The Evolution of Skyline GT-R

Dubbed as the fastest legal car on the road today, the Nissan Skyline GT-R has a rich history. Before I go on with the topic, it is important to stress out that I won’t be focusing on all editions of the Skyline (GTS, Vspec, black edition etc.) but only the GT-R (Gran Turismo Racer). This means that the GT-R R35 that went on market last 2007 is not in the scope of this research but its roots can be traced back from the Nissan GT-R series.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R is one of the legendary cars that Japan has ever made. The Birth of Skyline GT-R started when Prince Motors in Japan, who was producing Skylines that are sedans, merged with Nissan Motors in a goal of global competitiveness and in honor to the Japan Crown Prince Hirohita. As a result they needed a car that would outrace the reigning champions in racing and thus the very first Skyline GT-R was born.

After years of research, their efforts resulted to the very first skyline the 2000GT-R PGC10 (photo on the right) and 2000GT-R KPGC10 (photo on the left). The very first production of the first generation Skyline GTR started 1969 - 1972. Both are the same in all aspects except that the PGC10 is a 4 door sedan while the KPGC10 has only two doors.

Both are inline 6, 2.0L, DOHC (Dual overhead cams) engines and real wheel drive which gave them 160Hp which was very strong at that time. This gave them their racing edge. The 2000GT-R’s topspeed was recorded at 125mph and aside from being very powerful its handling is formidable allowing it to dominate every speedway.

The next in the family of GT-R is considered to be the rarest of the GT-R family. The 2000GT-R KPGC110 was only produced in 1973 only totalling 197 units built. It is due to the posing oil crisis in the world. It has the same engine as its predecessor (inline 6, 2.0L, DOHC, Rear wheel drive) with the addition of better suspension and disk breaks for both front and rear wheels.

There were 16 years of halt in the production of skyline GT-R because of the said crisis. When the world economy stabilized and oil production was at its best. Nissan had to revive the GT-R’s former glory. Then came the car that shocked the world of racing…

The next in line is Nissan Skyline GT-R R32. The fourth in the Skyline GT-R line. Car lovers have very high expectations on the R32 because of the racing heritage its predecessor left. Although this is the case, the Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 not only live up to that potential but also took racing in a whole new level. Its engine is the advance inline 6, 2.6L, DOHC, Twin turbo engine that yields 280 Hp and its ATTESA-ETS system allows the car to do high speed cornering thus having both power and control.

It was nicknamed “Godzilla”(Scott, 1989) by the Wheels magazine Australia after slaying the UK car Sierra. It was originally placed in Group A Touring race but it was so strong that the category was abolished because no one wants to race the R32. It has won every race it has been totally unbeatable winning 29 out of its 29 races.

The next Skyline is very similar to the R32. The Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 is almost the same as R32. Although it has improved in handling by expanding its torque band so the Skyline Gained weight and thus look less sporty but still it has a better performance than before.

Most people prefer the R32 over the R33 as a result, Nissan had to remodel the next Skyline to look more alike to the R32 than the R33. They had to make a sharper looking Skyline. The Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 is the best Skyline ever made. Aside from the more advance technology ATTESA-ETS pro it has a truly improved chassis giving it better power and handling.

Sources:

Angus MacKenzie. 2008. 2009GT-R How Godzilla Got its name. Skyline Super Car. Motor Trend. http://blogs.motortrend.com/2009-nissan-gtr-how-godzilla-got-its-name-1764.html. Retrieved March 8,2014
Zorly. 2010. 1969-2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R History. Speed Wars. http://www.zorly.com/speed-wars/Nissan-Skyline-GT-R-R32-R33-R34-aka-Godzilla. Retrieved March 8, 2014