After cancelling the Skyline GT-R in 1973, Nissan revived the GT-R again in 1989. At the time Nissan was competing in Group A Racing with the Skyline GTS-R. Nissan wanted to retire the GTS-R in favor of a more competitive vehicle. The new generation GT-R, E-BNR32 chassis (commonly shortened to R32), was designed to dominate Group A racing.

This new 2.6 L all wheel drive concept was put into production as the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R. The R32 developed 286 hp and 361 Nm of torque, it had a curb weight of 1,430 kg. Nissan officially started its production run August 1989, and began its Group A campaign in 1990. . Coupled with twin T28 Garrett turbochargers. Also featured as a premier was the ATTESA-ETS (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain - Electronic Torque Split) all-wheel drive system. The car achieved phenomenal success both from the commercial segment as well as from racing. Another important feature seen on the R32 was the Super HICAS all-wheel steering system, which allowed the rear wheels to steer a maximum of one degree, making the car feel more nimble and improve handling.

Total production of the R32 Skyline GT-R was 43,934 units, with production starting on August 21, 1989. An above average proportion of the GT-R's were sold in white: this is likely because white is the national racing color of Japan in international motorsport.