Cult of GT-R by Ryan ZumMallen

Cult of GT-R

A True Story of Crime, Obsession and the World’s Most Coveted Car

By Ryan K. ZumMallen

Now a No. 1 Best Seller.

“Cult of GT-R is more than a book about a supercar — it’s a lens on the Japanese culture that spawned this performance icon.”
— Matt DeLorenzo, former editor of Road & Track and Autoweek

From the author of Slow Car Fast: a fast-paced true story about the history and controversy of the Nissan Skyline GT-R, and the racers, smugglers, and scammers who made it a “dirty word” through the halls of federal investigators.

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Cult of GT-R Standard Edition cover — the Nissan Skyline GT-R book by Ryan ZumMallen, published by Carrara Media

Cult of GT-R Wangan Edition cover — the Nissan Skyline GT-R book by Ryan ZumMallen, published by Carrara Media

About the Book

The Nissan Skyline GT-R was never intended for America.

This was a Japanese sports car built to honor Japanese motorsports heritage — the BNR32, BCNR33, and BNR34 — intended for Japanese buyers, built for Japanese roads, and celebrated on Japanese circuits. There was even a federal law keeping it out of the U.S., known to insiders as the “25-year rule.”

But the legend of the Skyline GT-R grew and grew. Through its on-track pedigree — the R32 that dominated Group A racing so completely it was nicknamed “Godzilla” — Tokyo’s famously illicit street racing scene, and scores of movie and video game portrayals, Americans soon had to have one. The GT-R became the most coveted Japanese sports car in the world, and shady figures scrambled to find ways around the 25-year rule. Often, it ended in handcuffs.

Author Ryan ZumMallen tackles the GT-R’s complicated subculture to meet the enthusiasts and fanatics who move the needle in this community. Informed by his experiences behind the wheel, in the passenger’s seat, and deep inside courthouses from California to Florida, Cult of GT-R moves as briskly as the street racers who pushed the GT-R — and themselves — beyond the limit.

Watch: Cult of GT-R

The GT-R’s Legacy

Few cars in history have inspired the kind of devotion — and desperation — that the Nissan Skyline GT-R commands. The R32 GT-R arrived in 1989 and immediately rewrote the rules of motorsport, winning 29 consecutive Group A races. The R33 refined the formula. The R34 became a cultural icon, immortalized in film, anime, and the dreams of a generation of enthusiasts who grew up knowing they couldn’t legally own one.

That forbidden quality is exactly what Cult of GT-R explores. What happens when desire outpaces the law? What kind of person risks everything — their freedom, their money, their reputation — for a car? ZumMallen spent years finding out, and the answers are stranger and more compelling than any fiction.

This is the definitive book on the Nissan Skyline GT-R. Whether you own an R32, an R33, an R34, or simply dream of one, Cult of GT-R is the book that belongs on your shelf.

About the Author and Editors

Ryan K. ZumMallen is an automotive journalist and the author of Slow Car Fast. His reporting on the GT-R community took him from California to Florida courthouses, behind the wheel of some of the rarest Japanese sports cars in America, and deep into the subculture of vocheros, tuners, and collectors who define the modern GT-R scene.

Helping to bring Cult of GT-R to life is a talented editorial team including journalism professor and culture writer Sarah Bennett (LA Weekly; Los Angeles Times) and automotive columnist and television host Sam Smith (Road & Track; NBC’s Proving Grounds).

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