R33 GT-R grades: V-spec, N1, 400R, Autech Version and LM Limited

I owned an R33 GT-R. Some R33 GT-R grades are unusual, so if you're buying one in Japan, look into the grade carefully before anything else. A listing title can carry a grade name, and the grade changes what the car should have.

The V-spec

Nissan's own heritage page describes the V-spec as an optional package for the GT-R, first offered on the R32 in February 1993, with Brembo brakes and 17-inch BBS wheels as standard. On the R33 V-spec, the same page names the ATTESA E-TS PRO four-wheel-drive system.

In my view the ATTESA system on the R33 differs between the standard car and the V-spec, so it's worth paying attention to which one you're looking at, though honestly I'm not sure you'd notice the difference driving.

The Autech Version

Nissan's heritage page describes the Skyline GT-R Autech Version 40th Anniversary as a four-door GT-R released by Autech Japan in 1998, built on the four-door R33 body with new rear doors and rear wings (fenders) to match the two-door GT-R's flared arches.

The N1, the 400R and the LM Limited

These are the grades I'd most want someone to look into properly. I've never once seen an N1. I don't see the LM Limited either, other than at events: it's very rare. I'm not going to give you their specifications here, because I haven't checked them against Nissan's own records.

If a car is listed as one of these, treat the name as something to confirm, not something to take on trust.

What we can't tell you

• Whether a car is the grade the listing says. We photograph the chassis number and the model code plate as they are on the car. We don't certify which grade a car is, or whether it's genuine. See what a Japanese chassis number tells you.
• What's been changed since it left the factory. Parts can be swapped onto any car. We photograph what's fitted.

We don't tell you whether to buy. For where an R33 rusts and what goes wrong mechanically, see our R33 GT-R page.

Looking at an R33 listed as a special grade? Send us the listing and tell us which grade it claims to be.

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Questions to ask the dealer

1. What grade is the car, and how do they know? Ask what the model code plate and the paperwork say.
2. Photos of the model code plate and the chassis number, so you can check them yourself.
3. Which parts are original to the car, and which have been changed.

A Remote Check is where we put these questions to the dealer in Japanese, wherever in Japan the car is.

Written by Yoshiaki Sagara, a paintless dent repair and detailing technician in Japan. He looks at cars for overseas buyers through Ninja Desk Japan. About us

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