Cult of GT-R

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

Author Ryan ZumMallen

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"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.

To buy Cult of GT-R, click here. To read a Q&A with author Ryan ZumMallen, click here.

From the author of Slow Car Fast, a fast-paced tale 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.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R was never intended for America. This was a Japanese sports car built to honor Japanese motorsports heritage, intended for Japanese buyers. 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, Tokyo’s famously illicit street racing scene, and scores of movie and video game portrayals, Americans soon had to have one. The Skyline GT-R soon became the most coveted car in the world, and shady figures and characters scrambled to find ways around the 25-year rule. Often, it ended in handcuffs.

ZumMallen tackles the GT-R's complicated subculture to meet 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.

Helping to bring Cult of GT-R to life is a talented team of editors. Among them are journalism professor and music, food and culture writer Sarah Bennett (LA Weekly; Los Angeles Times) and automotive columnist and television host Sam Smith (Road & Track; NBC's Proving Grounds).