Someone in NZ has built a Nissan R32 Skyline ute

What was once a Nissan Skyline R32 GTS4 has appeared as a ute on Facebook marketplace.

Surfacing in the “Modified Cars ONLY Buy/Swap/Sell New Zealand” group across the ditch, this R32 ute has been posted for sale in hopes of finding someone keen on a project, as it’s missing a few things.

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As the photos reveal there’s no engine, drivetrain, front bumper or guards and ECU included. The seller seems to have removed what was previously installed and kept that for themselves.

We don’t blame them. After a quick YouTube search for an R32 ute we found footage (above) of an identical looking car wearing the same number plates and rear windscreen sticker being tuned on a dyno.

At the end of the footage you’ll notice an RB26-looking inline-six hooked up to a rather large turbo when the camera ventures underneath the bonnet, proving this ute’s former life was lived as very much the Japanese version of a Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo ute. Only if there was such thing an all-wheel drive XR6 Turbo. The seller has told us it was being tuned in RWD mode.

The description implies the car was built with serious driving in mind as it rattles off a list of suspension modifications included with the shell.

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Adjustable suspension, adjustable suspension arms, 10-inch wide wheels, 4-piston front brakes and a genuine Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R steering wheel are thrown in the deal. Currently the seller writes they’ve been offered as much $7K for the rolling shell.

The aftermarket Japanese Bride seats pictured, though, are available for an extra fee.

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As for the car itself, it was a runaround for someone before the current owner bought it for the drivetrain. They've also said that the body’s “straight”, save for some paint problems, and that it’s travelled 178,000km.

They also claim that the R32 ute has been formerly “certed” with an “RB26” should someone have plans for legitimately driving the thing around.

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You’ll obviously need a bumper before you get to that stage, though, after the seller writes they sold the GT-R spec front-end for good money.

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While the automotive world has adopted the ute concept in a range of odd applications, from as much as a great April Fool’s joke between BMW engineers, to a front-wheel drive experiment for a man in America with an Integra ute, this is something we've seen before.

Before the C8 Corvette was revealed to the world, it lived as a ute, sort of. A Holden Commodore ute was the test mule for the mid-engined 'Vette. Honda even turned the new Civic Type R into a ute.

You can check out some footage of an R32 drift ute in Japan in all its shockingly vintage grain here. Enjoy.