To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' London event, 4 November 2023.

• Built by Hasemi Motorsport in partnership with NISMO for the 1994 Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTCC-GT1)
• A race-winning entry driven by Japanese motorsports legend Masahiro Hasemi to 2nd overall in that season’s drivers’ championship
• Also claimed victory at the inaugural 1994 24 Hours of Tokachi; the only R32 Skyline to win a domestic 24-Hour endurance race
• Benefitted from 26 years of single Japanese ownership; acquired by the consignor in 2022
• Retains its works-built RB26DETT engine and Xtrac six-speed sequential transmission
• Wonderfully preserved and presented in its 1994 racing specification
• Among the most famous and recognisable JGTCC cars in existence

Nissan’s R32 Skyline was nothing short of iconic in its home market and it remained entirely undefeated within Japan’s highest level of touring car competition for four whole seasons (1990-1993). Alongside the R32, one driver in particular stood out for achieving incredible success behind the wheel: Masahiro “Mr. Skyline” Hasemi. Though not widely known outside Japan, Hasemi is a larger-than-life figure in domestic motorsport, earning championship titles across a variety of different categories.

This R32’s story begins in early 1994 with NISMO and Hasemi Motorsport building this car into a competitive grand touring racecar with carbon fibre bodywork, extensive structural reinforcements, and new underpinnings that would ensure the car’s place at the front of the pack. Due to rule changes implemented to stifle the R32’s success, this iteration utilised rear-wheel drive, though its prodigious 450 horsepower and cutting-egde six-speed sequential XTrac transmission—a rarity in Japanese motorsport at that time—made it highly competitive.

Of the six events the car contested during the 1994 season, it scored pole positions followed by outright victories at the Sendai Highland GT and 24 Hours of Tokachi. At the Sendai Highland GT, Hasemi sped to victory almost from the outset, winning by a margin of 15 seconds. At the 24 Hours of Tokachi, roughly six weeks later, similar results followed, with a 10-lap margin over second place.

After making a single race appearance at the Suzuka GT 300 in April 1995 while Hasemi waited for his improved R33 Skyline, the car was retired before being thoroughly refurbished by Hasemi Motorsport and displayed at the team’s offices. Remaining with a single owner from 1996 to 2022, the car has been carefully preserved since the conclusion of its racing days. It has never been changed from its 1994 racing specification, and as such, this important R32 still retains major race-winning components including its REINIK engine and ECU, Xtrac transmission, AP braking system, bodywork, and mechanical underpinnings. Even the scrutineering stickers from its last race remain affixed to body.

EventRace DateSeriesDriver(s)ResultFuji GT01-May-94JGTCCM. Hasemi10thSendai Highland GT12-Jun-94JGTCCM. HasemiPole, 1st24 Hours of Tokachi23-Jul-94Super N1 TaikyuM. HasemiPole, 1st   H. Fukuyama    Y. Hane Special GT Cup, Fuji14-Aug-94JGTCCM. Hasemi4thSugo GT11-Sep-94JGTCCM. Hasemi3rdSanyo Shinpan GT, Mine01-Oct-94JGTCCM. Hasemi5thSuzuka GT 30002-Apr-95JGTCCM. HasemiPole, 4thTo view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/lf23.