Hot on the heels of the McLaren F1 and Aston Martin DB5, the legendary Nissan R32 GT-R sports car, dubbed the ‘Godzilla’ in view of its unbeatable racing performance in the 1990s, arrived in Port Louis Harbour on 15 October. It disembarked alongside 12 other vehicles set to make a splash when the Milestones Motor Museum opens its doors to the public in late 2026, including the Tatra T87, Nash Metropolitan and the Morgan F Super.
Milestones Limited has announced the arrival in Mauritius of a 1994 Nissan R32 GT-R V-Spec II, which is a special edition of the iconic GT-R which led to the revival of the Japanese car industry in view of its world-beating performance in the 1990s.
This legendary sports car, which forms part of the Milestones Collection from the UK, arrived in Port Louis Harbour on 17 October. It is destined to become a crowd puller alongside the McLaren F1 and Aston Martin DB5, which landed in Mauritius earlier this year, when the Milestones Motor Museum, currently under construction in Beaux Songes, opens its doors to the public in late 2026.
Among 12 other new arrivals in Mauritius are the Tatra T87, Nash Metropolitan and the Morgan F Super, which form part of the unique collection of over 200 vintage and classic cars to be housed and showcased in the Milestones Motor Museum. Milestones is owned and funded in perpetuity by the Star & Key Foundation, a Mauritian foundation entirely funded by Terry Smith, who has donated the car collection to it and who is supervising the construction and operation of the Museum.
Nissan R32 GT-R: the Godzilla that revived the Japanese car industry
Created at a time when Nissan had been struggling to win races or sell cars, the Nissan R32 GT-R would become a legend all around the world, but most of all for winning every single Group A race it entered in the Japanese Touring Car Championship, with 29 consecutive victories in total.
Its supreme reign also extended to Australia, where in 1991 and 1992 it claimed victory twice at the Bathurst 1000 race, with the Australian motor press giving it the legendary nickname ‘Godzilla’, or monster, in view of its dominant racing history. The GT-R also had success in endurance racing, winning both at Nürburgring and SPA which were both 24-hour endurance races.
The secret to the GT-R’s success was its all-wheel drive system, called the ATTESA ET-S, which only engaged the front wheels when the rear wheels would lose traction. This resulted in world-beating performance, propelling the GT-R down a front straight, securing better driving behaviour in turns and delivering unparalleled grip at all times.
The 1994 Nissan R32 GT-R V-Spec II, which has arrived in Mauritius as part of the Milestones Collection, is a special edition of the GT-R that was produced in 1994 as the final R32 variant, which was only available for that year. A total of 1,306 examples were built before the end of the limited production.
The only variations of the R32 G-TR besides the V-SPEC II were 1453 V-SPEC1’s, 560 NISMO editions and 228 N1 cars, making this Japanese monster rarer than most Porsches. The Milestone’s example is a stock standard original car which was sourced in the United States of America.
Tatra T87: an early inspiration for Porsche
The 1946 Tatra Model 87 was one of the first aerodynamic cars for the public road, built in the former Czechoslovakia. The car was one of the fastest production cars in the world at the time, but with questionable handling, leading to a number of fatalities in the European wartime period where German officers were unable to retain control of the vehicle, and it was eventually banned.
The Tatra 87 and similar models, such as the smaller T97, served to inspire Ferdinand Porsche in the design of the Volkswagen Beetle, which bore a striking resemblance to the T97. Volkswagen eventually settled a patent infringement lawsuit in 1965 and was required to pay compensation to Tatra.
Nash Metropolitan: America’s first subcompact car
Noting the popularity at the time of the Volkswagen Beetle and other smaller models, US independent carmaker Nash joined forces with the British manufacturer Austin to conceive the Metropolitan in 1953, which became America’s first subcompact car, representing a true milestone in American automotive history. The Milestones Motor Museum example dates back to 1956.
Designed at the Nash Motor company in Wisconsin and available until 1962, its unmistakable “bathtub” design, a scaled down version of the much larger Nash Ambassador, has given the Metropolitan a unique and very memorable profile.
Morgan F Super: Rare UK classic three-wheeler
The 1950 Morgan F Super three-wheeler hails from the United Kingdom. The car is extremely rare, with only 129 three-wheelers built between World War II and the end of factory production in 1952.
Earlier this year, just before the Milestones Motor Museum shipped this car to Mauritius, this little 1950 F Super was driven back to its birthplace at the Morgan Motor Company in Melvern, UK, 75 years later for a final visit.
Terry Smith: “The Godzilla occupies a unique place in automotive history”
With the arrival of the latest vehicles set to reinforce the position of the Milestones Motor Museum as a unique attraction for Mauritius when it opens to the public, bound to attract tourists from across the globe, Terry Smith commented:
“We can’t wait to share our ‘Godzilla’ with the public at the museum as it occupies a unique place in automotive history. It was literally an unstoppable force in the 1990s, winning every race it entered, revitalising the Nissan brand and restoring the reputation and glory of the Japanese car industry on the global stage. When the vehicle reached the shores of Australia, it was dubbed as the ‘Godzilla’ by the press as it simply crushed the competition in view of its stunning performance.”
“Beyond Japan, I am also looking forward to unveiling other cars which have made their mark across the world. With this latest batch of vehicles conceived in the former Czechoslovakia, the United States of America and United Kingdom all having fascinating stories to tell, they have all played their part in influencing the design of the cars we drive on the road today,” he concluded.
Key Facts: 1994 Nissan R32 GT-R V-Spec II
- Powered by Nissan’s RB26DETT engine, which was a twin-turbocharged 2.6L inline six that was rated at 276hp.
- Engine sends power to all four wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission paired to Nissan’s ATTESA all-wheel drive system.
Other arrivals in Port Louis Harbour
- FIAT X19 Bertone
- Range Rover
- Simca 1100
- Mazda MX5
- Austin Mini Cooper S
- MG TC
- Ford Granada GXL
- Alfa Romeo Alfasud
- Renault 5 Gordini
