTube page that just feels good to watch.
Cars are fully stripped, checked for rigidity and optionally repainted. NISMO rebuilds the 2.6-liter, twin-turbocharged RB26 inline-six, replacing components and machining new ones where necessary. Depending on the owner’s preference, the motor can be returned to stock spec or tuned for higher performance.
Of course, that meticulous attention to detail is lavished on every other aspect of the car, from the drivetrain, suspension and electrical systems to the interior, where NISMO can either recondition the existing upholstery or replace it with modern, safer (read: less fire-prone) materials, like those used in the R35 GT-R.
The standard quote for all this tender love and care? $433,000. Japanese Nostalgic Car did a deep dive into the process back in December with many, many pictures that I highly recommend checking out if you haven’t already. Jalopnik contributor Ken Saito also shared his adventure through NISMO’s Omori factory back in 2017 — a trip I am immediately overflowing with jealousy over as I gush over the images.
It’s Thursday, so perhaps I’m buoyed by weekend optimism right now. But I’m fairly confident nothing else today will fill me with the satisfaction of that video, or those photos. I don’t even care that none of these things are being done to my GT-R that I don’t own (OK, I care a little). Really, it’s just encouraging to see that R32s are going home and coming out better than they’ve ever been.