History of Nissan Skyline GT-R -Wet dream of every car enthusiast

Hello fellow gearheads! Today we will talk about, probably one of the most famous and most recognizable cars ever produced. I'm talking about car that is basically wet dream for every gearhead, doesn't matter on which generation of this car you are thinking right now. I'm talking about car that swept all its competitors under the floor. I'm talking about car that is such legend among all other cars that it deserves its own monument in „Car's Hall of Fame“, if it exist, ofcourse.


By the way, why are we not building Car's Hall of Fame anyways? Nevermind, I got distracted.


What was I talking about? Oh yeah. I'm talking about car that terrifies the crap in people when you mention it to them. I'm talking about the car that is sore point of every supercar and hypercar on the world because it is capable of beating the shit out of them. We all watched videos on Youtube.


The car in question is, ofcourse, Nissan Skyline GT-R or as we all prefer it as the Godzilla.

I have to mention that we won't talk about the R35 GT-R. Now,I know you will ask me“Why the **** you don't include the R35 GT-R?? It's basically a Skyline you dumb ****!“. Calm down and listen to me. The reason for that is because Nissan announced that in the future their GT-R models won't have Skyline in the future so basically R35 GT-R is new brand form Nissan. But fear not my fellow gearheads, we will talk about R35 GT-R soon, I promise.


Lets talk about basic fats about Skyline first. Skyline is sports car produced by Nissan and it was produced from 1969 to 2002 when Nissan decided to drop name Skyline from production. Not a single example of the Skyline, or just GT-R now, was never produced outside of Japan and the assembly is located in Masashimurayama in Japan. The first Skyline GT-R models were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the code name KPGC10 and it enjoyed the legendary success in local Japanese touring car racing. After this model Nissan produced second generation and it was produced by just brief amount of time, only one year in 1973. After this generation Nissan had drought that lasted for 16 years and until they finally remembered to produce the new Skyline. The new model with code name BNRR32 or the R32 GT-R was the third generation of the legend on the four wheels and it also enjoyed the huge success in racing. It won the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1991 and 1992 until a regulation change excluded the GT-R in 1993. The nickname „Godzilla“ was given by the Australian motoring publication Wheels in 1989 because of GT-R's technologies and performance. As I said before, not one example of Skyline was ever produed outside of Japan and it's fame and glory got through pop culture, such as The Fast and Furious franchise, Need for Speed franchise, Grand Turismo franchise etc.


The Skyline name originated from Prince automobile company which developed and sold the Skyline line of sedans before merging with Nissan-Datsun. The GT-R abbreviation stands for Gran Turismo Racer and they used another abbreviation as well, the GT-B which stands for Gran Turismo Berlinetta. The reason for that was enhancing sales in western countries.


The earliest predecessor of the GT-R, the S54 2000 GT-B, came second in its first race in 1964 to the purpose-built Porsche 904 GTS. However, the earlier Prince Skyline Sport coupe/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 Savana RX-3. The car took 1000 victories by the time it was discontinued in 1972. The last of the original GT-Rs, the KPGC110 2000GT-R, used an unchanged S20 119 kW (160 hp) inline-6 engine from the earlier 2000 GT-R and only sold 197 units due to the worldwide energy crisis. This model was the only GT-R to never participate in a major race despite the 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 released by Nissan and its performance division NISMO (Nissan Motorsport).



KPGC10 (First Generation)


The first Skyline GT-R, known by the internal Nissan designation PGC10, was released 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 heraldry. It was equipped with the 2.0 L DOHC S20 I6 producing 160 hp (120 kW) at 7000 rpm and 177 Nm of torque at 5600 rpm. Power was delivered to the rear wheels by a 5-speed manual transmission. The first Skyline GT-R rode on a semi-trailing arm strut suspension. It was available as a coupe in March 1971 with the chassis code KPGC10.

A popular name for the PGC and KPGC10 Skyline GT-R was "Hakosuka," which combines the Japanese word for box ("hako") and the pronounced abbreviation of skyline ("Suka")


A total of 1,945 PGC and KPGC10 Skyline GT-Rs were produced.

KPGC110 (Second Generation)


The KPGC10's successor, the KPGC110, was released in 1973 after its introduction at the 1972 Tokyo motor show. Powered by a 1989 cc I6 S20 engine, the second generation GT-R delivered power to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. This car also had both front and rear disk brakes. The suspension was a semi-trailing ring arm setup and minor aerodynamic parts were added.


This edition of the GT-R was also known as the "Kenmeri" Skyline, due to a popular advertisement featuring a young couple (Ken and Mary) 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.


Unfortunately, the second generation GT-R was unsuccessful, for a gasoline crisis hit in the early 1970s, drying out any demand for high-performance sports cars. 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.

E-BNR32 (the third generation 1989-1994)


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.


Nissan Kohki (Nissan's power train engineering and manufacturing facility) originally tested a twin turbocharged 2350cc bored and stroked version of the RB25. This set up produced 313 HP and used a RWD drivetrain. Under Group A regulations, a turbocharged engine must multiply its engine displacement by 1.7, putting the new Skyline in the 4000 cc class, and requiring the use of 10-inch-wide tires. Knowing that they would be required to use 10-inch-wide tires, Nissan decided to make the car all wheel drive. Nissan developed a special motorsport-oriented AWD system for this purpose called the ATTESA ET-S. Although this assisted with traction, it made the car 100 kg heavier; the added weight put the GT-R at a disadvantage to other cars in the 4000 cc class. Nissan then made the decision to increase the displacement to 2600 cc, and put the car in the 4500 cc class, with the car's weight near-equal to competing cars. The 4500 cc class also allowed for 11-inch-wide tires. New engine block and heads were then developed to better match the increased displacement. The result was a 600 HP car. Later REINIK (Racing & Rally Engineering Division Incorporated Nissan Kohi) produced Group A racing engines between 500–650 HP depending on track conditions.

This new 2.6 L all wheel drive concept was put into production as the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R. The R32 developed 206 kW (276 hp) and 266 lb·ft (361 N·m) of torque. Nissan officially started its production run August 1989, and began its Group A campaign in 1990. Due to strict Group A homologation rules, Nissan was required to also sell a series of the Skyline GT-R that more accurately reflected the car they use in Group A racing. They called this series the Skyline GT-R NISMO edition.


The Skyline GT-R 'Nismo' (identified by the model code suffix "RA") was introduced on 22 February 1990. A production run of 500 units was required under the Group A "Evolution" special regulations. An additional 60 where produced and held by Nissan to turn into race cars, giving a total production of 560 units. Its purpose was to homologate a number of changes, mostly aerodynamic and weight-saving, for use in Group A racing. Aerodynamic changes included: two additional ducts in the front bumper 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' car deleted ABS, which was not legal in Group A, and the rear wiper, to save weight. The bonnet and front fenders were made of aluminium rather than the standard steel, again to save weight. The GT-R Nismo was only available in colour code KH2 "Gun Grey Metallic".


The Skyline GT-R 'N1' model (identified by the model code suffix "ZN"), was introduced on 19 July 1991, and designed for home-market N1 racing with a total of 245 units eventually produced (118 of these are 'N1', 64 are 'V.spec N1', and 63 are 'V.spec II N1' - see below explanation of 'V.spec'). The most notable change was in the engine, which was upgraded to the R32-N1 specification. Like the 'Nismo' car 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. The result overall was a 30 kg weight savings.


To celebrate the success of the GT-R in both Group N and Group A racing, Nissan introduced the Skyline GT-R V.spec ("Victory SPECification") package on 3 February 1993. The V.spec added Brembo brakes and a retuned ATTESA ET-S system. The V.spec was available in both 'plain' and 'N1' variants, with all V.spec cars using the lightweight aluminium bonnet and front fenders from the 'Nismo'. The cars also replaced the standard 16" wheels with 17" BBS wheels with 225/45R17 tires.


Finally on 14 February 1994, the Skyline GT-R V.spec II was released, with the only change being wider 245/45R17 tires. The 'plain' V.spec and V.spec II weighed 50 kg (110 lbs) more than the standard GT-R. Total production of the V.spec I and II was 1,453 and 1,303 units respectively.


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 colour of Japan in international motorsport.




E-BCNR33 (The fourth generation 1995-1998)


The E-BCNR33 (R33) was developed in 1995 as a successor to the R32 model. The engine in the R33 was nearly identical to the R32. It used the same turbochargers and the same specification for the manual gearbox, although the syncros were stronger. The engine corrected the R32's weak oil pump drive collar, which tended to fail in higher power applications, by using a wider collar. The base model R33 GT-R weighs 1,540 kg.


The R33 GT-R launched in January 1995 with the base model GT-R and the V-SPEC model. The V.spec model weighed in 10 kg heavier, and had sportier suspension resulting in lower ground clearance. The V.spec also featured the newer ATTESA ET-S Pro all wheel drive system, which included an Active Limited Slip differential. The V.spec model also included a four-wheel independent channel anti-lock braking system.


At the same time as the release of the R33 GT-R and GT-R V.spec, Nissan released the R33 GT-R V-SPEC N1 model. Changes made in the R33 N1 are similar to those in the R32 N1. The car was made lighter by removing the ABS, air conditioning, sound system, rear wiper, and boot carpet. The R33 GT-R V-SPEC N1 received the slightly revised R33 N1 engine.


The R33 ended production on 9 November 1998. The last one that rolled off the line came in a R34 colour, as it shared the same colour code.

GF-BNR34 (The fifth generation 1999-2002)


The GF-BNR34 (R34) Skyline GT-R and GT-R V-SPEC models were released in January 1999. The R34 GT-R was also shorter (from front to rear), and the front overhang reduced. The valve covers were painted glossy red (colour code Cherry Red Effect Z24 or X1020), as opposed to black in previous models. A new feature on the R34 GT-R is a 5.8" LCD multifunction display on the center of the dashboard, which shows seven different live readings of engine and vehicle statistics such as turbocharger pressure (1.2 bar max), oil and water temperature, among others. The GT-R V-SPEC model added two extra features to the display: intake and exhaust gas temperatures. NISMO Multi-function Displays (MFD) can be bought at an extra cost, they include a lap timer, G-Force meter and an increase in boost pressure measurement to 2 bar. The R34 GT-R was made shorter in response to customer concerns who thought the R33 was too bulky.


Like the R33, the new R34 GT-R V-SPEC (Victory Specification) models come equipped with the ATTESA ET-S Pro system and an Active LSD at the rear, while standard GT-R models come with the non-Pro system and a conventional mechanical differential. The V-SPEC model also had firmer suspension and lower ground clearance, thanks to front and side splitters, as well as a rear carbon fiber air diffuser, designed to keep air flowing smoothly under the car.


Another special model of the R34 GT-R is the M-SPEC. It was similar to the V.spec, but had special "Ripple control" dampers, revised suspension set up, stiffer rear sway bar and a leather interior with heated front seats. The 'M' on the M- SPEC stood for Mizuno who is the chief engineer of Nissan.


At the time of the R34's release, like the R32 and R33, Nissan released an R34 N1 model. The R34 GT-R N1 was equipped similar to the R32 and R33 N1 models – a homologation special. It was sold without air conditioning, audio equipment, rear wiper, or boot lining, but ABS remained. The new R34 N1 was also given the new R34 N1 engine. Only 45 R34 V-SPEC N1 models were produced from the factory, 12 of which NISMO used for Super Taikyu racing. The rest were sold to various customers, mostly racing teams and tuning garages.


The V-SPEC version was also imported into the UK with a number of modifications carried out on the car. These included 3 additional oil coolers, revised ECU map, full Connolly leather interior, underbody diffusers, stiffer suspension, active rear limited slip differential, extra display feature on the in car display.


In October 2000, Nissan released the V-SPEC II, replacing the V-SPEC. The V-SPEC II has increased stiffness in the suspension (even stiffer than the original V-SPEC) and had larger rear brake rotors. It also comes equipped with a carbon fiber bonnet equipped with a NACA duct, which is lighter than the aluminum that all other GT-R bonnets are made from. Also different on the V-SPEC II was an iridium center console and aluminum pedals. The seats were upholstered with black cloth rather than the gray cloth used on previous R34 GT-R models, and the amber turn lenses were replaced with white versions. With the exception of the carbon fibre bonnet, the standard trim level GT-R also received these updates.



In February 2002 Nissan released a final production model of the R34 GT-R called the Skyline GT-R V-SPEC II Nür and the Skyline GT-R M-SPEC Nür. The Nür was named after the famous German Nurburgring racetrack, where the Skyline was developed. In total 1000 R34 GT-R Nür(s) were made, 750 were V-SPEC II Nürs' and 250 were M-SPEC Nürs'. The Nür model featured an improved RB26DETT based on the N1 racing engine. The standard turbochargers were upgraded to larger versions with a slight increase in boost and the ceramic blades were replaced with steel versions. This has increased lag, but to compensate the turbo's durability was improved while being able to handle a bigger boost increase. This allowed tuners to increase the boost safely with standard turbos up to 340 kW (450 hp) at the crank. The V-SPEC II Nür is based on the regular V-SPEC II model, and the M-SPEC Nür was based on the regular M·spec model. Other than the addition of the Nür engine, the Nür models also included a different colour of stitching on the interior trim, as well as a speedometer reading up to 300 km/h (186 mph), and gold valve covers instead of red. Due to Japanese car industry norms at the time, the car was advertised as having 276 hp but it actually had over 330 hp when it left the factory.

Motorsport history of Nissan Skyline GT-R


The GT-R's history of racetrack dominance began with its 50 victories scored from 1968 to 1972, including 49 consecutive wins in the Japanese race circuit. Nissan pulled out of racing shortly after the release of the KPGC110.


The Skyline GT-R later earned the nickname "Godzilla", as a play on its "monster" track performance and country of origin. The R32 GT-R dominated JTCC, won all 29 races it entered in the series, as well as taking the series title every year from 1989 to 1993.


It took 50 races from 50 starts from 1991 to 1997 (latterly R33) in the N1 Super Taikyu. The GT-R's success sounded the death knell of Group A Touring Car racing, with the formula being scrapped soon after. JTCC was similarly dominated by the R32 GT-R, and splintered soon after, leading to the switch to the Supertouring category and also indirectly to the GT500 category of today.


The GT-R's success in motor racing was formidable, particularly in the annual 1,000 km race at the Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, Australia, where the winner in 1991 and 1992 was a GT-R (despite receiving additional 140 kg in weight penalties and a turbo pressure relief valve in 1992, and crashing). It took the overall win of the 1991 Spa 24 Hours, after getting the pole position and fastest lap time, ahead of the Porsche 911 and BMW M3 Evolution. It remained dominant in the Japanese GT series for many years. The Skyline GT-R line was retired from the JGTC series (later changed Super GT Series) in 2004. Its successor, the Nissan GT-R competed and dominated the 2008 Super GT sesion, winning the GT500.


Other GT-R race victories escaped controversy. At the 1990 Macau Grand Prix Guia touring car race, the factory-backed R32, driven by Masahiro Hasemi led the race from start to finish, which caused a wave of protests by European entrants. The following year, officials forced the car to carry a weight penalty of 140 kg. That year, it was also up against the more competitive DTM BMW M3 and Mercedes Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II. A disgruntled Hasemi took fourth place. For the following and final year, the weight penalty was reduced, and works-backed Hasemi returned with another privateer R32. The privateer crashed, and Hasemi retired with engine failure.


In the UK, Andy Middlehurst took the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) to two consecutive championship wins in the National Saloon Car Cup. Other championship titles include the 1991 Australian Endurance Championship, the 1991 Australian Manufacturers Championship, the 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship and the 1992 Spanish Touring Car Championship.


Akira Kameyama has taken the GT-R to the Pikes Peak Internatonal Hillclimb race on three occasion winning in each Open Class for production cars he entered, one in 1993 with the R32, another in 1996 with the R33 and again in 1998. For the following year, Rhys Millen took an R33 Skyline GT-R to win the High Performance Showroom Stock category.


The GT-R debuted in the US at the 1994 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Nismo entered a sole Group A specification R32 for the GTU category, which finished 20th.


In 1995 Nismo developed the Skyline GT-R for endurance racing with a pair of JGTC specification R33s for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To meet homologation regulations, Nissan had to build at least one street legal version. The two racing cars achieved some success at Le Mans, with one car placing tenth overall, and fifth in its GT1 class—beaten only by the more developed McLaren F1 GT-R's and the GT2 class champion No.84 Honda NSX entered by Team Kunimitsu. For 1996 the Skyline GT-R LMs returned, this time carrying enlarged RB26DETTs displacing 2.8 litres. Again competing in GT1, they finished 15th overall, and 10th in class. However, Nissan chose to abandon their production-based Skyline GT-R LMs in 1997 and instead turn to the purpose-built R390 GT1's. In honor of the success of the Skyline at Le Mans, Nissan marketed a limited edition R33 they called the LM Limited, available only in "Champion Blue" (colour code BT2).


In 2006 AutomotiveForums.com became the first team to compete with an R34 GT-R in the United States, participating in the Speed World Challenge GT series. Team: Driver and President of Automotive Forums.com Igor Sushko, Crew Chief Sean Morris, Team Manager Victor Reyes, mechanic Josh Mittchel and engineer Merritt Johnson.


In 2007 the Heat Treatments Drag R32 Skyline GT-R driven by Reece McGregor of New Zealand, broke the world record for the fastest AWD over 400 m with a time of 7.57 seconds at 305.98 KMH (190.13 MPH) at the Willowbank Dragway in Australia, a record previously held by the HKS R33 Skyline GT-R with a time of 7.67 seconds. Heat Treatments R32 has gone as quick as 7.53@185 MPH.


On the same year at TOTB U.K Racing series, Keith Cowie and RB Motorsport's GT-R BNR32 broke the fastest four-wheel drive 0–300 KMH (0–186 MPH) record with a time of 12.47 seconds. The previous record holder was another GT-R, a BNR32 from Veilside Japan with 13.72 seconds during the early 90's.


In March 2015, the New Zealand tuning shop, R.I.P.S., set a new AWD 400 m record with their BNR32 "RIPS MGAWOT III". It ran 7.32 seconds at 308.91 KMH (191.95 MPH).