Nissan Skyline GT-R Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is an iconic Japanese sports coupe. Termed "Godzilla" by Wheels magazine in Australia when released there in 1989, it was rated by many motoring magazines, including the well-respected Wheels, as providing performance and handling equal or superior to that of European icons like the Porsche 911 and the Ferrari 360 Modena, at a considerably lower price.
The Skyline name originated with the Prince automobile company which developed and sold the Skyline line of sedans before merging with Nissan-Datsun. The earliest predecessor of the GT-R, the S54 2000GT-B, came second in its first race in 1964 to the purpose-built Porsche 904GTS race car. The next development of the GT-R, the 2000GT-R, scored 33 victories in the one and a half years it raced and scored 50 by the time it was discontinued in 1972. The last of the original GT-Rs, the KPGC110/PGC110 2000GT-R, used an unchanged S20 160hp inline-6 engine from the earlier 2000GT-R and only sold 197 units and is the only GT-R to never participate in a race.
The Skyline model continued through into the 90s when it became popular largely because it remained rear wheel drive, while most other manufacturers' models were front wheel drive (which has certain inherent deficiencies in handling compared to rear-wheel drive). The GT-R version of the Skyline was reintroduced in 1989 after a 16 year hiatus from the Skyline GT-R of the late 1960s. However, the majority of Skylines sold were non-GT-R models, with the GT-R becoming the flagship of Nissan performance.
The GT-R of the 1990s included a potent 2.6 L straight six-cylinder twin-turbo motor and an electronically-controlled all wheel drive drivetrain. Its success in motor racing was formidable, particularly in the annual race at the Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, Australia, where the champion three years running was a GT-R (despite receiving additional weight penalties in years two and three due to its unbeatable performance) and in the Japanese GT series where it has remained dominant up to the present day. the GT-R's success at Mount Panorama led to turbos and four-wheel-drive cars being banned in subsequent years and the creation of the JGTC series in Japan (where GT-Rs can only compete in RWD form, and still win).
The Skyline is also a popular car for drag racing in Japan and the import racing scene in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA where Skyline GT-Rs are often modified and tuned to produce upwards of 1000 bhp (750 kW). They are a popular target for such modification due to the amazing strength of the RB26DETT engine, (common to all GT-Rs), widely considered one of the most durable motors when heavily modified.
Skylines of the 90s progressed from the R32 (1989), through to the R34 (2000) Production of the GT-R ceased in August, 2002 with the release of the V35 Skyline platform (sold as the Infiniti G35 in the United States) which includes only non-GT-R models. Before the final R34 Skyline GT-R was sold, various packages and special editions such as the V-Spec, containing additional performance-enhancing modifications, were released by Nissan and the performance division of Nissan, Nismo.
The next Skyline GT-R model will be produced as a 2008 model in the year 2007. The long arrival date is due to Nissan engineers focusing on mainstream car models. It will have to overcome many new, stringent emissions laws in Japan. Nissan may produce the next Skyline (including GT-R models) in the US as an Infiniti.
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