25 photos

New CHROME TEMPLE

‘GODZILLA’ Acquired By The Mach 1 Fund

$1,000,000

Vehicle Overview

Nissan GT-R Group A.

This Nissan R32 GT-R is a competition-built Group A racing car with an unusually significant place in Australian motorsport history. Commonly known as “Godzilla”, it was one of five cars prepared by Fred Gibson’s Nissan Motorsport Australia team for the Australian Group A series and is identified as chassis number four.

The car’s importance comes from the combination of Nissan’s advanced R32 GT-R platform and the extensive local development undertaken by Gibson Motorsport. The original GT-R was engineered by Nissan and Nismo to meet the demands of international Group A racing, where a production-based foundation had to be supported by a homologation run. Nissan produced additional competition cars beyond the required road-going volume, with five ultimately making their way to Australia.

Chassis number four was campaigned during the 1991 and 1992 seasons by Mark Gibbs and Rohan Onslow. It retains the GIO Insurance livery associated with that period, giving the car a visual identity closely tied to the Australian Touring Car Championship era. Its documented competition role is central to its appeal, placing it among a small group of factory-supported or works-developed GT-Rs rather than merely representing a highly modified road car.

At the heart of the R32 is Nissan’s RB26DETT, a 2.6-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six that became one of the defining engines of the GT-R family. The Japanese Group A cars were described as producing 373kW, while the Australian versions developed by Gibson Motorsport pushed close to 470kW. Those figures reflect the depth of the programme’s engineering rather than a simple increase in engine output, with local development also extending to the CV joints, suspension, wheels and gearbox.

A six-speed Holinger transmission was adopted as part of the Australian programme, while the chassis and driveline were refined to withstand the demands of sustained circuit racing. These changes helped transform the already formidable R32 into the car widely regarded as one of the strongest Group A competitors of its time. The results reinforced that reputation, with Gibson-developed GT-Rs winning all but two races in 1991 according to the account accompanying the car.

Its scarcity is equally notable. Of the five Australian Group A cars, one was written off in an accident at the 1990 Australian Grand Prix. Chassis number two later left Australia before competing in Asia and now forms part of the Lindsay Fox Automotive Collection, while chassis numbers three and five remain with a long-time owner. That leaves chassis number four as one of only four surviving examples from the original Australian contingent.

For collectors, the car’s attraction rests on the convergence of rarity, competition provenance and technical significance. It represents the moment when Nissan’s all-conquering R32 GT-R was adapted to the local touring-car environment by a highly regarded Australian team. The result is an important piece of Australian racing history as well as a particularly significant example of the GT-R lineage.

Other highlights include Engine or motor: RB26DETT 2.6-litre twin-turbo straight-six.