Nissan GT-R R35 v R32: The latest and the greatest at Phillip Island

CarAdvice was recently invited along to the world famous Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit to watch Nissan Australia launch its 2016 motorsport season.


We knew the #23 V8 Supercars Nissan Altima of Michael Caruso would have its updated livery unveiled and we knew the #1A Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 - freshly purchased by Nissan Australia - would be there throwing down some shake-down test laps ahead of its 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour title defence at Mount Panorama. Both very cool bits of kit indeed.

What we didn't know was that two identically finished bookends of Nissan's iconic GT-R lineage would also be there... but they were.

The R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R is famous for dominating Australian Group A Touring Car racing in the early 1990s, and the 1991 'Godzilla' you see here was snapped up by the passionate and devoted team at Nissan Australia at the end of 2015. It also happens to be one of the cleanest, most well-kept and most stock R32s in the country. Oh, and Nissan Australia also claims it was the first Australian delivered R32 GT-R to ever be sold here too.

Tucked up in a back car park - conveniently just in front of a Crimson Blaze R35 GT-R - this burgundy R32 legitimately caught my eye mid-interview with Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Richard Emery - a little awkward sure, but he took the accidental compliment.

And with that, and a little help from the local division's PR head, we had the two cars (roughly, sorry) positioned in a classic 'V' in the car park of one of this country's finest racetracks.

In its day the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R was powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.6-litre in-line six-cylinder producing 206kW of power at 6800rpm and 354Nm of torque at 4400rpm. It featured Nissan's Super HICAS four-wheel steering, as well as the ATTESA E-TS four-wheel-drive system. It could defy the laws of physics through corners, for those brave enough, and it claimed 5.9 seconds 0-100km/h.

Here in MY15 spec - the MY16 update isn't due to launch until the third quarter of 2016 - the R35 Nissan GT-R is powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 producing 404kW at 6400rpm and 628Nm between 3200-5800rpm. Still harnessing the outright grip and traction advantage of four-wheel drive, the R35 GT-R claims 2.7 seconds 0-100km/h.

Click the Photos tab for the full gallery of images by David Zalstein and stay tuned for a full CarAdvice Old v New comparison on these two incredible machines... when we can pry them out of Nissan Australia's hands anyway.

In the meantime, tell us, which GT-R is your ultimate GT-R?

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