The Nissan Skyline is a Japanese icon. It's a car that changed the way the world looked at Japanese car manufacturers and the whole JDM scene in general.

In its many shapes and forms throughout the years, the Skyline has stayed relevant and true to its roots. It's about the driving experience and feeling connected when sitting behind the wheel. There aren't many cars that can say they inspired generation after generation of car guys, but the Skyline has done just that.

It's been 52 years since its original inception, so let's take a look at what has made the Skyline GTR such a special car.

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C10 & C110

c10 nissan gtr
via SabukaruOnline

In 1969 Nissan decided to lengthen the hood of the already popular C10 Skyline so they could fit in the S20 motor. A 6-cylinder, 24-valve, a twin-cam engine that made 160bhp. They called it the Nissan Skyline Grand Turismo Racer or short: the Skyline GT-R.

The car was a weapon. With a front-engined rear-wheel-drive layout, it had immediate success in touring car championships all over the world, giving its European rivals a true competition. Over the 3 years the car was in production it went on to gain a staggering 50 race wins.

skyline gtr c110 kenmary
Via Sabukaru Online

The success was undeniable and Nissan came out with another GT-R. This time the new C110 base another 2-litre straught 6 putting out just under 160 bhp.

The gas-guzzling nature of the 2nd gen GTR would prove to be unfortunate for Nissan, as shortly after the launch, the 1973 oil crisis made the oil prices explode.

Due to this Nissan never put the C110 on the race track, instead, they turned their heads to focus on fuel-efficient cars for the economic decline that was expected over the coming years.

In the end, Nissan only ever produced 197 units of the C100, making them extremely sought after, one raking up ¥47.3 million ($450k) at an auction in 2012.

Nissan didn’t go on to make another GTR for 16 years.

R32

r32 skyline gt
Via TopRank

After the oil crisis put a stop to the production of the C110 in 1973, the GT-R badge was yet to grace the panels of a new Nissan vehicle.

The 80’s rolled by and the Japanese economy had recovered enough to push Nissan to re-visit the GTR brand that they had left behind. And in 1988 came the Nissan R32 Skyline GTR.

Nissan was already dominating group A racing with the Skyline GTS-R until the R32 swooped in to replace it. It immediately outshone its predecessor, winning 29 races from 29 starts.

The R32 standard features included a twin-turbo straight-six engine, all-wheel steering and 4-wheel drive. This recipe would be the beginning of the Skyline legacy as most of us know it today.

v spec r32 skyline gtr
via Classic Register

Nicknamed “Godzilla”, the R32’s legendary engine came packed with 290bhp from stock. However through dyno testing, most came up just shy of 320. The tuning capacities were immense for this engine, easily being able to reach 600bhp with just a few bolt-on mods.

The R32 Skyline GTR would be the car that transformed the way the world looked at the Japanese car manufacturing scene.

With a Nurburgring lap time of 8:22.38, the R32 became the fastest production road car ever to lap the Nordschleife at the time, pushing Nissan even further into the spotlight of the auto fanatic European market.

To celebrate its success in touring car racing, Nissan launched the R32 GTR V-Spec (Victory Specification), a highly limited production run that has become increasingly sought after in today’s car scene.

Production of the R32 Skyline GT-R came to a halt in November 1994, selling nearly 43,937 units in all variants. Nissan had successfully revived the GTR brand.

R33

R33 Gtr v spec II
Via JM-Imports

The R33 came through after the R32 comeback had been so well received. However, the R32 wasn't perfect and had its fair share of handling and balance issues.

Along with this, Nissan was, like many other Japanese companies at the time, under strict regulations on power gains. So to combat all these problems

Nissan increased the width by about one inch and made it about 4 inches longer. This gave the R33 a longer wheelbase overall and a lower stance mixed with the new technology now from the digital aerodynamic age.

nissan skylinr går r33 lm
Via Torque GT

Each line on the R33 was intended to give the car ultimate aerodynamics with wider gaps in the bumper and angles of air movement which allowed better cooling. Nissan wanted to offer the R33 with the best aerodynamics, balance, and handling.

Nissan engineers also found other ways to reduce weight, even by a few grams. New plastics were used for the fuel tank, headlamps, bumpers and rear spoiler.

This included hollowing out the side door beams and the rear stabilizer bar. Using high tensile steel on body panels and front and rear springs as well as a reduction in sound-deadening materials would lead to an even more emotional drive.

All this put together meant we saw an improved time against the R32 of 21 seconds around the Nürburgring and 23 seconds faster in V spec trim, making the R33 the fastest production car around the track and the first ever to break the 8-minute mark.

R34

r34 gtr v spec 2 bayside blue
Via TopRank Global

The R34 is the last of the true skylines and one that saw the most success. Through Grand Turismo and Fast and Furious, this car inspired a whole generation of gearheads.

The R34 came from the factory with the same recipe that had earned Nissan such success. A twin-turbo straight-6 with power going to all 4 wheels. The official number was 276bhp, but that was taken with a pinch of salt and also by this point it was common knowledge that GTR's could be tuned to easily 350bph with just a few tweaks to the ECU.

It was a true supercar and would go on to develop an impressive reputation. Nurburging lap records were just a must for a GTR at this point and the R34 didn't disappoint. It held the track record for a production car at the Nordschleife until the Porsche 996 911 Turbo came.

 NISSAN SKYLINE R34 GT-R M SPEC NISMO R1
Via Torque GT

Tuners like top secret, HKS and Mine's were capable of pushing the r34 to its limits reaching 800+ bhp. This made the R34 incredibly desirable and that has remained true. It's a car that impressed everyone, something that has solidified the success of Japanese sports cars for the time to come.

Nissan ceased production of the R34 in 2002, and the Skyline GTR never returned. N0w, an R34 GTR remains one of the most sought after production road cars ever.

For a car that's only 20 years old, this car has appreciated like Bitcoin, and there are many kicking themselves about not having bought one when the chance came.

One of the rarer models might set you back as much as $150k, the R34 GTR is an absolute cult icon and a car that so many remember as a coming of age dream.

The End: R35 GTR

R35 nissan gtr red side shot
Via Bring A Trailer

The R35 GTR doesn't wear the Skyline name. In principle, it is the same recipe and everything seems to make sense for it has been named as such, but Nissan took a new direction and the GTR is now its own car.

It's big, powerful and brutish. The R35 shares the same twin-turbo 6 cylinder layout but this time it appears as a V6. The upgrades have really shown in the interior though, the GTR is a much more premium and luxury place to be than its predecessors with help from a dual-clutch auto transmission.

The engine still screams and you'll still be thrust back in your seats, and when it comes to tuning there's no lack of that either. Many YouTubers have been filming themselves building 1000bhp+ GTR's for a while now and there seems to be no sign of this stopping.

There arent many production cars that allow this level of tuning and performance, and the Skyline platform has proven itself to be one of the most powerful production cars ever

It's not certain if the R35 GTR will live on to be as much of an icon as the previous models but it's fair to say that it has done them justice and the Nissan Skyline GTR has never failed to keep with the times.

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