Progress Bar R32 Part 18: California Dreamin'

Eight years and four months ago this blog first came into being. If you've been reading and putting up with my eccentricities since then you'll know that I started this website after buying a rare Nismo R32 GT-R to add to the 2010 R35 GT-R I already owned. At the time I thought the R32 would just be a side project I could work on when time allowed, restoring it a bit, but not some major commitment for my time and money. I also thought that R32s would go up in value but not by too much since they're old and they were relatively cheap back then.

I was about as right in those assessments as the guy who said we'd never see another war in Europe within our lifetimes. Oh wait, I forgot, that's just a "special military operation" - so maybe GT-Rs will go back to being cheap eventually. Who knows?

On an uncharacteristically gloomy day in Southern California back in 2015 I paid the hefty sum of one thousand simoleons per year of age for a 25 year old used car with faded paint, an interior that smelled like it had been pulled out the same warehouse as the Ark of the Covenant, and what looked like garden hose connected to parts of the engine.

If you want to laugh at my wishful thinking when I first acquired my steed here's a link to the very first Progress Bar Post:

Taking Stock

Fast forward eight years later and one engine meltdown, two complete dash removals, and more trips back and forth to Phoenix for engine and exterior work than I can count, this is how that dusty, forlorn car looks now:

I think it's been quite the glow up, IMHO.

Since my last update she's gotten some snazzy Nismo S-tune inspired stripes – only instead of Nismo's black, red, and silver I opted for black, purple, and silver to stand for my three GT-Rs which are black, purple, and grey (the silver is subbing for grey because if I used a grey stripe on this car then you wouldn't see it now, would you?).

A few other minor touch-ups have also happened like adding some hood dampers and minor trim pieces. Everything would have been done much sooner if it weren't for some silly virus that screwed with everyone's schedules and one clear bra installer who decided to screw me over specifically by doing a crappy job that required a complete respray of the front bumper and re-do of said clear bra by a better shop.

The really big news though is that now that she's looking presentable I've decided to apply for entry to Japanese Classic Car Show this October in Long Beach, California. That's been my goal for this car ever since I decided to do some proper restoration work on it and I got my acceptance email just last week! These photos are from the set I submitted to the show so that the organizers could see if I was worthy of a patch of asphalt at their event. Apparently bribery and begging don't help so I'm glad they decided to have mercy on me.

Technically my R32 has already been featured at JCCS and won an award there but that was during the 2020 World Matsuri Week when everyone was still in lockdown and the show was done online through photo and video submissions. This time I'm doing it live...and hopefully won't embarrass myself in the process!

The show is on October 7^th so if you're going and happen to see my R32 there please feel free to stop on by and say hello!  It'd be wonderful to meet anyone who's ever found this blog helpful or entertaining over the years! Here's a link to the JCCS website if you need more info:

JCCS 2023

Hope to see you there and drive safe everybody!