1,200-HP Showdown: Nissan R32 GT-R Drags Subaru Impreza WRX, This Race Needs a Rematch

When we think of Japan’s greatest automotive achievements, a few names repeat over and over, no matter how the hierarchy is listed. Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru – and that’s just from the four-wheeled side of Japan’s automaking industry. Naturally, at one point or another, the brands clinched pistons on racetracks far and wide.

Following the official declarations of war under sanctioned high-speed events, the privateers have picked up the trend and made one or another of the JDM demigods their main argument in 1,320-foot debates. Subaru gained world fame as the king of rally, while Nissan wrenched a Godzilla and never looked back.

And this is what we have today in store, all the way from England, by appointment of The Officially Gassed YouTube band of piston heads. It’s an all-wheel-drive bout between two modified old-timers from the Land of the Rising Sun. It’s a duel between one-liners: four-cylinder versus six-cylinder architectures, both force-fed and wearing heavy mods for high performance’s sake.

In the widebody corner sits the 1991 2.6-liter straight-six single-turbo Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R tuned to 638 horsepower (more on this in a moment) with a five-speed manual transmission. The owner-driver estimates around £25,000 (just under 32,000 American Dollars) spent on upgrading the venerable Japanese classic, putting the 1.4-ton icon to 455 hp/ton. The original Godzilla spins all four tires under power and comes with a serious list of mods to keep it on the right side of the checkered flag.

Going up against it is another Japanese emblem of speed – notorious for its antics off-road and, most notably, off-tarmac. The Subaru Impreza WRX is most commonly encountered in its natural habitat, the World Rally Championship, and other similarly mechanics-bending events. This particular example is the 1993 model, which sports a 2.1-liter inline-four with a turbo on top of it. Thanks to scroll-prop induction, the Subaru fires out 612 horsepower.

It's reasonably close to the GT-R to call it an even match, but unlike boxing, the heavyweight is not the favorite on quarter-mile gatherings. And the Subaru comes out on top of the Nissan by being down 440 lbs (200 kg). The caged corner-cutter WRX is the featherweight in this race, at 1.2 tons. With six speeds and all-wheel drive, it is more than entitled to make claims for the overall victory.

Its owner shoved some £35,000 under the hood (that’s the rough equivalent of 44,500 cubic dollars at the January 2024 currency exchange rate). Now’s the time to go back to a previous statement about horsepower outputs. It has been demonstrated time and time again by various makes, models, and mods that power alone isn’t much good without the ability to put it to the ground optimally.

This is what happens in these races, where drivers and their cars take turns missing a launch, a gear, or a signal (the launcher’s, in this case). The GT-R wins the roll races with a two-out-of-three victory and a massive help from the Subaru. The rally legend had some engine issues (apparently, the ECU cut power on the top end, leaving the Nissan all alone over the finish line).

Also, from 40 mph (64 kph), the Skyline R32 GT-R seems to have the upper hand – primarily due to numerically higher gear ratios in its five-speed manual box. While some argue that turbo lag is to be factored in, the Subaru owner clears the air on this topic: his setup allows for very rapid spooling, hence quick redlines, so turbo delay is absolved of all charges.

Surprisingly, despite this mechanical handicap, the Subaru takes the drag stage (again, scoring a 2-1 win). A mis-shift robbed the WRX of a clean three-nil success, prompting viewers to speculate about the outcome with the car in peak form. It also spurred a controversy regarding the actual power outputs of the cars, given their elapsed times.

The acceleration test (100-200 kph / 62-124 mph) doesn’t provide a legitimate comparison since only the Nissan reached that terminal velocity threshold. The GT-R took 8.36 seconds to double its speed, which, for its claimed 638 crank-horsepower, isn’t impressive at all. Still, the Subaru didn’t even hit that speed (most likely due to the issues encountered).

The standing quarter is another affair altogether – the close-ratio Subaru makes the most of its rapid acceleration and gets to the far end in 11.66 seconds at a trap speed of 109.83 mph (176.71 kph). The Nissan’s personal best of the event is six-tenths above its rival’s, at 12.32 seconds, at 120.18 mph (193.37 kph).