Ryan Drives: MotoRex R32 Skyline GT-R
Smuggling. Fraud. Kidnapping. The car stuck in the middle.
My first experience driving a Skyline GT-R came behind the wheel of a legend
Car was once owned by MotoRex founder and pariah Hiro Nanahoshi
When he fled the country, the car stayed behind. Thank goodness.
“I HAD TO HAVE IT.”
That was the sentence that kept playing over and over in my head. As I pulled up to the meeting spot in downtown Corvallis, Oregon on a sleepy Saturday morning, I remembered what the owner of a gray Nissan R32 Skyline GT-R told me when we first DM’ed on Instagram.
“I had to have it.”
Then I saw it. Parked on the opposite side of the road, the unmistakable four-ringed taillights stood out like beacons for car nerds. They made the car look not only new, but somehow still futuristic. It was over 30 years old, but this car was the most modern thing in sight.
“I had to have it.”
I was on a road trip up the Pacific coast with my mother. But I had stolen away a morning, left her at the hotel, to meet up with a new friend and his legendary car. As I parked and stepped out onto the sidewalk I was greeted by the cheery smile of Michael Spreadbury, local mechanic and Nissan enthusiast. We headed inside for biscuits.
Headlines for Cult of GT-R, my latest book available now
Of course the Skyline GT-R isn’t just a Nissan. If you’ve been following me for any length of time whatsoever, you know the car was originally built for Japan, outlawed in the U.S., and detested by authorities who struggled to control the flow of illegally imports by crazed GT-R fans throughout the 2000s. It’s a wild story. You can buy my book right here.
Michael lusted after the GT-R. Now 55, as a young man he got kicked out of college and took a job at a local Nissan dealership “to support my car habit,” he told me. He became a Nissan and Datsun expert. (Check out his IG here.) But he couldn’t get a Skyline GT-R into the country.
One place could. It was called MotoRex.
The company’s founder, Hiroaki Nanahoshi, or Hiro for short, was a car guy. He had the financial backing and the determination necessary to gain an exemption for legal importing. MotoRex had pulled off a miracle. But Hiro was a car guy. Not a business mogul.
Michael visited MotoRex back then. He even took a ride in Hiro’s personal R32 GT-R. A beast of a thing, it sported flashy aftermarket bodywork and had big performance upgrades, likely making 550 horsepower or more. “It was a short ride,” Michael said. “But very exciting.”
Time caught up with Hiro, and he made mistakes. Customers sued, bills piled up, and MotoRex lost its importing certification. Hiro got desperate – he allegedly tased and attempted to kidnap an associate, and bail was set at $1 million. Eventually he left the country and never returned. Here is Hiro hosting an intro to this video, in better times:
One of the things Hiro left behind was the R32 GT-R that Michael took a ride in all those years ago. When he needed money bad, Hiro used the car as collateral to obtain loans from at least three different people. When he fled for Japan, he skipped on repayment. The car stayed.
It lived a strange life. After Hiro the car sat under a cover for a long time. A customer found it, bought it and promptly had it seized by an over-zealous task force looking for stolen Skylines. A judge ordered they return it to the owner. But by then he was over it. The car went up for sale.
Michael got a call.
“When I found it was Hiro’s car,” Michael told me, “I had to have it.”
Had to have it.
Now he was going to let me drive it. After biscuits, we climbed into our cars and I those four-ringed beacons. It flashed through streets flush with fall foliage and green mountains looming overhead. It was too peaceful, too perfect. Time slowed down. It looked like a video game.
I eased into the driver’s seat. Steering wheel on the right side; manual shifter on the left. I had spent the entire year reading, and researching, and riding in Skyline GT-Rs. But I hadn’t yet driven one. It was both intimidating – the car is nicknamed Godzilla, for god’s sake – yet also friendly. Warm. Welcoming.
I slowly inched out of the driveway and onto the sweeping roads outside of Michael’s home. I concentrated on shifting with my left hand, then turned uphill toward the real twisties, and I got more brave. My foot pressed deeper into the gas pedal. Kept a little more speed through the corners. I braked a little later and a little harder.
How to describe it? The car has a living, breathing personality. It responds in so many different ways, depending on your driving style and technique. It seemed to slither into corners. It seemed to smile when I kept the revs high. The legendary RB motor under the hood felt trucky and steady at first… the titanium exhaust pounds the air around you. Then it gets exciting… the exhaust note turns to a shriek. Then it’s intoxicating. You more enthusiasm you bring to the table, the more it returns. Like a puppy. A puppy that screams and crackles and whooshes.
Michael has returned the Skyline GT-R to a lot of original parts. The wild bumper and stickers are gone. But this car isn’t allowed to be totally stock. The five-speed manual has been upgraded to a coveted Getrag six-speed. All four corners have polished gold six-spoke Rays TE37 wheels. The rear spoiler wears a “Tommykaira” badge, a dead giveaway that the owner of this car knows what they have. Has roots in the scene. And that it’s capable of more than meets the eye.
We return to the driveway and I catch my breath for a second. That just happened. I just shared an experience with the MotoRex legacy. With GT-R royalty. With Hiro himself. He’s been MIA for years. Yet we’ve now flexed the same muscles. We’ve now conducted the same orchestra.
I felt a deep connection. This car emanates the 1990s street scene, where business was done with a wink and a smile, and you better trust the other hand shaking yours because a paper trail wasn’t always a good idea. This car is a relic. A precious gem.
“I am very proud to be the caretaker,” Michael tells me.
The car has lived a sticky life. Under new ownership, it’s allowed to retire now, to rest. To enjoy the crisp Oregon air, the trees changing colors along cresting and swooping roads that haven’t seen your kind before. Haven’t dreamed of your symphony. But happy to hear you sing.
You earned it.
Check out Carrara Media on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and visit our store to order one of our many fine books and eBooks.