A look at GT-R life from the man behind The Rival Garage: Watch video

“This one broke my heart.”

“This one’s loud and ignorant.”

“This one makes grown men cry.”

If you were passing by the Nielson Coach Works shop and overheard these snippets from our conversation with Brad Nielson, who co-owns the business with his brother, Mark, you might think he was reminiscing about ghosts of girlfriends past. Nope. 

He was filming Around the Hood With KSL Cars, talking about his Gran Turismo-Racing imports. Brad owns two Nissan Skyline R32 GT-Rs, one R33 and two R34s. That’s a lot of horsepower in one garage. 

As for the loud, ignorant one? That’s how he refers to his bright yellow R32. With the car's personality in mind, Brad nicknamed this tuner Jeff. 

Who says car names have to be feminine? Photo Credit: Brad Nielson

“That one is 95% race car, 5% street car,” he said of the 1990 Skyline’s bodacious mods. He even raced it against a McLaren on “Bangin’ Gears,” a television show premiering on Amazon Prime in 2024. 

In preparation for the show, Brad created a car in his racing simulator to the exact specifications of his real R32 and completed about 200 laps on the virtual version of the track he’d be racing on. He said the simulator was very accurate, but nothing prepares you for how noisy driving a vehicle like that is in real life, or the strain it puts on your body as you pull roughly two Gs through the corners.

Hear Brad’s R32 roar to life and check out his other Nissan Skyline GT-Rs in this episode of Around the Hood With KSL Cars.

A fine line between love and hate

Brad’s other R32 is the one that broke his heart — and the internet. The black beauty still doesn’t run, despite how deep he’s in it. But those custom tail lights? They garnered a lot of love when he showed them off on his Instagram feed and YouTube channel, The Rival Garage. So. Many. Fire emojis.

Braking has never been so mesmerizing. Photo credit: KSL Cars

Still, he was pretty frustrated with the condition of the black R32 when it was delivered. He half-joked about selling all of his Skylines at that point. Then came the white R34 that he purchased in 2020. This car restored his automotive enthusiasm. He loves this car and its stock parts — cassette deck and all.

“People always ask me when I’m going to modify this one,” Brad said. “But I have enough fast cars. I’m keeping this one quiet.”

Well, except for one pesky part. “At the end of the day, this is still a 1999 Nissan,” he said with a laugh. “The belt squeaks.” 

A white knight in shining carbon fiber. Photo credit: Brad Nielson

This white R34 is his daily driver. He drops his daughter off at school in it. Takes his wife out on dates in it. “We can actually carry on a conversation in this car!” he exclaimed.

Shop all Nissan GT-Rs on KSL Cars →

Purple reign

His other R34, painted midnight purple, is a fast fave for another reason: It’s iconic. The vehicle is so rare that he was able to get a show and display exemption to import it from the United Kingdom before the 25 year limit. 

The tastefully modified ride graced the cover of a magazine. It gets a lot of attention and evokes emotion wherever he goes.“I don’t drive it anywhere unless I have 20 extra minutes to talk to people,” he told us. He feels like it is his obligation as the car owner to do so.

After buying a new transmission for this R34, Brad learned that the part previously belonged to Paul Walker. Photo credit: KSL Cars

Brad enjoys meeting new people and seeing their enthusiasm. He laughed as he talked about tearful reactions from adults, then beamed as he told us the story of a teenage boy who was walking around the vehicle in a grocery store parking lot with his hands on his head, a literal sign that his mind was figuratively blown.

“Dude. This is my all-time favorite car,” the teen told Brad. “It’s my birthday today, my plans fell through, my girlfriend sucks … and then I saw this car.” 

Brad asked the boy if he wanted to sit in the car. Brad started it and let the teen rev the engine a few times. The boy started sobbing happily. Best. Birthday. Ever.

Slow your roll

Despite his rock ‘n roll roots and his love for fast cars, Brad is a family man at the core. The next vehicle he buys isn’t going to be a sports car. “My wife drives a Toyota Land Cruiser, but she wants a Tundra. That’ll be my next purchase,” he said.

Find your own Toyota on KSL Cars → 

And though he takes his kids for rides in his GT-Rs, his young daughter reminds him not to drive too fast. He listens. He’s never received a major speeding ticket nor had a vehicle impounded for reckless driving. He also encourages those in the drift car community to obey traffic laws and drive responsibly.

Brotherly love

Mark Nielson also enjoys revved-up rides, though his taste isn’t as specific to Skylines. He talked fondly of riding Harleys between driving legs in an entertainer coach while touring with bands. And he admired the shell on a Jeep Gladiator in the parking lot. Mark also showed off his “Utah Slideways Patrol” car. 

He found the 1988 Mustang on KSL Cars in 2021 and purchased it. The floor was rotted out; it had boards under the carpet where metal should have been. But he turned it into a crowd pleaser, and drives it at events on Utah Motorsports Campus. Tire marbles inside the driver’s side door are evidence of just how seriously sideways the drifter gets. Follow Mark on Instagram to see it in action.

Having this much fun is perfectly legal. Photo credit: Mark Nielson

The Nielson brothers have found other vehicles on KSL over the years too, including a “designer imposter” Saleen Mustang and a 15-passenger van. KSL Cars has the widest assortment of vehicles for sale in the Mountain West. Find your next ride on KSL. 

Do you or someone you know have an awesome car story? We want to feature it! Send us a message at cars@ksl.com.