Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was followed by a brief production run of second-generation cars, under model code KPGC110, in 1973.
After a 16-year hiatus, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 as the BNR32 Skyline GT-R. Group A specification versions of the R32 GT-R were used to win the Japanese Touring Car Championship for four years in a row. The R32 GT-R also had success in the Australian Touring Car Championship, with Jim Richards using it to win the championship in 1991 and Mark Skaife doing the same in 1992, until a regulation change excluded the GT-R in 1993. The technology and performance of the R32 GT-R prompted the Australian motoring publication Wheels to nickname the GT-R "Godzilla" in its July 1989 edition. Wheels then carried the name through all the generations of Skyline GT-Rs, most notably the R34 GT-R, which they nicknamed "Godzilla Returns", and described as "The best handling car we have ever driven". In tests conducted by automotive publications, the R34 GT-R covered a quarter of a mile in 12.2 seconds from a standing start time and accelerated from in 4.4 seconds.
The Skyline GT-R became the flagship of Nissan performance, showing many advanced technologies including the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system and the Super-HICAS four-wheel steering. Today, the car is popular for import drag racing, circuit track, time attack and events hosted by tuning magazines. Production of the Skyline GT-R ended in August 2002. The car was replaced by the GT-R, an all-new vehicle based on an enhanced version of the Skyline V36 platform. Although visibly different, the two vehicles share similar design features and are manufactured in the same factory.
The Skyline GT-R was never manufactured outside Japan, and the sole export markets were Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, in 1991, and the UK. They are also popular across the world as used Japanese imports.
Despite this, the Skyline GT-R has become an iconic sports car as a grey import vehicle in the Western world. It has become notable through pop culture such as The Fast and the Furious, ''Initial D, Shakotan Boogie, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Wangan Midnight, Need for Speed, Forza, Driving Emotion Type-S, Test Drive, and Gran Turismo''.
In 2019, Nismo announced that it would resume production of spare parts for all generations of the Skyline GT-R, including body panels and engines.
History of the brand
The Skyline name originated from Prince automobile company, which developed and sold the Skyline line of sedans before merging with Nissan-Datsun.The original Skyline was launched by the Prince Motor Company in April 1957 and was powered by a 1.5-litre engine. The later iteration launched in 1964 called the Prince Skyline GT was powered by a 2.0-litre G7 inline-6 engine shared with the up market Prince Gloria sedan. Two road going versions were built. The S54A which had a single carburettor engine rated at and the S54B which had a triple carburettor engine rated at and production totalled 100 units.
The GT-R abbreviation stands for Gran Turismo–Racing while the GT-B stands for Gran Turismo–Berlinetta. The Japanese chose to use Italian naming conventions when naming the car – as most cars that were made in Japan at that time used Western abbreviations – to further enhance sales. The earliest predecessor of the GT-R, the S54 2000 GT-B, came second in its first race in the 1964 Japanese GP to the purpose-built Porsche 904 GTS. However, the earlier Prince Skyline Sport coupé/convertible foreshadowed the GT-R as the first sports-oriented model in the Skyline range, hence the name.
The next development of the GT-R, the four-door PGC10 2000 GT-R, scored 33 victories in the one and a half years it raced, and by the time it attempted its 50th consecutive win, its run was ended by a Mazda Savanna RX-3. The car took 1,000 victories by the time it was discontinued in 1972. The last of the original GT-R models, the KPGC110 2000GT-R, used an unchanged S20 inline-6 engine from the earlier 2000 GT-R and only 197 units were sold due to the worldwide energy crisis. This model was the only GT-R to never participate in a major race despite being developed as a sole purpose-built race car, which now resides in Nissan's storage unit for historical cars in Zama.
The Skyline continued into the 1990s when it became popular largely because it remained rear wheel drive, while most other manufacturers were focusing on front wheel drive cars.
Throughout its lifetime, various special editions containing additional performance-enhancing modifications were introduced by Nissan and its performance division Nismo.
First generation (1969–1972)
The first Skyline GT-R, known by the internal Nissan designation of PGC10, was introduced on 4 February 1969, and was exclusive to Japanese Nissan dealership network called Nissan Prince Store when the Prince company was integrated into Nissan operations in 1966. It was available originally as a four-door sedan after a public debut at the October 1968 Tokyo Motor Show. It was advertised alongside the Nissan R380 racecar to showcase the Skyline's racing heritage. It was equipped with the 2.0 L DOHC S20 Inline-six engine rated at at 7,000 rpm and at 5,600 rpm. Power was delivered to the rear wheels by a 5-speed manual transmission and the car was equipped with a limited-slip differential. The first Skyline GT-R rode on a semi-trailing arm strut suspension. The braking system consisted of disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. It was available in a coupé bodystyle in March 1971 with the chassis code KPGC10.The interior of the car was very basic and featured racing bucket seats and a three-spoke steering wheel along with wood inserts. The pedals were finished in aluminium.
A popular name for the PGC and KPGC10 Skyline GT-R was Hakosuka, which combines the Japanese word for box and the pronounced abbreviation of skyline.
A total of 1,945 PGC and KPGC10 Skyline GT-Rs were produced.
Second generation (1972–1973)
The KPGC10's successor, the KPGC110, was introduced in 1973 after its introduction at the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show. Powered by a 1,989 cc S20 inline-6 engine, the second generation of the GT-R delivered power to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. This car also had both front and rear disc brakes. The suspension was a semi-trailing ring arm setup and minor aerodynamic parts were added.This model of the GT-R was also known as the Kenmeri Skyline, due to a popular advertisement featuring a young couple enjoying the Hokkaido countryside. The advertisement later spawned a hit song by Buzz, and the tree featured in the advertisement later became a minor star itself.
A total of 197 cars were built by the end of its short production run. For the next decade, this was the last GT-R until the production of the R32 in 1989.
Third generation (1989–1994)
Concept
After discontinuing the Skyline GT-R in 1973, Nissan revived the GT-R nameplate 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 of the GT-R, E-BNR32 chassis, was designed to dominate Group A class racing.Nissan Kohki originally tested a twin turbocharged bored and stroked version of the RB20 engine. This set up resulted in a power output of and used a rear wheel drive drivetrain. Under Group A regulations, a turbocharged engine must multiply its engine displacement by 1.7, putting the new Skyline in the 4,000 cc class, and requiring the use of 10-inch-wide tyres. Knowing that they would be required to use 10-inch-wide tyres, Nissan decided to make the car all wheel drive. Nissan developed a special motorsport-oriented AWD system for this purpose called the ATTESA E-TS. Although this assisted with traction, it made the car heavier; the added weight put the GT-R at a disadvantage to other cars in the 4,000 cc class. Nissan then made the decision to increase the displacement to 2,600 cc, and put the car in the 4,500 cc class, with the car's weight near-equal to competing cars. The 4,500 cc class also allowed for 11-inch-wide tyres. New engine block and heads were then developed to better match the increased displacement. The result was a car that had a power output of. Later REINIK produced Group A racing engines rated between depending on track conditions.
Production
This new RB26DETT-powered all wheel drive concept was put into production as the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R. The R32 developed at 6,800 rpm and of torque at 4,400 rpm, it had a curb weight of. Nissan officially started its production run 21 August 1989, and began its Group A campaign in 1990.The Skyline GT-R Nismo, identified by the model code suffix "RA", was introduced on 22 February 1990 and attracted a premium of over the standard car. It existed to homologate a number of changes related to performance, aerodynamics, weight-saving and reliability for Group A racing. Those rules required a production run of 500 units, under the "Evolution" special regulations, but an additional 60 were produced and held by Nissan to turn into race cars, rising the production total to 560 units. Aerodynamic changes include: two additional ducts in the front bumper and removal of the protective honeycomb mesh to improve airflow to the intercooler, a bonnet lip spoiler to direct more air into the engine bay, deeper rear spats, and an additional boot lip spoiler to provide more downforce. The Nismo specification deletes ABS, which is not legal in Group A, and the rear wiper to save weight. The bonnet and front panels are aluminium in all GT-R models rather than the standard steel in non GT-R models, again to save weight. Overall the GT-R Nismo weighs compared to for the standard GT-R. Tyres are Bridgestone RE71 in 225/55R16 fitted to 16-inch alloy wheels. Mechanically, the GT-R Nismo uses the RB26 engine of the 'standard' GT-R but replaces the standard Garrett T03 turbo chargers with larger T04B models, sacrificing the faster spool up of the ceramic turbo wheels for the enhanced reliability of steel wheels. The GT-R Nismo was only available in colour code KH2 "Gun Grey Metallic". Other minor, but noticeable, changes include a circular "Nismo" logo on the right-rear of the boot lip, lack of radio tuning controls on the dashboard console, and cross-drilled brake rotors. Nismo-branded options available included a speedometer, 3-inch cat-back exhaust system, front suspension tower brace, sports shock absorbers, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a rear spoiler with a built-in third brake light.
The Skyline GT-R 'N1' model, was introduced on 19 July 1991, and designed for home-market N1 racing with a total of 245 units eventually produced. The most notable change was in the engine, which was upgraded to the R32-N1 specification. Building on the 'Nismo' car's specification, it was also lightened by the removal of the ABS, and rear wiper, but for 'N1' the air conditioning, sound system, and boot carpet were also deleted, and distinctive light-weight headlights were fitted. 'N1' cars also had reinforcing for the brake master cylinder and additional brake cooling ducts under the car. All 'N1' cars were delivered with a thin layer of colour code 326 "Crystal White" paint.
To celebrate the success of the GT-R in both Group N and Group A racing, Nissan introduced the Skyline GT-R V·Spec package on 3 February 1993. The V·Spec added Brembo brakes and a retuned ATTESA E-TS system. The V·Spec was available in both 'plain' and 'N1' variants, with all V·spec cars using the lightweight aluminium bonnet and front bumpers from the 'Nismo'. The cars also replaced the standard 16-inch wheels with 17-inch BBS wheels with 225/45R17 tyres.
Finally on 14 February 1994, the Skyline GT-R V·spec II was introduced, with the only change being wider 245/45R17 tyres. The 'plain' V·spec and V·spec II had a curb weight of, weighing more than the standard GT-R. Total production of the V·spec and V·spec II was 1,396 and 1,306 units respectively.
Production of the R32 Skyline GT-R ceased in November 1994 after a production run of 43,937 units.
The most popular colours are KH2 "Gun Grey Metallic", followed by 326 "Crystal White", 732 "Black Pearl Metallic", KL0 "Spark Silver Metallic". The rarest colour is BL0 "Greyish Blue Pearl" with only 141 units.
In 1989, the Japanese Best Motoring television program conducted a test at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a production version Nissan Skyline GT-R R32. Driven by Motoharu Kurosawa, the car completed a lap time of 8:22.38 minutes around the semi-wet condition circuit, making it the fastest production vehicle around the track.
As of August 2014, the first R32 Skyline GT-Rs became eligible for US import under the NHTSA "25 year" rule that allows vehicles that are 25 years old or older to be imported. Due to their age, these vehicles do not have to comply with federal emissions or with federal motor vehicle safety standards.
The R32 Zero-R was a special tuner edition which was engineered by HKS with. 10 were made but only 4 remain in existence. One was bought by the Sultan of Brunei. One of them was bought at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Salon for and sent to Australia.
The R32 Tommy Kaira GTR was another limited edition, with only 95 ever produced. At the time two specs were available: "RL" & "R".