Nissan Skyline GT-R, or the Godzilla, needs no introduction. Also, thanks to Paul Walker (rip) in the Fast and Furious franchise and awesome video games such as Need for Speed. However, any car lover knows what the Nissan Skyline GT-R is. With 6 generations and a 50-plus year’s history to back the Nissan Skyline GT-R, not many racing cars have succeeded in beating this beast from Nissan so far.
The Nissan Skyline didn’t have a competition yesterday, and it doesn’t have any today, and we’re pretty sure there won’t be any in the future if Nissan decides to launch the 7th generation.
Let’s take you through a quick walkthrough of the long history of the Nissan Skyline GT-R.
First Generation
Nissan Skyline GT-R made its first appearance in 1968 at the Tokyo Motor Show. The most prominent feature of this car that made it an instant hit was its engine; 6-cylinder, 2-litre, S20 dual-overhead-cam. It had an impressive horsepower of 160 (119kw) and a torque of 130 pound-feet. It came to be known by the nickname Hakosuka – a Japanese word that means box and skyline.
Second Generation
The second generation was only offered in the year 1973. Only 197 of these cars were produced due to severe oil crises in the mid-1970s. The engine was similar to the first generation Nissan Skyline GT-R, an S2 in-line-6.
Third Generation
After the second generation, there was a gap of 16 years before Nissan launched the third generation of the Nissan Skyline GT-R, R32, and oh my what an amazing machine this was and still is! An all time favourite and one of the most popular cars being imported from Japan into Australia. This time around, the car had a plethora of features that made the car worth the long wait: the latest all-wheel-drive system, all-wheel steering, and a multilink suspension for both rear and front. The engine was bigger and more powerful, having 276 horsepower (206kw) and 260 pound-feet torque. It won numerous racing challenges, was banned from competing in the Bahturs events as no one could compete with its massively powerful engine and speed!
Fourth Generation
It was a modification of the R32. The engine horsepower was the same, but there was a slight increase in the toque from 260 to 256 pound-feet. The turbo was bigger, and the displacement was also increased to 2.8L from 2.6L in R32. It was the R-33 that got the Nissan Skyline the name Godzilla that dominated the Holden V-8s and Ford.
Fifth Generation
The fifth-generation R34 had a stiffer body and featured numerous weight-saving features that made it top the list of racing cars. It was the Nissan Skyline GT-R R43 that came to be featured in the Fast and Furious movie series.
Sixth Generation
Beating most super cars and exotics on the roads today, the sixth-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R is what was launched in 2008 and is still on the roads today. It was the first of the Nissan Skyline GT-R that the United States received. The engine was more powerful, with a horsepower of 480 (358kw) and torque of 430 pound-feet. The all-wheel steering and manual 6-speed transmission were replaced by a dual-clutch transmission in the R35. The performance was way up from the previous generation, and the company strives to make it even better today.
The Nissan Skyline GT-R has been winning hearts and races for several years now. We can only hope the company is working on a newer generation. We can’t wait to see if this car can get any better! If you are keen on getting one straight from Japan and low prices, get in touch with us today!
