Most enthusiasts will remember Nissan’s R34 Skyline GT-R due to its video game greatness and movie appeal. The Nür editions of that time became shorthand for the ultimate factory versions of Nissan’s last Skyline GT-R, and such cars tend to fetch premium prices on the auction circuit. Yet there’s another GT-R star in town that comes from the generation immediately before the R34. Only 44 examples of the Nismo 400R ever appeared, and these vehicles are now hammering for up to seven figures, turning them into the ultimate factory-backed GT-R derivative on the collector scene.
Three 400Rs Have Sold From $857,500 To $995,000
1996 Nismo 400RRM Sotheby’s
During Monterey Car Week in August 2026, a Sonic Silver 400R with chassis number 020 sold for $857,500. This wasn’t a delivery-mile museum piece at all, as it had 93,033 km on its odometer (equivalent to 57,808 miles), so it had certainly enjoyed plenty of use. Earlier in 2026, a White 400R sold for $918,000 at the Amelia auction in Florida, although this car only had the equivalent of 10,136 miles on its clock. But the big star is probably the Dark Gray Pearl 400R, which Sotheby’s sold at Monterey in the fall of 2025. It had roughly 4,400 miles on its odometer and changed hands for a whopping $995K.
Outside of America, there’s further evidence to support the 400R story. In Britain, a Deep Marine Blue example sold for $884,000 in May 2023 after 179 bids. And prices like that start to make a comparison with the R34 Nür particularly striking.
Even A Low-Mileage R34 Nür Has Sold For Far Less
Nissan officials share unknown details about the Skyline GT-R, including the R32, R33, and R34 generations.Bring A Trailer
The R34 Nür is one of Nissan’s most spectacular creations, and it’s far from just an ordinary Skyline. The company created the V-spec II Nür and M-spec Nür as the closing act for its R34 GT-R chapter, using an N1-derived version of the RB26DETT engine with an instantly recognizable gold engine cover. Nissan produced 718 V-spec II Nürs and 285 M-spec Nürs, combining 1,003 examples. And while they remain highly valuable cars, they still appear to be selling for far less than the 400R in today’s market.
As an example, a Pearl White M-Spec Nür with 5,300 km sold without reserve on Bring a Trailer in May 2026 for $444,444. It wasn’t an original factory example, as it had an S-Tune front bumper, Nismo downpipes, and a Fujitsubo exhaust, but it was a good and exceptionally low-mileage example, as one of only 285 M-Spec Nürs. Meanwhile, a 1,700 km V-spec II Nür went on sale in October 2024 on Bring a Trailer, but in this case, even though it attracted a $400,000 high bid, it failed to meet its reserve.
Market benchmarks suggest a price of $441,700 for an M-Spec Nür or $304,400 for a V-spec II Nür. The corresponding benchmark for the Nismo 400R is approximately $894,400, and that just underlines the substantial difference in market interpretation.
Nismo Turned The RB26 Into A 2.8-Liter 395 HP Statement
1996 Nissan NISMO 400R Broad Arrow AuctionsBroad Arrow Auctions
It’s important to understand exactly what a 400R is and why it’s attracting such high-level financial interest. A look under the surface reveals that it’s a much more radical machine than an ordinary R33 GT-R. After all, the standard car’s engine displaced 2,568 cc and had an official 276 hp rating, but Nismo enlarged the engine for the 400R to 2,771 cc by increasing the bore from 86.0 to 87.0 mm and the stroke from 73.7 to 77.7 mm.
This resulted in the new RB-X GT2 engine, producing a published 395 hp at 6,800 rpm and 346 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. The package also included N1-spec metal-turbine turbochargers with reinforced actuators, a dedicated engine computer, revised cooling, and a titanium exhaust.
1996 Nismo 400RRM Sotheby’s
The R33 400R retained the standard FS5R30A five-speed manual gearbox, but it did get a Nismo clutch and driveline. Nismo also fitted a twin-plate clutch, a lightweight chromoly flywheel, and an exclusive carbon fiber driveshaft. And with all that engineering heft, the 400R was able to get to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds on its way to a 186-mph top speed. Those figures illustrate the level of performance linked to this road-going Japanese car as much as three decades ago, when most other serious performance cars in Japan typically turned out around 276 hp.
Some Of The Parts Are Almost As Absurdly Valuable As The Car
1996 Nismo 400RRM Sotheby’s
Looking beyond the drivetrain shows the extent of the 400R’s development. For a start, the car was 50 mm wider than the standard R33 GT-R because it had bespoke overfenders, while it rode 30 mm lower and had 18 x 10-inch three-piece forged wheels.
1996 Nismo 400RRM Sotheby’s
Nismo also specified its proprietary springs, Bilstein dampers, reinforced bushings, and mounts, as well as a titanium front tower bar and revised brake pads. On the outside, the 400R had exclusive aero components, including a CFRP hood, overfenders, and badging. Nismo even specified a carbon driveshaft for the 400R because it said that this option would be 50% lighter than the equivalent steel item.
1996 Nismo 400RRM Sotheby’s
That level of specificity does create an unusual problem for any 400R owner today. After all, many of the pieces that identify a genuine 400R are not ordinary catalog accessories, so replacing missing original hardware will likely be very difficult. And that may explain a 2024 eBay listing of an original 400R trunk emblem that appeared with an asking price of more than $40,000, partially illustrating the scarcity of authentic parts.
The 400R Previewed The Z-Tune Formula Nearly A Decade Earlier
Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Z-Tune front 3/4Nissan
The 400R turned out to be an interesting forerunner to the eventual R34 Nismo Z-Tune, which appeared at the end of 2004 as the company’s ultimate interpretation of the already discontinued R34 GT-R. Nismo sourced suitable used V-spec cars because the company was no longer building R34s, so it had to strip and reinforce those V-specs before installing its 483-hp 2.8-liter Z2 engine. Nismo then used carbon fiber components and race-derived brakes and suspension while carrying out some serious chassis work to complete the transformation.
In the end, Nismo only built 19 of these cars, including the prototype and preservation car, as suitable donor vehicles were becoming increasingly difficult to find. But the family resemblance between the Z-Tune and the 400R is still unmistakable. Back then, Nismo had again taken a Skyline GT-R, expanded its engine, added extensive bespoke body and chassis hardware, and sold the result as an integrated complete car. The 400R wasn’t just a dyno-sheet special. Nismo put a lot of effort into safety, durability, and reliability on public roads to make sure that buyers could actually use this vehicle for everyday chores and not just drive it on a circuit.
1996 Nismo 400RRM Sotheby’s
It’s true that the R34 Nür is still one of the most defining collectible Skylines, but today, there’s nevertheless a clear market hierarchy between it and the 400R. And in any case, the Nismo 400R may be the more spectacular proposition all around. It’s rarer than almost any factory GT-R, technically very ambitious, and is now valuable enough to make even the celebrated R34 Nür look quite attainable.
Sources: Nissan, Nismo, Bring a Trailer, Sothebys, Classic.com.
