Following on from the incredible R32 GT-R that took the world by storm in 1989, Nissan’s next GT-R, the R33 had big shoes to fill. The Japanese car manufacturer had already showed that they could produce a world beating product and expectations were high for the fourth-generation car.
The new GT-R made its first appearance as a prototype at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show, alongside production versions of the standard R33 car. However, while sales of the normal R33 began in 1993, those who wanted the GT-R would have to wait until January 1995.
With such enormous hype surrounding the new car, it was only natural that some were disappointed with what Nissan’s engineers and designers had come up with. The R33 GT-R featured a nearly identical engine to the previous model and the same turbochargers were used. Additionally, the same specification manual gearbox was installed, however, the synchros were stronger on the newer GT-R.
While pretty much all of the engine was the same, there were some improvements, with the most notable being a new wider oil pump that was less likely to fail under high power loads.
With minimal changes to the engine, performance was roughly the same as the R32 GT-R. Power was still stated at 276 bhp (206 kW), however, torque received a slight bump to 367 Nm (271 lb-ft). Despite roughly the same power levels, the 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) time was roughly 0.2 seconds quicker.
As Nissan’s engineers were limited with the engine changes and updates, they turned their attention to other parts of the car. They fitted a new, less draggy bodykit and rear wing, that could also be adjusted to provide increased levels of downforce.
The suspension was also updated with a new two-arm design for the front upper multi-link, while the rear received a boost in travel. Nissan’s engineers also increased the amount of structural bracing to increase rigidity and as a result of the increased weight they fitted larger Brembo brakes. They also updated the four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering systems that made the new GT-R perform better on rougher roads.
Despite the rather lacklustre increase in performance, the R33 GT-R could still compete with many more expensive cars from the period, but just how much did the car cost and what is that in today’s money?
When the Nissan R33 GT-R launched in Japan, prices started from ¥4,785,000 yen, which, like the previous generation GT-R was significantly more than the standard R33 (just over ¥3,000,000 for the top spec non-GT-R R33).
But you probably want to know a bit more information than that. In the section below we have not only put together the prices of the R33 GT-R in Japan at launch, but also what those prices were in USD and what they equate to in today’s monopoly money. At the end of this article, we have put together some info on how much R33 GT-Rs sell for today.
Nissan GT-R R33 Original Price in Japan
1995 Nissan R33 GT-R (from January 1995)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 99.79 (taken from January 1995).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GT-R | E-BCNR33 | RB26DETT 276 hp | 5MT | 4,785,000 | 47,951 | 82,754 |
| GT-R V-SPEC | E-BCNR33 | RB26DETT 276 hp | 5MT | 5,290,000 | 53,011 | 91,488 |
1996 Nissan R33 GT-R (from January 1996)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 104.46 (taken from January 1996).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GT-R | E-BCNR33 | RB26DETT 276 hp | 5MT | 4,845,000 | 46,381 | 77,750 |
| GT-R V-SPEC | E-BCNR33 | RB26DETT 276 hp | 5MT | 5,350,000 | 51,216 | 85,854 |
1996 Nissan R33 GT-R (from May 1996)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 105 (taken from May 1996).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GT-R LM LIMITED | E-BCNR33 | RB26DETT 276 hp | 5MT | 4,998,000 | 47,600 | 79,793 |
| GT-R V-SPEC LM LIMITED | E-BCNR33 | RB26DETT 276 hp | 5MT | 5,503,000 | 52,410 | 87,855 |
1997 Nissan R33 GT-R (from February 1997)
Exchange rate of 1 United States dollar to Japanese yen is 124.56 (taken from February 1997).
| Model | Chassis | Engine | Trans | Price in Yen (¥) | Price in USD ($) | 2020 Price ($) |
| GT-R | E-BCNR33 | RB26DETT 276 hp | 5MT | 4,885,000 | 40,125 | 65,754 |
| GT-R V-SPEC | E-BCNR33 | RB26DETT 276 hp | 5MT | 5,390,000 | 44,180 | 72,398 |
How Much Does a Nissan R33 GT-R Cost Today?
Much like the R32 and the R34 Skyline GT-Rs, the R33 is a serious classic and expect to pay anywhere from around US$30,000 to around $70,000 at the top end. However, special edition models such as the Nismo 400R are much more sought after with prices fetching well north of $100,000 and possibly even closer to $200,000.
Prices for the R33 GT-R aren’t quite as high as the R34 and are more in line with the R32, so your money may go further if you don’t mind either model.
If you want to know how much the R34 GT-R cost new read our article here, while click here for the R32 GT-R original prices. Make sure you also check out our Nissan R33 GT-R buyer’s guide for purchasing advice and info on the history and specs of the car.
