Wild 1,000hp Nissan GT-R for sale

There's no such thing as a slow R35, but some are even more berserk than others...

By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 19 April 2023 / Loading comments

Big power GT-Rs have been a thing for 30 years now, right back to those R32 Godzillas ripping up the touring car rulebook in the early 1990s. The R33 arrived just in time for the 1990s tuning boom, with unbelievable power figures dominating pre-internet crazy car culture. The reality was often madder than the rumours. The R34 continued in a similar vein, with better technology even more capable of handling whatever lunacy the engine could churn out. The Skylines, like so many cars of its ilk, were born to be tuned; the irony now is that standard ones tend to be more highly prized. But given they should nominally have the power of a Hyundai i30 N, an untouched one could fall a little short of lofty expectations…

Whatever, we’re talking about the R35 here, a car that dropped the Skyline name but continued a whole lot of GT-R traditions: it looked like nothing else, the technology meant it drove like nothing else, and - guess what - an incredible twin-turbo six-cylinder engine gave it performance like nothing else as well. The RB straight-six may have gone for the VR38 V6, but it still delivered more than ample power out of the box and plenty of tuning headroom for those that way inclined. Indeed, it’s hard to find a standard R35 of any kind out there now, given how simply and effectively they can be upgraded.

But then there are modified GT-Rs, and then there’s this one. Once upon a time (just four years ago, in fact), it was a high-spec Track Edition, a very rare car by 2019 with just eight registered in the UK according to the ad. The first owner didn’t skimp, either, adding the ceramic brakes, carbon seats and a carbon roof to what would have already been an £80k car. Then the fun really started…

Despite three owners in just 5,000 miles, every single one has used Litchfield for servicing and tuning, spending more than £75,000 in the process. Yes, really. The LM20 styling kit isn’t just for show - this is apparently a bonafide, 1,000hp Nissan GT-R. Even in the world of EV hypercars and with all that Skyline heritage, there’s something tremendously exciting about a combustion engined with a four-figure power output. Or 989hp, to be precise (but what's a few horsepower between friends?).

Of course, that sort of power, from 580hp as standard, has not come easily. The twin-turbo V6 is now forged (and rated to more than 1,000hp, if you’re a lunatic), benefitting from bigger Borg Warner turbos, new pistons, new valves, Litchfield cams and conrods, uprated injectors, an Akrapovic exhaust, a beefier intercooler… there’s not much left that’s stock. That’s in addition to ECU work, stronger gears, a front Quaife LSD, Litchfield’s handling upgrade, braided brake lines and more. It’s very, very easy to see how the money was spent very quickly, as nothing has been left untouched in pursuit of the ultimate GT-R experience.

Quite what a 1,000hp GT-R feels like isn’t obvious, given the c.600hp ones already feel flippin brisk enough - but if we're all agreed that speed really does matter then the appeal is easy to see. Especially given it looks the part. This R35 doesn’t have a crazy bodykit on it, the Rays wheels aren’t ridiculous, the lights are just lights and - if still not exactly subtle - this one is pretty unassuming given the performance potential. At £160k it’s obviously one of the most expensive ways into an R35 GT-R; on the other hand, it’s one of the most affordable cars out there with 1,000hp at its disposal…