The Privateer Godzilla.

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INTRODUCTION

There are race cars that were successful in-period, and there are race cars that come to represent an entire chapter of motorsport history. The Gibson Motorsport Nissan R32 GT-Rs belong firmly to the latter. Emerging at the sharp end of Australian touring car racing, they became the machines that altered the balance of power and helped bring the Group A era to its close. Chassis #4 of 5 sits within that story as one of the very few genuine Gibson GT-Rs to exist, and today stands as a rare opportunity to acquire an authentic piece of the Godzilla era, one defined by technical superiority, controversy, and lasting cultural significance.

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VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS

This 1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R Group A is Chassis #4, one of just five Gibson Motorsport-built examples and uniquely the only customer car commissioned outside the factory-backed team. Ordered by Bob Forbes and campaigned in GIO Insurance livery by Mark Gibbs and Rohan Onslow, it combines singular provenance with front-line period success. In 1991, it won the Sandown 500, then qualified on the front row for the Bathurst 1000 and finished third outright, cementing its place as one of the most significant privateer touring cars of the era. Presented in "as-raced" livery and accompanied by a collection of race-related memorabilia, it offers collectors a rare combination of identity, history and immediate recognisability. This car remains in the mechanical care of it’s founding engineer, Mr Alan Heaphy.

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‍• Chassis: 4 of 5 Gibson Motorsport-built GT-Rs 

• Livery: GIO Insurance (original, "as-raced")

• Engine: RB26DETT 2.6L twin-turbo straight-six N1 Block

• Transmission: 6-speed Holinger manual   

• Drive: All-wheel drive

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Race History:

• 1st: 1991 Sandown 500

• Qualified front row (#2): 1991 Bathurst 1000

• 3rd: 1991 Bathurst 1000.

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Status:

• Maintained in as-raced 1991–92 specification

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OPTIONS & EQUIPMENT

• Group A Competition Specification

• RB26DETT Twin-Turbocharged Straight-Six

• Holinger 6-Speed Manual Gearbox

• ATTESA E-TS All-Wheel Drive

• "As-raced" GIO Insurance Race Livery

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DOCUMENTATION INCLUDES‍

Accompanied by period memorabilia including:
• GIO replica model car (signed by former Gibson Motorsport Team Manager, Alan Heaphy)

• Custom plates (QLD)

• Driver race suit (Mark Gibbs)

• Pit crew uniforms

• Maintains original configuration and components from the early ’90s

• Car show commemorative A-frame

• Second set (original) wheels

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MODEL HISTORY

The Nissan R32 GT-R arrived in Australia amid one of touring car racing’s fiercest eras. By the early 1990s, legends like Dick Johnson and Peter Brock had made the Group A era truly iconic, but it was the arrival of Nissan’s so-called Godzilla that brought it to a dramatic end.

Debuting in the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship, the GT-R would go on to claim back-to-back ATCC titles and consecutive Bathurst 1000 victories in 1991 and 1992. Its success was immediate, overwhelming, and ultimately terminal for the category.

Built to homologate the E-BNR32 chassis for Group A racing, the GT-R featured a 2.6-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six, ATTESA all-wheel-drive, and advanced aerodynamics. While Japan produced 500 road-going units to satisfy FIA regulations, just five fully prepared race cars were constructed by Fred Gibson’s Nissan Motorsport Australia team, each developed far beyond factory specification using global technologies and relentless local engineering.

Producing approximately 470kW (650hp) in race trim, the Gibson GT-Rs dominated the field. Their superiority was so complete that it’s long been rumoured Nissan asked Fred Gibson not to bring his team to race in Japan, fearing they’d embarrass the factory effort.

With extensive local enhancements, from suspension and drivetrain to wheels and the bespoke Holinger gearbox, the R32 earned its fearsome nickname: Godzilla, coined by a journalist at Wheels Magazine. By the end of 1992, the GT-R had so thoroughly outclassed its competition that CAMS abandoned Group A regulations entirely, making way for the V8 Supercars era.

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DEALER HIGHLIGHTS

Offered by the only dealership in Australia partnered with an automotive investment fund, specialists in collectible, investment-grade vehicles curated as Automotive Art. Each car is selected for its provenance, significance, and long-term value.

Backed by premium concierge services including finance, enclosed transport, detailing, storage and collection management, ensuring a seamless ownership experience from acquisition through to long-term portfolio integration.

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FINAL SUMMARY

Chassis #4 stands as one of the most compelling surviving pieces of the Australian GT-R story: one of five Gibson Motorsport-built cars, the only customer example, a Sandown 500 winner, and a Bathurst front-row starter and podium finisher. Its significance is built not on mythology alone, but on singular provenance, documented results and direct association with the period when the R32 GT-R became one of the most feared touring cars of its era. For a collector, institution or serious custodian of Australian motorsport history, it represents an opportunity to secure a genuine cornerstone car from the Godzilla chapter.