GT-R is one of the most famous badges ever affixed to a performance car. And there’s a GT-R shrine at the Zama Nissan Heritage Collection
- 1965 Prince Skyline 2000GT (S54B-2)
- 1969 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R (PGC10)
- 1973 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R (KPGC110)
- 1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32)
- 1995 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33)
- 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
- 2007 Nissan GT-R (R35)
It’s not often you see the Japanese bowing at cars, but any Nissan with a GT-R badge instils the sort of reverence bestowed on deities.
In fact, those three simple letters, G, T and R, have almost religious meaning to Nissan insiders and the brand’s legions of fan-boys.
To them the GT-R badge is sacrosanct and rightly so.
The first Nissan Skyline GT-R released in 1969 dominated Japanese touring car racing. Lovingly referred to as the ‘Hakosuka’ it set in motion a potent legacy.
Half a century after GT-R entered the cultural lexicon, the Nissan GT-R – while no longer a Skyline – continues to instill awe with spleen-popping performance.
But like all good yarns there’s a juicy plot twist. The brand’s performance car origins can be traced back to even further, to the 1965 Skyline 2000GT that – shock horror – didn’t even wear a Nissan badge.
1965 Prince Skyline 2000GT (S54B-2)
Weight: 1070kg Engine: (G7) 2.0-litre inline six, 92kW at 5600rpm, 167Nm at 4400rpm
Gearbox: Five-speed manual
Who names a car after a cityscape? The Prince Motor Company, whose four-cylinder Skyline family car made its debut in 1957, that’s who.
Fast forward to 1964 and the Skyline GT race car was fitted with a ‘big’ 2.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine from a larger model in the brand. It banged out 110kW (150hp) at 6800rpm.
With Weber triple carbs, a limited-slip diff and five-speed close-ratio manual gearbox, along with upgraded suspension, the car went from quaint family sedan to battle ready. It finished second in the GT-II Race at the 1964 Japanese GP.
Doesn’t really sound amazing, does it? But for one magical lap, the car took the race lead, overtaking the illustrious Porsche 904 GTS, a vehicle that should have run rings around all and sundry. The plucky driver, Tetsu Ikuzawa, must have felt like king of world.
His co-driver at the time, Yoshikazu Sunako, said it was a special moment in time, the unbeatable Porsche tamed – if only for a moment.
“Just before the hairpin curve, Ikuzawa overtook the Porsche, so I thought, ‘Wow, he’s the man!'” remembers Sunako.
So the Skyline GT didn’t win the race, but its performance was not in dispute and a year later in 1965 the production car rocked up, the six-cylinder Skyline 2000GT.
Then in 1966 a merger between Nissan and Prince saw the latter brand put to rest. But the Skyline’s lineage was too valuable and, like an all-powerful Jedi, it would return.
1969 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R (PGC10)
Weight: 1120kg Engine: (S20) 2.0-litre inline six, 118kW at 7000rpm, 177Nm at 5600rpm
Gearbox: Five-speed manual
In 1968, Nissan resurrected the Skyline name in a new generation codenamed C10. The high-spec PGC10 model wearing GT-R badges was launched at that year’s Tokyo motor show.
In 1969, the first Nissan road car to wear the hallowed GT-R badge went on sale and created a legacy that continues today, 50 years on.
The original GT-R was nicknamed Hakosuka in Japan – which is short for boxy (hako) skyline (sukairain).
Although the road car wasn’t seen much, nor sold outside of its domestic market (it was limited to just under 2000 units), the first GT-R was designed to be an effective race car from the get-go.
And effective it was. The car racked up 52 wins in just under three years, including its inaugural race at the Fuji International Speedway in May 1969.
In production terms, the Hakosuka was a potent machine too. Its 2.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine cranked out 118kW at 7000rpm which at the time was a lot of mumbo. Nissan claims the S20 engine was the “world’s first four-valve DOHC engine for production cars”.
Power hit the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission and a limited slip diff helped mid-corner traction. It had disc brakes up front and although drum brakes aft sound archaic, they were par for the course in the late 1960s.
The Nissan Skyline GT-R transformed into a racier-looking two-door hardtop model in early 1971 (called KPGC10).
These GT-R Nissans built in the late 1960s and early 1970s now go for more than $200,000 at auctions today, such is the demand.
1973 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R (KPGC110)
Weight: 1145kg Engine: (S20) 2.0-litre inline six, 118kW at 7000rpm, 177Nm at 5600rpm
Gearbox: Five-speed manual
In 1973, the Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R opened a new – but very short-lived – chapter in the form of the KPGC110 model.
With a swoopier design that was unmistakably groovier, the new-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R had a tougher stance than its close cousins, including the Datsun 240K hardtop coupe.
This GT-R retained much of the powertrain from its predecessor but had an upgraded brake package, swapping the rear drum brakes for more potent disc brakes.
It was nicknamed the ‘Kenmeri’ Skyline in Japan thanks to a catchy advertising campaign starring a photogenic couple dubbed Ken and Mary. Hence the nickname.
But the successes of its predecessors on road and track would soon be done and dusted for more than a decade. As the oil crisis of the mid-1970s hit, many performance car programs were axed and Nissan wound back its motorsport efforts.
Only 197 of the KPGC110 models were sold in Japan. Its production run ended after months, not years. Indeed, the ultra-rare Kenmeri GT-R would be the last of its kind for 16 long years…
1989 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32)
Weight: 1430kg Engine: (RB26DETT) 2.6-litre inline six, 206kW at 6800rpm, 353Nm at 4400rpm
Gearbox: Five-speed manual
But the GT-R badge and legend was not dead nor buried and in 1989 it returned. Nissan’s objective was brutally simple — it wanted a machine to replicate the early days of its touring car domination.
Despite its somewhat subdued design, the Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 came out firing. Using an evolution of the 3.0-litre that was originally developed for the R31 Nissan Skyline (which, alas, never got the GT-R treatment), Nissan stuck to its inline six-cylinder guns, but added a rifled barrel and armour-piercing, explosive ammo.
The 2.6-litre six-pot engine featured twin Garrett turbochargers and an intercooler to deliver ball-tearing thrust. The engine was codenamed RB26DETT and remains one of the most famous and recognisable powerplants ever built in Japan.
Better yet, the new R32 Skyline GT-R put its prodigious power to the ground through an advanced all-wheel drive system. Called ATTESA-ETS – which (deep breath) is short for ‘advanced total traction engineering system for all-terrains, with electronic torque split’ – the system could push up to 100 per cent of engine torque to the rear axle and up to 50 per cent to the front.
Together with Super HICAS four-wheel steering, the return of the GT-R was lauded by the media. Its claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time of 5.0sec was more than just PR hyperbole.
The R32 Skyline GT-R was only sold in Japan and Australia – just 100 came Down Under at the (then) astronomical price of $110,000 as a halo model for Nissan.
But the reborn Skyline GT-R’s real reason for being was race track success and it absolutely creamed its rivals. Not only did the GT-R crush its opponents in Group A touring car racing in Japan (winning four back-to-back All Japan Touring Car Championships), but it also stamped its authority overseas, winning the Spa 24 Hours in Belgium and Australia’s most famous – and challenging – race at Mount Panorama.
In 1991-92, the Nissan Skyline GT-R won back-to-back Bathurst 1000 races. The latter was under controversial circumstances due to a red flag and lap countback.
Under racing rules, even though it had crashed, the GT-R was declared the winner to the shortened race. The partisan crowd’s reaction led an emotional Jim Richards to yell “You’re a pack of a**holes” at the Bathurst crowd.
Aussie touring car regulations were changed for the 1993 season, essentially to ban the GT-R.
Much of the drama surrounding the R32’s racing successes helped shape its image as a legendary sports car, ensuring its place as one of the most famous Skyline GT-Rs ever.
It was aptly nicknamed Godzilla by the Aussie automotive media, a name that has stuck ever since.
1995 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33)
Weight: 1540kg Engine: (RB26DETT) 2.6-litre inline six, 206kW at 6800rpm, 353Nm at 4400rpm
Gearbox: Five-speed manual
Once the dust had settled on the incendiary R32 and its incredible motorsport accolades, the R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R didn’t have anything to prove. It made its debut at the 1993 Tokyo motor show as a prototype and went on sale in 1995.
One of the more affordable second-hand GT-Rs available, the R33 GT-R had an almost identical powertrain to its precursor. Once again, the RB26DETT was matched with a five-speed manual cog-swapper, but the R33 was heavier (than the 32) and didn’t have the sharp-edged ‘must-win’ attitude.
Riding on a longer wheelbase, it also was a better long-distance cruiser than its predecessor. Nissan reckons it was more stable thanks to revised suspension, better weight distribution and an updated version AWD system, now dubbed ATTESA ETS ‘PRO’.
The turbocharged GT-R also made a name for itself as an affordable giant-slayer in the eponymous Gran Turismo videogame on the original Sony PlayStation, which first launched in 1997.
1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34)
Weight: 1560kg Engine: (RB26DETT) 2.6-litre inline six, 206kW at 6800rpm, 392Nm at 4400rpm
Gearbox: Six-speed manual
Nissan’s designers returned to form with the macho, slab-sided R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R in 1999. Although it would only last three years, the R34 was a worthy flagbearer for the iconic GT-R badge.
Smaller and more agile than the R33, the next Skyline GT-R retained the ATTESA ETS ‘PRO’ all-wheel drive system and the 2.6-litre twin-turbo straight six engine – although this variant had less turbo lag and other tweaks that made it a more fiery proposition.
While torque output had increased somewhat, peak power was claimed to be the same – to satisfy a Japanese domestic market ‘gentleman’s agreement’ that limited street cars’ power to 206kW.
The world’s worst-kept secret was that the GT-R’s power levels were considerably underquoted. The R34 GT-R was a weapon, there are no two ways about it.
With the addition of a six-speed manual transmission from Getrag, a lower kerb weight thanks to the use of carbon-fibre, improved aerodynamics and a stiffer body, the car had a bona fide 300km/h top speed in V-Spec Series II Nur guise (named after the Nurburgring).
In early 2005 the NISMO set released a hardcore swansong for what would be the last ever Nissan Skyline GT-R.
The NISMO Skyline R34 Z-tune was a wolf in, well, wolf’s clothing. NISMO set about increasing engine size, and so a bigger 2.8-litre twin-turbo fitted with loads of goodies from the GT500 race cars (cams, pistons, conrods, ECU, etc etc), which made for a wicked machine.
Only around 20 of these machines were built, each punching out a stir-crazy 370kW of power and 540Nm of torque. If you want one today, you’re going to need very deep pockets.
2007 Nissan GT-R (R35)
Weight: 1740kg Engine: (VR38DETT) 3.8-litre V6, 348kW at 6400rpm, 588Nm at 3200rpm
Gearbox: Six-speed dual-clutch automatic
Nissan ended years of speculation about the future of the GT-R with the R35 series Nissan GT-R supercar in 2007.
It was the first Nissan GT-R road car (but not racecar) to ditch the traditional inline six-cylinder mill for a V6. But this wasn’t just any V6. It had a larger displacement, was ludicrously powerful and painstakingly hand-built.
Indeed, the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 that is the VR38DETT is still a mythical creation today.
For the first time in the GT-R’s history, the model was officially sold right across the globe – including in the USA.
The manual gearbox was ditched, replaced by a six-speed dual-clutch automatic in a rear transaxle arrangement. A launch control system enabled 0-100km/h acceleration times in the low 3sec bracket with traction managed by the latest version of Nissan’s ATESSA ETS. Top speed was 315km/h!
The car was lauded as a true supercar killer – but it also had a supercar price. The R35 was $155,000 when it launched in Australia in 2009.
The road was not smooth, however. There were many reported transmission failures in early iterations of the vehicle and there was controversy when Nissan refused to honour warranties as gearboxes went kaput after using launch control. Customers were fuming. Class actions ensued. While the scandal didn’t irrevocably tarnish the GT-R name, it wasn’t a good look.
Prices rose to $172,000 by 2014 and in 2015 the GT-R GT3 racer repeated the R32’s Bathurst victory, in a sense, by winning the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race. After more safety car interruptions than ever before, Katsumasa Chiyo driving the Nissan GT-R snatched the lead with two laps to go in a memorable victory for the brand and the badge.
By 2017 the Nissan GT-R’s price had risen to $189,000 but power rose to 419kW, ensuring the car could keep pace with the ever-growing number of supercars rolling into high-end showrooms.
Today there’s even a 441kW NISMO GT-R, which will set you back a cool $299,000, thanks to its uprated suspension, brakes, body rigidity and power output.
Oh, and if you want the craziest GT-R of the modern era thus far, there’s the $1.4m GT-R50, the design of which has been massaged by coachbuilder Italdesign. That model pumps out 530kW/780Nm and is limited to just 50 units. It’s a brutal machine that only serves to add colour to the GT-R legacy.
What started in 1966 as Prince Skyline GT, morphed into the Nissan Skyline GT-R, and is now exists as a Nissan GT-R, is one of the world’s greatest and most enduring sports car lineages.
The Nissan GT-R may not be a Skyline anymore, but its provenance is assured. With the constitution of Benjamin Button, it may soldier on for well into the 2020s before we see the next generation.
But Nissan’s top brass has confirmed there is a new GT-R model coming. And it will almost certainly usher in more GT-R world firsts.
Given the jump in performance (and price) that the R35 GT-R ushered in, expect the electrified R36 Nissan GT-R to deliver something altogether stratospheric – and most importantly – performance worthy of the GT-R badge.
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