Iconic Nissan GT-R turns 50 years old
- The early years (1969-74)
- R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R (1989-2002)
- R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R (1995-1999)
- R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R (1999-2007)
- R35 Nissan GT-R (2007-present)
Fifty years ago, Nissan took to the racetracks of Japan with a very different and savage GT-R version of its Skyline sedan. The cars that founded a dynasty were short-lived but the concept was never permanently shelved.
Twenty years later Nissan would issue a challenge to the performance car world by launching a plain-looking coupe that performed with such ferocity it would acquire the nickname ‘Godzilla’.
As the 30th Anniversary of this most memorable GT-R approaches we recall the cars that inspired it, those that followed and the ones that today sustain a memorable legacy.
The early years (1969-74)
Australia didn’t see the first Nissan Skyline GT-R. In fact, the PGC10 model produced between 1969 and 1972 was rarely seen outside of Japan. These cars, like the R32 that would follow, were built to race and did so with great success.
Early GT-R sedans competing in Japanese Touring Car events scored 33 consecutive wins and more than 1000 race victories during a three-year track career.
1973 brought a completely new GT-R based on the fastback Datsun 240K Hardtop but it was discontinued in response to the 1973 fuel crisis and after only 197 cars had been built.
R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R (1989-2002)
Few cars have influenced the automotive world more significantly than the GT-R that came to be known as ‘Godzilla’.
At the heart of the R32 was Nissan’s 2.6-litre, straight-six engine with sequential turbochargers, an intercooler and variable torque-split transmission.
Official output was a 206kW but more realistically in the 235-245kW range. Above the basic GT-R sat ‘V Spec’ versions which were sold in two editions totalling 2756 cars.
Rarest of all were the 100 cars modified to meet Australian requirements, making these local cars the most collectible R32s of them all.
Low-volume, Japanese-spec R32 imports have been available here since the 1990s and remain plentiful.
R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R (1995-1999)
By 1995 when the upgraded R33 arrived, the GT-R’s career in front-line racing had run its course.
The R33 GT-R was a more relaxed, more comfortable and well-appointed touring car, sitting on a longer wheelbase than the R32 and weighing 100kg more.
None of these came to Australia as new cars but recent imports, especially of the V (for ‘Victory’) Spec cars have been prolific. Obvious differences include the broader body, rounded shape and larger side windows and while performance is down on what an R32 might deliver, these are affordable and accessible supercars.
Despite being more modern than the R32, these are also the cheapest GT-Rs currently available in our market.
R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R (1999-2007)
If Nissan’s designers lost their way with the elongated R33, they came back on track with the R34.
Arriving on the Japanese market in 1999 and exported to New Zealand but not Australia, the R34 GT-R was shorter, broader and just a bit heavier than the previous model.
V-Spec versions were available in Series I and Series II form but the car that pinned GT-R enthusiasts to the wall and occupants to its bolstered seats was the V-Spec Series II Nur.
‘Nur’ was of course an abbreviation of Nurburgring where GT-Rs lapped at prodigious pace. As was the case with previous GT-Rs, this version had an advertised output of 206kW but in Nur specification that grew by 60-80kW and top speed was a genuine 300km/h.
R35 Nissan GT-R (2007-present)
In 2007, Godzilla came roaring back and kept growing in ferocity, thanks to the all-new, all-wheel drive R35.
Top speed achieved by production R35s was a withering 315km/h and NISMO versions continually lowered their own lap record at the daunting 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschliefe circuit.
The GT3 racing version won the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour and numerous events overseas as well, yet road-going versions are tractable and suited to daily commuting.
Nissan’s facelifted 2017 GT-R upped the output of its award-winning VR38DETT 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 – as opposed to straight-six, as in previosu generations — from 353kW to an even more epic 419kW.
An R35 in NISMO ‘Track’ spec and with 441kW costs Australian owners $299,000 but for those with deeper pockets and in search of a bigger thrill, Nissan in 2019 will build a commemorative run of GT-R50 limited-edition versions priced at a cool $US1.1 million each.
Keyword: History of the Nissan GT-R