Nissan’s GT-R is a legend in the performance car world. Its combination of turbocharged six-cylinder power and four-wheel drive handling had journalists scrambling for superlatives at its launch in 1989, and throughout the 1990s and 2000s a generation of gamers learned all about the GT-R’s abilities through titles like Polyphony's Gran Turismo. And more than a decade after the current R35 car was released, it still strikes fear into the heart of the average supercar.
But the GT-R story goes much further back than the lates 1980s. Back another 20 years, in fact, to the launch of a very different kind of GT-R. And one of those very rare early cars has surfaced for sale at London classic car specialist, DD Classics.
Nissan built fewer than 1200 KPGC10 Skyline GT-R coupes starting in 1971, having first launched the model as a stealthy saloon a couple of years earlier, quickly cleaning up in Japanese touring car racing.
As you’d imagine, many of these cars lived hard lives, and more than a few met sticky ends. But this car appears to have survived without damage or – equally surprising – extensive modifications. It still wears the original skinny steel wheels under flared arches that were designed to accept much after racing rubber when the car was on the track.
Four-wheel drive and turbochargers were still the stuff of fairytales at the time, so this early GT-R comes fitted with a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre straight-six engine that slurps fuel through three side-draught carburettors and sends 160bhp to the rear wheels. That power figure might be laughable by modern GT-R standards, but it’s almost twice as much as a contemporary Escort Mexico could muster.
Inside, you get fabulously 1960s-style black vinyl upholstery for the bucket seats, a huge three-spoke, leather-wrapped wheel, and a full set of analogue instruments.
The sole downside we can see is the price. At £139,950, this fabulous early GT-R is more than £50k more expensive than a brand new GT-R, but then it’s also £40k cheaper than that car’s more powerful Nismo brother.
Keyword: Rare early Nissan Skyline GT-R surfaces for sale at £140k