Rallying was massively popular during the eighties and nineties, and more and more Japanese manufacturers wanted a piece of the action. While Nissan had competed in numerous different rally events before, they had been spurred on by the domination of their R32 GT-R in the world of Group A circuit racing.
Nissan’s engineers took it upon themselves to develop a new car that would be suitable for the world of rallying and they decided to base it on the three-door version of the Pulsar (Sunny in Europe).
The end result would be an all-wheel drive, turbocharged 227 hp (169 kW) hot hatch known as the GTI-R. With all that power, the GTI-R could do 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) in as little as five and a half seconds and could keep pulling until a respectable top speed of 232 km/h (144 mph).
While the body did remain much the same as the standard Pulsar/Sunny, the GTI-R was instantly recognisable from its enormous rear wing and aggressive bonnet scoop. There was also a subtle bodykit to add to the striking appearance.
Nissan offered the GTI-R Pulsar in a few different formats, the GTI-RA, GTI-RB, Sunny GTI-R (Europe), Nismo GTI-R, and finally the Autech GTI-R. The GTI-RB was essentially a stripped-down homologation version of the car with no air conditioning, power windows or ABS. It also featured some other changes to the standard RA which you can read in our Nissan Pulsar GTI-R buyers guide here.
The Nismo car was essentially the top spec model produced by Nissan’s in-house motorsports division, Nismo. Only 21 “complete” cars were produced with features such as uprated suspension, a roll cage, limited slip differentials, and chassis strengthening.
While the Pulsar GTI-R is not as fondly remembered as Nissan’s other nineties GT-R badged sports cars, it was still one of the hottest hatches around at the time. But how much did you need to spend to get one of these furious little Nissans and how much is that in today’s money?
When the Pulsar GTI-R first launched in the latter half of 1990, Nissan priced it at ¥2,120,000 in Japan. This was significantly less than the R32 GT-R, which you can read about here. In the section below we have put together a list of the main price changes for the Pulsar GTI-R and what those prices are in today’s money.
Nissan Pulsar GTI-R Original Price in Japan
1990 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R Price (from August 1990)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 117.86 (taken from August 1990).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GTI-R BASE | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,120,000 | 14,441 | 29,067 |
| GTI-R | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,270,000 | 15,463 | 31,123 |
1991 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R Price (from October 1991)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 117.86 (taken from October 1991).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GTI-R BASE | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,144,000 | 16,480 | 31,769 |
| GTI-R | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,294,000 | 17,633 | 33,992 |
1992 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R Price (from August 1992)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 117.86 (taken from August 1992).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GTI-R BASE | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,190,000 | 17,210 | 32,353 |
| GTI-R | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,341,000 | 18,397 | 34,584 |
1993 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R Price (from August 1993)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 117.86 (taken from August 1993).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GTI-R BASE | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,190,000 | 21,190 | 38,762 |
| GTI-R | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,341,000 | 22,651 | 41,435 |
1994 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R Price (from May 1994)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 117.86 (taken from May 1994).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GTI-R BASE | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,190,000 | 26,071 | 46,818 |
| GTI-R | E-RNN14 | SR20DET – 227 hp (169 kW) | 5MT | 2,341,000 | 27,869 | 50,047 |
How Much Does a Nissan Pulsar GTI-R Cost Today?
Prices for the Pulsar GTI-R vary quite a bit depending on the condition, spec level and more. However, most GTI-Rs tend to fall in the range of US$10,000 to $30,000 these days. Really good examples can fetch more with some going for as much as US$40,000 and above. While this is a lot, compared to its bigger brother the R32 GT-R, the Pulsar is a veritable bargain.
If you are on the lookout for a Nissan Pulsar/Sunny GTI-R, make sure you check out our buyer’s guide here. Additionally, have a look at some of the original prices of Nissan’s other GT-R cars such as the R32, R33 and R34.
