The Nissan GT-R needs no introduction. The Godzilla of the motoring industry has a cult following among JDM fans thanks to its robust performance and not to mention the Fast And Furious franchise. Spanning six generations, the Skyline GT-R—in addition to becoming a motoring icon— stood as an example of the Nissan's exquisite engineering skills, bearing the flagship label.

In the motoring realm, it’s not just about building fast cars, a part of it is about winning races and establishing a name. Ferrari is a particularly good example, famously known for building road cars as a means to fund its racing program. The Nissan GT-R, on the other hand, has a different take on its racing heritage.

It was the late '80s, and Nissan just launched the third-generation GT-R. Dubbed the R32, this was Nissan’s attempt at a homologation model, primarily designed to race the Group A and Japanese Touring car championships. Long story short, the car dominated the playing field, annihilating its competition, which is a convenient segue into how the GT-R started getting called the “Godzilla.”

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Why Is The Nissan GT-R Called Godzilla?

Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
via Nissan

The '90s was a period of sheer dominance. Nissan was winning race after race, taking advantage of FIA’s homologation rules. During this time, the R32 Skyline GT-R managed to bag several titles. Nissan’s R32 GT-R went on to win the final three Australian Touring Car Championships from 1990 to 1992, and at the same time, dominated the Japanese Touring Car Championship, taking four titles—two with Impul and another two with Hasemi. Beyond Group A touring championships, the R32 had success in endurance racing at the Bathurst 1000, with Nissan Motorsport Australia's car going on to win multiple races.

Nissan BNR32 GT-R - Front
via: Nissan

According to Nissan, the Australian media began referring to the car as “Godzilla”, the famed monster from Japan. More specifically, motoring magazine “Wheels” was responsible for calling the GT-R its now-legendary “Godzilla” nickname. What the press meant by this wordplay/reference was that the R32 GT-R became the “King of the Monsters” just like Godzilla—the fierce animal, after its motorsport domination in the early 1990s, unleashing a series of winning streaks against established models like the E30 BMW M3 Evolution and several others.

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Nissan GT-R R32’s Party Piece: The ATTESA ET-S

Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R hd car wallpaper
Via: Hagerty.com

Helping the R32 GT-R win these races was Nissan’s ATTESA AWD system. It was a Japanese thing to come up with quirky acronyms in the ‘90s, and Nissan wasn’t any different. While you may be tricked into believing that ATESSA is some sci-fi engineering term, it, however, stands for “Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain” and the ET-S bit is short for “Electronic Torque Split.” A rather simple title for what is an engineering masterpiece.

Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R rear third quarter view
Via: Hagerty.com

The ATTESA AWD system was first used in the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R and Nissan Skyline GTS-4 back in 1989, which later trickled down to the R33, R34, and R35 GT-Rs. The ATTESA E-TS version uses a mostly conventional RWD-biased power transfer. Drive to the rear wheels is constant via a tailshaft and rear differential, but drive to the front wheels is more complex by utilizing a transfer case.

To control the ATTESA E-TS system, there is a 16-bit computer that monitors the car’s movements to sense traction loss by measuring the speed of each wheel via the ABS sensors. Also, a three-axis G-Sensor, mounted underneath the center console, feeds lateral and longitudinal inputs into a computer, which controls the ATTESA-ETS AWD and the ABS system. The computer can then direct up to 50% of the power to the front wheels.

The Skyline GT-R Godzilla And Its Mighty RB26 Motor

1999_nissan_skyline_gt-r engine RB26DETT
Via: Bring a Trailer

Nissan made use of the RB26 engine in the R32 and R33 Skyline GT-Rs, while a reworked version was used in the R34. It goes without saying that this 2.6L straight-six motor played a significant role in giving these cars their legendary status. A coveted item, Nissan's RB26 engine is nothing short of a masterstroke when it comes to sophistication and longevity. Internally called RB26DETT, Nissan developed the engine with touring car races in mind and was intentionally an over-engineered piece of hardware.

Nissan RB26
via Reddit

The RB26 featured an inline-six twin-turbo layout with a cylinder bore of 86.9 mm, and a piston stroke of 73.7 mm, running a compression ratio of 8.5. Displacement stood at 2.6L, and the engine made use of a cast-iron block and aluminum cylinder heads.

As for power, two Garrett turbochargers with a boost pressure of 10 psi (0.69 bar) help the RB26DETT generate 276 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 260 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm. However, later versions, in the R34 GT-R, produced 316 horsepower, with torque jumping to 289 lb-ft. Contrary to what many believe, the name RB is not “Rhythm and Balance” or “Race Bred.” It’s simply the engine series/code. 26DETT stands for “2600-cc DOHC Electronic Twin Turbo”.

Sources: Nissan