Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R

The R33 has spent its whole life as the GT-R nobody mentions first, which is starting to look like an oversight. Launched in 1995, it was bigger and roughly 100 kg heavier than the beloved R32, and that extra heft saddled it with a slightly unfair reputation as the soft one stuck between two legends. Look past the size and the story improves in a hurry.

Mechanically it built on everything the R32 had established. The same RB26DETT twin-turbo six carried over, the ATTESA all-wheel-drive system gained an Active LSD on the V-Spec cars, and the R33 became one of the first production cars to lap the Nürburgring in under eight minutes. The rare Nismo 400R, with a stroked 2.8-liter engine and around 400 horsepower, sits at the top of the range as a serious collector's prize.

For years the R33 was the bargain GT-R, overshadowed by the R32 it followed and the R34 it set up. Frankly, I think its the best looking one of the bunch - it has aged better than the R32, but is more subtly cool than the R34. It is probably the savvy buyer's pick right now, since it delivers the full RB26 experience for noticeably less than its more famous siblings. It is finally getting its due, though, so the window on it staying (relatively) cheap may not be open much longer.