R32 GT-R Drag Races Newer R33 and R34, Disaster Strikes Twice

Regardless of the answer, one thing is for sure. It's a whole lot rarer to see all three cars together at the same time. And if that happens, it's usually at trade shows or GT-R club meetings. Most of the time, you'll see these parked or leaving the event in a hurry at best. But have you ever seen a 3-way GT-R drag race before? To make things even more exciting, if you do the math, you'll see that we're looking at close to 3,000 horsepower here.

Now, we've already seen the white R34 GT-R on this show, and this is a truly amazing machine. The last time we checked, this was rated for 800 horsepower. But it seems that paying a visit to a local dyno revealed a total output of about 672 horsepower instead. That's still not bad for a car that's almost 20 years old. Since the last race, the car has gone on a diet and now weighs about 3,351 lbs (1,520 kg).

But it's got some serious competition today. The R33 GT-R presented up next is running an R34 Nur 2.8-liter engine. If that doesn't sound crazy enough, this car is using a legendary HKS T51R turbo, so it's no wonder it puts out over 900 horsepower. Because this R33 is lighter than the R34, at 3,086 lbs (1,400 kg), and that it has a Hollinger 6-speed sequential gearbox, it just became the main contender for today's quarter-mile (402 meters) race.

The third car that's lining up for the challenge is a widebody R32 GT-R that's also churning out about 930 horsepower. It weighs in at 3,306 lbs (1,500 kg), but at least it has a PPG 6-speed sequential gearbox to work with. At this point, it doesn't sound like the R32 or R34 will be able to keep up with the R33, but time will tell. As always, with this show, the cars will go through various tests, starting with a 0 to 60 mph (96 kph) challenge up to a rolling drag race.

Grip levels are less than ideal, but luckily all three cars have the benefit of AWD. The R34 is up first, and it manages to get up to 60 mph in 3.44 seconds. But the R33 crushes that result, with a time of 2.9 seconds. The R32 GT-R comes in second place, with 3.07 seconds. It's time to raise the stakes and see what these three cars handle the standing quarter-mile test.

The white R34 crosses the finish line in 11.14 seconds but faces disaster right after the run is over. There's smoke coming from under the hood of his car, and then the engine bay bursts into flames. Luckily someone comes over with an extinguisher and saves the day. The R33 GT-R is up next, and it doesn't seem to be fazed by its opponents, not even for a bit. It records a time of 10.33 seconds, which is 0.15 seconds faster than the R32 GT-R.

The three cars line up for the main race, and then disaster strikes once again. This time the R32 is out of the race after breaking its transfer box attempting to launch off the line. So it's all up to the R34 to defeat the monstrous R33. The driver of the newer car has a moment of hesitation, and that's all its opponent needs. It starts to rain, and grip levels are even worse than before, and the R34 manages to make a comeback, winning its first run of the day.

The R33 driver complains about some technical issues and manages to turn the tables on the rerun. The R34 is seriously outgunned in this battle, and things got even worse for it during the rolling race. At the end of the day, there's no way you can win against someone with more power, less weight, and a sequential gearbox too.