The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show inspires annual pilgrimages from fans and professional car builders alike. MotorBiscuit went to SEMA to check out some of the wild rides this year, but one vehicle quickly stole our attention. You don’t see a $1 million Nissan GT-R every day, but we did just that at this year’s SEMA showcase of custom cars. Check out what makes this Garage Active R32 GT-R so special, like its full-dry carbon construction and the world’s first HKS RB30 engine.  

Is the Garage Active R32 GT-R at SEMA really worth $1 million?

You read that right; this R32 Nissan GT-R Skyline is a $1 million car. While rank-and-file R32s are collector cars now, this one takes the vehicle’s value and runs with it. Kazushige Sakamoto’s Nissan build is no ordinary Skyline, though; this is a full dry carbon fiber build with an exceptional engine and an out-of-this-world color palette. Don’t blink, though, because it might just change color. 

We caught up with this unique creation at SEMA in Las Vegas, and it’s quite a sight. Oh, and did we mention it produces 930 horsepower at 1.9 bar boost? Sakamoto-san of Garage Active says that’s “low boost.” For us Americans, that’s around 27.55 lbs of turbo goodness. 

What’s so special about the latest Garage Active GT-R?

The first thing we noticed about the custom R32 build at SEMA is its perception-challenging color scheme on its widebody construction. Sakamoto-san’s car is a seamless assembly with arrow-straight carbon fiber weaves. However, fans will quickly note the eye-popping Midnight Purple III color-shifting paint that Garage Active painstakingly applied to the creation. According to Larry Chen’s interview with Sakamoto-san and Kenji Sumino, the process involved eight layers of clear coat, then the unique color-shifting hue, followed by four to five more coats of clear.

The result is a stunning R32 GT-R that changes colors with exposure to light. Moreover, Chen quickly points out that the carbon fiber weaves match interior carbon fiber like perfectly vacuumed carpet grain. Also, the custom build incorporates custom center-lock wheels of Sakamoto-san’s own design. It’s a labor of love if we’ve ever seen one. 

Is the Midnight Purple III GT-R at SEMA the first car with an HKS RB30 engine?

Garage Active’s R32 isn’t just pretty and unique; it’s the world’s first build with an HKS RB30 engine. The straight six-cylinder engine is boosted by a Garrett-sourced turbo big enough to impersonate a commercial jet engine. Of course, the aftermarket RB30 makes big power. Sakamoto-san says the 930-horsepower beast might look beautiful, but it’s destined to race. “Drag racing for sure,” Sumino joked to Larry Chen about the car’s future. 

Is this the first full-carbon widebody R32 that Garage Active built?

This custom dry carbon R32 GT-R cost Sakamoto-san around $70,000 to ship to Las Vegas to grace the SEMA show. It’s clear that the turbocharged carbon car has a special place in his heart. 

However, it’s not even his first full carbon R32. Garage Active built another carbon GT-R without the brilliant Midnight Purple III. Both cars are beautiful and beastly, but the car we met at SEMA and its chameleon impression are nothing short of amazing.