BCNR33

Nissan Skyline GT-R, R33

RB26DETT, 2.6 twin-turbo, all-wheel drive

About 16,700 built, and for years the cheapest way into an RB26. That is no longer true in dollars, but it is still the best value of the three GT-Rs on a like-for-like sheet.

The R33 is bigger and heavier than the R32 and was unloved for a decade, which means more of them were used as ordinary cars. Ordinary use leaves rust and dents rather than crash repairs, and the sheet reads accordingly.

01What to read first on a BCNR33 sheet

Series 1 against Series 3

The sheet gives you a build month. Later cars picked up detail changes that buyers pay for, and a month is the only way to tell from paperwork.

Rear arches and sills

Rust on an R33 collects at the rear arch lip and the bottom of the sill. An S1 there is a panel repair, and an S2 usually means welding.

Interior grade before exterior

A C or D interior on an R33 is common and expensive, because the correct trim and the correct seats are getting hard to find at any price.

Every mark named above is defined in the codes library, with what it costs to put right at US rates.

02Also worth reading

Night Line

Be told when a BCNR33 matters

We write when the BCNR33 clears another month of the 25-year rule, when the yen moves more than 3% your way, and once when the free Decode opens. Nothing else.

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