Stolen Nissan Skyline GT-R tracked by police in Melbourne using GPS

A rare Nissan Skyline GT-R has been recovered and a man arrested thanks to GPS tracking.

The Skyline GT-R – which police say was worth $250,000 – was allegedly stolen from Melbourne’s north-east when the offender hitched a car trailer to his Ford Territory with the Nissan coupe on board.

The owner of the GT-R had recently imported the car into Australia and had fitted the GPS device to his vehicle when it arrived, but notified police when he noticed suspicious movement from the tracker on Wednesday afternoon.

Police pursued the Territory and trailer and attempted to intercept the vehicle, but a police car was struck by the Ford – with officers avoiding injury in the incident.

The Victoria Police Air Wing then shadowed the vehicle, witnessing it colliding with a fence in nearby Hurstbridge. The male driver attempted to flee the scene on foot before being arrested.

The 20-year-old man from Bundoora in northern Melbourne is currently assisting police with their enquiries.

It’s not clear which generation of Nissan Skyline GT-R was involved in the alleged theft, however current market prices suggest it may have been an 1999-2002 R34 – the final generation of the Japanese sports car before Nissan dropped the Skyline moniker.