The History of the Legendary Skyline - Get to Know 'Godzilla'
The Nissan Skyline GTR is a Japanese manufactured performance vehicle produced by the Nissan Motor Company. It has become popular through its amazing motorsports record, sound engineering and in pop culture by its appearance in movies such The Fast and the Furious series, Initial D, Shakotan Boogie, Wangan Midnight, and in games by the Gran Tourismo series developed by Polyphony Digital for the PlayStation game console.
The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969 to 1973. After a 16 break in production the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring publication Wheels in its July 1989 edition. The BNR32 (R32 GT-R) would end up winning 29 straight victories out of 29 races in the Japanese motorsport. The GT-R proceeded to win the JTCC Group A series championship 4 years in a row, and also had success in the Australian Touring Car Championship winning from 1990 to 1992, until a regulation change excluded the GT-R in 1993.
In 1991 the Nissan Skyline GTR participated in the Nurburgring 24 hour endurance race Group N class. The Skyline GT-R won in the first participation of the event at the Spa Francorchamps 24 hour endurance race. This same year, the Skyline GTR won overall in point ranking in the Group A, and Group N1. An amazing feat of its time.
In 1994 the Nissan Skyline GTR was feared in the racing circuit that, because of its dominance, the Skyline GTR was given its own dedicated racing series. The Nissan Skyline GTR racing series was born as the Japan Grand Touring Car (Japan GT Car) series. Between the years of 1991 and 1997, The Nissan Skyline GTR was undefeated in the N1 endurance racing in Japan. Over a span of seven years, the Skyline GTR was the winning vehicle in all 50 series.
Between the years starting from 1989 thru 2002, there were three models of the Nissan Skyline GT-R produced. The three models are as follows: Skyline GTR R32, Skyline GTR R33 and the Skyline GTR R34. All three models of the Skyline GT-R features the RB26DETT (2.6 liters twin turbo) engine. The engine displacement is 2.6 liters and features a 24 valve dual overhead cam head. The power plant for the Skyline GTR is rated at producing 276 hp @ 6800rpm and is capable of handling over 600 horsepower with a stock engine block making it highly desirable in the tuning market. The Nissan Skyline GTR is known for its power and its advanced four-wheel driv
e system. Under normal driving conditions, the Skyline GTR remains rear wheel drive. Under aggressive driving conditions, the Skyline GTR R32 traction is assisted by the Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All - Electronic Torque Split. Otherwise known as the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system, the ATTESA E-TS system is an electronically controlled all-wheel drive system that transfers torque of up to 50% to the front wheels achieving AWD status. The Skyline GTR R33 and the Skyline GTR R34 are equipped with the ATTESA E-TS Pro. The ATTESA E-TS Pro system includes a more aggressively controlled torque splitting computer and an electronically controlled limited slip differential in the rear. The handling of the Skyline GTR is assisted by the High Capacity Actively Controlled Suspension system otherwise known as HICAS and Nissan's Super HICAS rear wheel steering system. The HICAS is a hydraulic controlled driving aid built to assist drivers while the later Super HICAS is an electric actuator integrating technology for the rear steering rack.
Nissan never produced the Skyline GT-R for the US market. The Nissan Skyline GTR was not built to comply with the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) from the Nissan factory however, with the rulings from NHTC, motor vehicles exceeding 25 years of age are now eligible for importation. With this ruling there has been a recent surge in the market for these vehicles beginning with the now eligible high-performance Skyline GT-R R32.