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sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
based on the
Nissan Skyline The is a brand of automobile originally produced by the Prince Motor Company starting in 1957, and then by Nissan after the two companies merged in 1967. After the merger, the Skyline and its larger counterpart, the Nissan Gloria, were sold i ...
range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was followed by a brief production run of second-generation cars, under model code KPGC110, in 1973. After a 16-year hiatus, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 as the BNR32 ("R32") Skyline GT-R.
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
specification versions of the R32 GT-R were used to win the
Japanese Touring Car Championship The Japanese Touring Car Championship (abbr: 1985–1993: JTC, 1994–1998: JTCC, officially known as All Japan Touring Car Championship, ja, 全日本ツーリングカー選手権, link=no), was a former touring car racing series held in Japan. ...
for four years in a row. The R32 GT-R also had success in the
Australian Touring Car Championship The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the trophy ...
, with Jim Richards using it to win the championship in
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
and
Mark Skaife Mark Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is a retired Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, as well as a six-time Bath ...
doing the same in 1992, until a regulation change excluded the GT-R in
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
. The technology and performance of the R32 GT-R prompted the Australian motoring publication ''Wheels'' to nickname the GT-R "Godzilla" in its July 1989 edition. ''Wheels'' then carried the name through all the generations of Skyline GT-Rs, most notably the R34 GT-R, which they nicknamed "Godzilla Returns", and described as "The best handling car we have ever driven". In tests conducted by automotive publications, R34 GT-R have covered a quarter of a mile  (402 metres) in 12.2 seconds from a standing start time and accelerated from in 4.4 seconds. It was one of the fastest accelerating production vehicles at the time. The Skyline GT-R became the flagship of Nissan performance, showcasing many advanced technologies including the ATTESA E-TS
All-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
system and the Super-HICAS four-wheel steering. Today, the car is popular for import drag racing, circuit track,
time attack Time attack is a type of motorsport in which the racers compete for the best lap time. Each vehicle is timed through numerous circuits of the track. The racers make a preliminary circuit, then run the timed laps, and then finish with a cool-dow ...
and events hosted by tuning magazines. Production of the Skyline GT-R ended in August 2002. The car was replaced by the GT-R (R35), an all-new vehicle based on a enhanced platform of the Skyline V36 platform. Although visibly different, the two vehicles share similar design features and are manufactured in the same factory. The Skyline GT-R was never manufactured outside Japan, and the sole export markets were Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, in 1991, and the UK (in 1997, due to the Single Vehicle Approval scheme) as used Japanese imports. Despite this, the car has become an iconic sports car as a ''
Grey import vehicle Grey import vehicles are new or used motor vehicles and motorcycles legally imported from another country through channels other than the maker's official distribution system. The synonymous term parallel import is sometimes substituted. Car make ...
,'' including in countries from the Western World (mainly the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Canada, and the United States). It has become notable through pop culture such as ''
The Fast and the Furious ''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heists, spies, and family. The franchise also includes short films, ...
,'' '' Initial D'', ''
Shakotan Boogie is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1986 to 1996, with its chapters collected in 32 ''tankōbon'' volumes. It foll ...
'', ''
Wangan Midnight is a Japanese racing manga series written and illustrated by Michiharu Kusunoki. It was first serialized in Shogakukan's '' Big Comic Spirits'' in 1990, but was later serialized in Kodansha's '' Weekly Young Magazine'' from 1992 to 2008. T ...
'', ''
Need for Speed ''Need for Speed'' (''NFS'') is a racing game franchise published by Electronic Arts and currently developed by Criterion Games, the developers of ''Burnout''. The series generally centers around illicit street racing and tasks players to co ...
'', '' Forza'', ''
Driving Emotion Type-S is a racing game developed by Escape, a subsidiary of Square. It was published in Japan on March 30, 2000 and was Square's first release for the PlayStation 2 console. After criticisms of the game's handling, the international versions feature ...
'',
Test Drive A test drive is the driving of a motor vehicle to assess its drivability or roadworthiness, and general operating state. A person who tests vehicles for a living, either for an automobile company, automotive media for review purposes, or a moto ...
, and '' Gran Turismo''. In 2019, Nismo announced that it would resume production of spare parts for all generations of the Skyline GT-R, including body panels and engines. The car was named at the time by BBC's ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'' as the only true Japanese contribution in the line of
supercar A supercar – also called exotic car – is a loosely defined description of street-legal, high-performance sports cars. Since the 2010s, the term hypercar has come into use for the highest performing supercars. Supercars commonly serve as t ...
s, and by
Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, game show host and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for the motoring programmes '' Top Gear'' and '' The Grand Tour'' alongside R ...
as one of the best cars in the world.


History of the brand

The Skyline name originated from
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
automobile company, which developed and sold the Skyline line of sedans before merging with Nissan-
Datsun Datsun (, ) was an automobile brand owned by Nissan. Datsun's original production run began in 1931. From 1958 to 1986, only vehicles exported by Nissan were identified as Datsun. Nissan phased out the Datsun brand in March 1986, but relaunche ...
. The original Skyline was launched by the Prince Motor Company in April 1957 and was powered by a 1.5-litre engine. The later iteration launched in 1964 called the Prince Skyline GT was powered by a 2.0-litre ''G7'' inline-6 engine shared with the up market
Prince Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkin ...
sedan. Two road going versions were built. The S54A which had a single carburettor engine rated at and the S54B which had a triple carburettor engine rated at and production totalled 100 units. The GT-R abbreviation stands for ''Gran Turismo–Racing'' while the GT-B stands for ''Gran Turismo–Berlinetta''. The Japanese chose to use Italian naming conventions when naming the car – as most cars that were made in Japan at that time used Western abbreviations – to further enhance sales. The earliest predecessor of the GT-R, the S54 2000 GT-B, came second in its first race in the 1964 Japanese GP to the purpose-built Porsche 904 GTS. However, the earlier Prince Skyline Sport coupé/convertible foreshadowed the GT-R as the first sports-oriented model in the Skyline range, hence the name. The next development of the GT-R, the four-door PGC10 2000 GT-R, scored 33 victories in the one and a half years it raced, and by the time it attempted its 50th consecutive win, its run was ended by a Mazda Savanna RX-3. The car took 1,000 victories by the time it was discontinued in 1972. The last of the original GT-R models, the KPGC110 2000GT-R, used an unchanged S20
inline-6 The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bala ...
engine from the earlier 2000 GT-R and only 197 units were sold due to the worldwide
energy crisis An energy crisis or energy shortage is any significant bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In literature, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, in particular, those that supply n ...
. This model was the only GT-R to never participate in a major race despite being developed as a sole purpose-built race car, which now resides in Nissan's storage unit for historical cars in Zama. The Skyline continued into the 1990s when it became popular largely because it remained
rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...
, while most other manufacturers were focusing on
front wheel drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitu ...
cars. Throughout its lifetime, various special editions containing additional performance-enhancing modifications were introduced by Nissan and its performance division
Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
(Nissan Motorsport).


First generation (1969–1972)

The first Skyline GT-R, known by the internal Nissan designation of PGC10, was introduced on 4 February 1969, and was exclusive to Japanese Nissan dealership network called '' Nissan Prince Store'' when the Prince company was integrated into Nissan operations in 1966. It was available originally as a four-door sedan after a public debut at the October 1968
Tokyo Motor Show The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show ...
. It was advertised alongside the Nissan R380 racecar to showcase the Skyline's racing heraldry. It was equipped with the 2.0 L
DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
S20
Inline-six engine The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine bal ...
rated at at 7,000 rpm and at 5,600 rpm. Power was delivered to the rear wheels by a 5-speed
manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear change ...
and the car was equipped with a limited slip differential. The first Skyline GT-R rode on a semi-trailing arm strut suspension. The braking system consisted of disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. It was available in a coupé bodystyle in March 1971 with the chassis code KPGC10. The interior of the car was very basic and featured racing bucket seats and a three-spoke steering wheel along with wood inserts. The pedals were finished in aluminium. A popular name for the PGC and KPGC10 Skyline GT-R was Hakosuka, which combines the Japanese word for box ("hako" or ハコ) and the pronounced abbreviation of skyline ("Suka" or スカ as in スカイライン or "sukairain"). A total of 1,945 PGC and KPGC10 Skyline GT-Rs were produced.


Second generation (1973)

The KPGC10's successor, the KPGC110, was introduced in 1973 after its introduction at the 1972 Tokyo Motor Show. Powered by a 1,989 cc S20 inline-6 engine, the second generation of the GT-R delivered power to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. This car also had both front and rear disc brakes. The suspension was a semi-trailing ring arm setup and minor aerodynamic parts were added. This model of the GT-R was also known as the Kenmeri Skyline, due to a popular advertisement featuring a young couple (Ken and Mary) enjoying the
Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...
countryside. The advertisement later spawned a hit song by Buzz, and the tree featured in the advertisement later became a minor star itself. The second generation GT-R was unsuccessful, as a petrol crisis hit in the early 1970s, reducing demand for high-performance sports cars. A total of 197 cars were built by the end of its short production run. For the next decade, this was the last GT-R until the production of the R32 in 1989.


Third generation (1989–1994)


Concept

After discontinuing the Skyline GT-R in 1973, Nissan revived the GT-R nameplate again in 1989. At the time Nissan was competing in
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
Racing with the Skyline GTS-R. Nissan wanted to retire the GTS-R in favor of a more competitive vehicle. The new generation of the GT-R, E-BNR32 chassis (commonly shortened to R32), was designed to dominate Group A class racing. Nissan Kohki (Nissan's power train engineering and manufacturing facility) originally tested a twin turbocharged bored and stroked version of the RB20 engine. This set up resulted in a power output of and used a
rear wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-wheel ...
drivetrain. Under Group A regulations, a turbocharged engine must multiply its engine displacement by 1.7, putting the new Skyline in the 4,000 cc class, and requiring the use of 10-inch-wide tyres. Knowing that they would be required to use 10-inch-wide tyres, Nissan decided to make the car
all wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
. Nissan developed a special motorsport-oriented AWD system for this purpose called the ATTESA E-TS. Although this assisted with traction, it made the car heavier; the added weight put the GT-R at a disadvantage to other cars in the 4,000 cc class. Nissan then made the decision to increase the displacement to 2,600 cc, and put the car in the 4,500 cc class, with the car's weight near-equal to competing cars. The 4,500 cc class also allowed for 11-inch-wide tyres. New engine block and heads were then developed to better match the increased displacement. The result was a car that had a power output of . Later REINIK (Racing & Rally Engineering Division Incorporated Nissan Kohi) produced Group A racing engines rated between depending on track conditions.


Production

This new RB26DETT-powered all wheel drive concept was put into production as the R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R. The R32 developed at 6,800 rpm and of torque at 4,400 rpm, it had a curb weight of . Nissan officially started its production run 21 August 1989, and began its
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
campaign in 1990. The Skyline GT-R
Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
, identified by the model code suffix "RA", was introduced on 22 February 1990 and attracted a premium of over the standard car. It existed to
homologate Homologation (Greek ''homologeo'', ὁμολογέω, "to agree") is the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work fr ...
a number of changes related to performance, aerodynamics, weight-saving and reliability for
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
racing. Those rules required a production run of 500 units, under the "Evolution" special regulations, but an additional 60 were produced and held by Nissan to turn into race cars, rising the production total to 560 units. Aerodynamic changes include: two additional ducts in the front bumper and removal of the protective honeycomb mesh to improve airflow to the intercooler, a bonnet lip spoiler to direct more air into the engine bay, deeper rear spats, and an additional boot lip spoiler to provide more downforce. The
Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
specification deletes ABS, which is not legal in Group A, and the rear wiper to save weight. The bonnet and front panels are aluminium in all GT-R models rather than the standard steel in non GT-R models, again to save weight. Overall the GT-R Nismo weighs compared to for the standard GT-R. Tyres are Bridgestone RE71 in 225/55R16 fitted to 16-inch alloy wheels. Mechanically, the GT-R Nismo uses the RB26 engine of the 'standard' GT-R but replaces the standard Garrett T03 turbo chargers with larger T04B models, sacrificing the faster spool up of the ceramic turbo wheels for the enhanced reliability of steel wheels. The GT-R
Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
was only available in colour code KH2 "Gun Grey Metallic". Other minor, but noticeable, changes include a circular "Nismo" logo on the right-rear of the boot lip, lack of radio tuning controls on the dashboard console (since a radio was optional), and cross-drilled brake rotors. Nismo-branded options available included a speedometer, 3-inch cat-back exhaust system, front suspension tower brace, sports shock absorbers, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a rear spoiler with a built-in third brake light. The Skyline GT-R 'N1' model (identified by the model code suffix "ZN"), was introduced on 19 July 1991, and designed for home-market N1 racing with a total of 245 units eventually produced (118 of these are 'N1', 64 are 'V·Spec N1', and 63 are 'V·Spec II N1' - see below explanation of 'V·Spec'). The most notable change was in the engine, which was upgraded to the R32-N1 specification. Building on the 'Nismo' car's specification, it was also lightened by the removal of the ABS, and rear wiper, but for 'N1' the air conditioning, sound system, and boot carpet were also deleted, and distinctive light-weight headlights were fitted. 'N1' cars also had reinforcing for the brake master cylinder and additional brake cooling ducts under the car. All 'N1' cars were delivered with a thin layer of colour code 326 "Crystal White" paint. To celebrate the success of the GT-R in both Group N and Group A racing, Nissan introduced the Skyline GT-R V·Spec ("Victory SPECification") package on 3 February 1993. The V·Spec added Brembo brakes and a retuned ATTESA E-TS system. The V·Spec was available in both 'plain' and 'N1' variants, with all V·Spec cars using the lightweight aluminium bonnet and front bumpers from the 'Nismo'. The cars also replaced the standard 16-inch wheels with 17-inch BBS wheels with 225/45R17 tyres. Finally on 14 February 1994, the Skyline GT-R V·Spec II was introduced, with the only change being wider 245/45R17 tyres. The 'plain' V·Spec and V·Spec II had a curb weight of , weighing more than the standard GT-R. Total production of the V·Spec and V·Spec II was 1,396 and 1,306 units respectively. Production of the R32 Skyline GT-R ceased in November 1994 after a production run of 43,937 units. The most popular colours are KH2 "Gun Grey Metallic" (45% of cars), followed by 326 "Crystal White" (18%), 732 "Black Pearl Metallic" (13%), KL0 "Spark Silver Metallic" (12%). The rarest colour is BL0 "Greyish Blue Pearl" with only 141 units. In 1989, the Japanese
Best Motoring was Japan's preeminent automobile magazine, video, and DVD series. Alongside ''Best Motoring'' were ''Hot Version'' and ''Video Special.'' History With the first edition debuting in 1987 and the last in June 2011, the videos were marked by non ...
television program conducted a test at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around the village a ...
with a production version Nissan Skyline GT-R R32. Driven by
Motoharu Kurosawa , nicknamed "Gan-san", is a retired professional Japanese racing driver. He is the patriarch of a racing family; his three sons, Takuya, Haruki, and Tsubasa, are all racing drivers. Racing career After a brief career in domestic motorcycle r ...
, the car completed a lap time of a 8:22.38 minutes around the semi-wet (damp) condition circuit, making it the fastest production vehicle around the track. As of August 2014, the first R32 Skyline GT-Rs became eligible for US import under the NHTSA "25 year" rule, that allows vehicles that are 25 years old (to the month) or older to be imported. These vehicles, due to their age do not have to comply with federal emissions or with Federal motor vehicle safety standards. The R32 Zero-R was a special tuner edition which was engineered by HKS with . 10 were made but only 4 remain in existence. One was bought by the Sultan of Brunei. One of them was bought at the 2019
Tokyo Auto Salon The is an annual auto show held in January at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for Performance and custom aftermarket parts and technology displays. Hosted by thNippon Auto Parts Aftermarket Committee (NAPAC) The Tokyo Auto Salon is one o ...
for and sent to Australia.


Production figures

* GT-R (Series 1) = 17,316 * GT-R Nismo = 560 * GT-R (Australia) = 100 * GT-R (Series 2) = 11,187 * GT-R (Series 3) = 11,827 * V·Spec = 1396 * V·Spec II = 1306 * N1 = 245 (GT-R N1 = 118, V·Spec N1 = 64, V·Spec II N1 = 63). * Total = 43,937


Fourth generation (1995–1998)

The E-BCNR33 (R33) was developed even as the non GT-R R33 models went on sale in August 1993 (with a prototype being shown at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show) for release in 1995 as a successor to the R32 model. The engine in the R33 was nearly identical to the R32. It used the same
turbochargers In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
and the same specification for the manual gearbox, although the syncros were stronger. The engine corrected the R32's weak oil pump drive collar, which tended to fail in higher power applications, by using a wider collar (also fixed in spec 2 R32's prior to R33 release). The base model of the R33 GT-R weighs . The R33 GT-R went on sale on 6 January 1995 with the base model GT-R and the V·Spec model. The V·Spec model weighed in heavier, and had sportier suspension resulting in lower ground clearance. The V·Spec also featured the newer ATTESA E-TS Pro
all wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
system, which included an Active Limited Slip differential. At the same time as the introduction of the R33 GT-R and GT-R V·Spec, Nissan introduced the R33 GT-R V·Spec N1 model. Changes made to the R33 N1 are similar to those in the R32 N1. The car was made lighter by removing the ABS, air conditioning, sound system, rear wiper, and boot carpet. The R33 GT-R V·Spec N1 received the slightly revised R33 N1 engine. The R33 ended production on 9 November 1998. The last R33 GT-R produced was a V-Spec in GV1 finished in Black Pearl colour. Before the official release of the R33, Nissan recorded a lap time for the R33 GT-R at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around the village a ...
, driven by ''Dirk Schoysman'', car set a lap time of 7:59.887 minutes, became the first production vehicle to break into the sub 8 minute mark. Also the, fastest production vehicle around the track. In 1999, the record was broken by a Skyline GT-R R34. In 1995,
Best Motoring was Japan's preeminent automobile magazine, video, and DVD series. Alongside ''Best Motoring'' were ''Hot Version'' and ''Video Special.'' History With the first edition debuting in 1987 and the last in June 2011, the videos were marked by non ...
conducted a test of the GT-R R33 at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around the village a ...
. Driven by
Motoharu Kurosawa , nicknamed "Gan-san", is a retired professional Japanese racing driver. He is the patriarch of a racing family; his three sons, Takuya, Haruki, and Tsubasa, are all racing drivers. Racing career After a brief career in domestic motorcycle r ...
, the car set a 8:01.72 minute lap time around the track.


Autech Version 40th Anniversary

In 1997,
Autech is a Nissan Motorsports & Customizing division focused on tuning and converting Nissan cars. Autech was a subsidiary company of Nissan from its establishment in 1986 to 2022, when it was merged with Nismo. History Autech was founded in 1986 ...
made a limited edition GT-R four-door sedan to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Skyline nameplate. While 400 of the Autech 40th Anniversary were planned, in the end 416 examples were built. Before the official release of the R33, Nissan recorded a lap time for the R33 GT-R at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around the village a ...
, driven by Dirk Schoysman, car set a lap time of 7:59.887 minutes, becoming the first production vehicle to break into the sub 8 minute mark. Also the, fastest road-legal production vehicle around the track at the time. In 1999, the record was broken by a GT-R R34. In 1995,
Best Motoring was Japan's preeminent automobile magazine, video, and DVD series. Alongside ''Best Motoring'' were ''Hot Version'' and ''Video Special.'' History With the first edition debuting in 1987 and the last in June 2011, the videos were marked by non ...
conducted a test of the GT-R R33 at the
Nürburgring Nordschleife The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around the village a ...
. Driven by
Motoharu Kurosawa , nicknamed "Gan-san", is a retired professional Japanese racing driver. He is the patriarch of a racing family; his three sons, Takuya, Haruki, and Tsubasa, are all racing drivers. Racing career After a brief career in domestic motorcycle r ...
, the car did a 8:01.72 minute lap time around the track.


1995 GT-R LM

Nissan mostly competed in
Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...
racing with purpose built prototype race cars after the R32 GT-R was ousted from the Group A racing but rule changes for Group C forced Nissan to abandon Group C racing. Nissan then set out to develop one of its existing cars to enter the GT1 class racing in the BPR racing series. The company decided to base the new GT1 car on the R33 LM race car. The weight of the car was reduced to and the all-wheel-drive system was removed. The car was also considerably widened and lowered with a new bodykit in order to increase downforce. The car was equipped with the N1 specification engine which had a power output of . The engine was mated to a 6-speed sequential manual transmission manufactured by Xtrac. The all-wheel-drive system was removed, which led to significant differences from the original GT-R R33. Nissan had to build a homologation road car to correspond to the rear-wheel drive system of the racing version. The 1995 GT1 regulations stated that the GT1 race car must be overall similar to the road version, but did not specify how many road cars should be produced. Thus, a single road LM car was developed and stored at Nissan's Zuma facility. The road version of the car was detuned to and was equipped by the same wider body kit as the racing version. The interior remained the same as the standard R33 GT-R albeit with an Alcantara rimmed steering wheel and racing bucket seats. Two race cars were built having numbers 22 and 23. They were entered in the 1995 season of LeMans but faced tough competition from more powerful race cars such as the Ferrari F40 LM and the
McLaren F1 GTR The McLaren F1 GTR is the racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It was powered by the nat ...
. The number 22 car driven by H. Fukuyama and S. Kasuya qualified in the 34th season and finished 5th in its class with an overall position of 10th while the number 23 retired after 157 laps due to gearbox damage. Due to the entry of purpose built race cars by using loopholes in the regulations such as the
Porsche 911 GT1 The Porsche 911 GT1 is a car designed and developed by German automobile manufacturer Porsche AG to compete in the GT1 class of sportscar racing, which also required a street-legal version for homologation (motorsport), homologation purposes. The ...
, Nissan decided to withdraw for the 1996 season.


1996 LM Limited

There were several limited editions of the BCNR33 produced. The first LeMans, or "LM" version, was introduced in May 1996 to celebrate Nissan's participation in the 24-hours of Le Mans. The only body colour available for the R33 LM was Champion Blue. The car had a front splitter lip to direct air to the upper front aperture, and a carbon fibre rear wing with Gurney flap. There were carbon fibre inserts on the rear wing fins with a GT-R badge on the inserts. The "GT-R Skyline" logo under the checkered flag was placed on the C-pillars. Nissan produced just 188 units of this model, 86 GT-R LM Limited and 102 V-Spec LM Limited. Limited edition factory fitted extras: * Champion Blue (code BT2). * Carbon Fibre Rear Wing Blade. * N1 Front Brake Cooling Ducts. * N1 Bonnet Lip. * Commemorative GT-R Decals on C-Pillars.


1995 Nismo 400R

A special edition of the R33 was introduced on 1 February 1995, named as Nismo 400R, with ''400'' and ''R'' standing for horsepower of the engine and for racing respectively. Overall development and planning was by Nismo (Nissan Motorsports International). But, its bored and stroked RB26DETT engine, the RBX-GT2, was engineered and produced by REINIK (later renamed REIMAX – "REINIK to the MAX"). The engine featured 77.7 mm stroke crankshaft (73.7 mm stock), forged 87 mm pistons (86 mm cast stock), upgraded rods, polished ports, high lift camshafts, upgraded oil system, larger exhaust manifolds and higher output turbochargers. NISMO produced an upgraded exhaust, a twin-plate clutch, and intercooler system.
Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
brake pads were fitted to the car. 400R exclusive aerodynamic updates were also added, such as wider bumpers, side skirts, a new rear bumper, a new front bumper with bigger air scoops, and a redesigned bonnet and rear spoiler made of carbon fibre. The 400R was also fitted with 18x10 Nismo LM-GT1s. The engine developed and , which allowed a top speed of over , and enabled it to accelerate from in 4.0 seconds. NISMO had originally planned to produce 100 units of the 400R, however, only 44 units were made before production of the R33 ended in 1998.


Acceleration

Test By Hot Rod Magazine below sea level: * : 1.4 sec * : 3.8 sec * : 7.0 sec * : 10.0 sec * : 12.1 sec * : 12.2 sec at * : 10.7 sec


Production figures

* GT-R (Series 1) = 5050 * V·Spec (Series 1) = 4095 * Unknown (Series 1) = 14 (Pre-production or early cars including GT-R, V·Spec and V·Spec N1). * GT-R (Series 2) = 2291 * V·Spec (Series 2) = 1203 * LM Limited = 188 (86 GT-R LM Limited, 102 V·Spec LM Limited) * GT-R (Series 3) = 1958 * V·Spec (Series 3) = 1269 *
Autech is a Nissan Motorsports & Customizing division focused on tuning and converting Nissan cars. Autech was a subsidiary company of Nissan from its establishment in 1986 to 2022, when it was merged with Nismo. History Autech was founded in 1986 ...
Version 40th Anniversary = 416 * N1 = 87 (Series 1 = 55 known, Series 2 = 21, Series 3 = 11) * UK V·Spec = 97 (94x 17 digit VIN models plus 3 prototypes) * Total production = 16,668


Fifth generation (1999–2002)

The GF-BNR34 (R34) Skyline GT-R, GT-R V·Spec and GT-R V·Spec N1 models were introduced in January 1999. The R34 GT-R was shorter (from front to rear), and the front overhang was reduced as compared to its predecessor. The valve covers were painted glossy red (colour code Cherry Red Effect Z24 or X1020), as opposed to black in previous models. A new feature on the R34 GT-R is a 5.8" LCD multifunction display on the centre of the dashboard, which shows seven different live readings of engine and vehicle statistics such as turbocharger pressure (1.2 bar max), oil and water temperature, among others. The GT-R V·Spec model added two extra features to the display: intake and exhaust gas temperatures.
Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
Multi-function Displays (MFD) could be bought at an extra cost, they included a lap timer, G-Force meter and an increase in boost pressure measurement to 2 bar. The R34 GT-R was made shorter in response to customer concerns who thought the R33 was too bulky. Like the R33, the new R34 GT-R V·Spec (Victory Specification) models come equipped with the ATTESA E-TS Pro system and an Active LSD at the rear, while standard GT-R models come with the non-Pro system and a conventional mechanical differential. The V·Spec model also had firmer suspension and lower ground clearance, thanks to front and side splitters, as well as a rear
carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
air diffuser, designed to keep air flowing smoothly under the car. At the time of the R34's introduction, like the R32 and R33, Nissan introduced an R34 V·Spec N1 model. The R34 V·Spec N1 was equipped similar to the R32 and R33 N1 models – a homologation special. It was sold without air conditioning, audio equipment, rear wiper, or boot lining, but ABS remained. The new R34 N1 was also given the new R34 N1 engine. Only 38 known R34 V·Spec N1 models were produced from the factory, 12 of which
Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
used for Super Taikyu racing. The rest were sold to various customers, mostly racing teams and tuning garages. The V·Spec version was also imported into the UK with a number of modifications carried out on these 80 cars. These included 3 additional oil coolers, revised ECU map, full
Connolly leather Connolly Leather Limited was a British company that supplied highly finished leather primarily to car manufacturers. Founded in 1878, it went out of business in that form in 2002. A successor firm, Connolly Brothers, UK, has resumed producing ...
interior, underbody diffusers, stiffer suspension, active rear limited slip differential, extra display feature on the in car display. In additional to the UK, 10 were sold to Hong Kong and Singapore, and 5 to New Zealand although with different changes for their respective markets. In October 2000, Nissan introduced the V·Spec II, replacing the V·Spec. The V·Spec II has increased stiffness in the suspension (even stiffer than the original V·Spec) and had larger rear brake rotors. It also comes equipped with a
carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
bonnet equipped with a
NACA duct A NACA duct, also sometimes called a NACA scoop or NACA inlet, is a common form of low- drag air inlet design, originally developed by the U.S. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor to NASA, in 1945. Design Prior s ...
, which is lighter than the aluminium that all other GT-R bonnets are made from. Also different on the V·Spec II was an iridium centre console and aluminium pedals. The seats were upholstered with black cloth rather than the grey cloth used on previous R34 GT-R models, and the amber turn lenses were replaced with white versions. With the exception of the carbon fibre bonnet, the standard trim level GT-R also received these updates. A total of 18 V·Spec II N1 were built. A total of 1855 V·Spec II were built for Japan, with an additional 2 being sold for the New Zealand market. The V·Spec N1 was replaced with the V·Spec II N1. The same changes applied to the V·Spec N1 were applied to the V·Spec II N1, with the exception of the V·Spec II carbon bonnet which was now unpainted. In May 2001, the M·Spec was introduced. It was based on the V-Spec II, but had special "Ripple control" dampers, revised suspension set up, stiffer rear sway bar and a leather interior with heated front seats. The 'M' on the M·Spec stood for Mizuno who is the chief engineer of Nissan. The only other change was the removal of the carbon fibre bonnet which was replaced with the standard aluminium bonnet. In February 2002, Nissan launched a final production model of the R34 GT-R called the Skyline GT-R V·Spec II Nür and the Skyline GT-R M·Spec Nür. The Nür was named after the famous German Nürburgring racetrack, where the Skyline was developed. In total, 1,003 units of the R34 GT-R Nür were produced. 718 were V·Spec II Nürs and 285 were M·Spec Nürs. The Nür model featured an improved RB26DETT based on the N1 racing engine. The standard turbochargers were upgraded to larger versions with a slight increase in boost and the ceramic blades were replaced with steel versions. This has increased lag, but the turbo's durability was improved while being able to handle a bigger boost increase. The V·Spec II Nür is based on the regular V·Spec II model, and the M·Spec Nür was based on the regular M·Spec model. Other than the addition of the Nür engine, the Nür models also included a different colour of stitching on the interior trim, as well as a speedometer reading up to , gold valve covers instead of red and a gold VIN plate instead of silver. Due to Japanese car industry norms at the time, the car was advertised as having but it actually had over when it left the factory. In 1999, during Nissan's testing session at the Nürburgring Nordscheleife. The car set a unofficial lap time of 7:52 minutes around the track, driven by Nissan's test driver Kazuo Shimizu. The car broke the Skyline GT-R R33's record, which was the fastest production vehicle around the track.


Production figures

* GT-R (Series 1) = 2,709 * V·Spec = 4,193 * V·Spec N1 = 38 * V·Spec UK = 81 * V·Spec Hong Kong = 10 * V·Spec New Zealand = 5 * V·Spec Singapore = 10 * ''Unknown'' (Series 1) = 20 (pre-production cars including GT-R (Series 1), V·Spec and V·Spec N1). * GT-R (Series 2) = 1,268 * V·Spec II = 1,855 * V·Spec II Nür = 718 * V·Spec II N1 = 18 * V·Spec II New Zealand = 2 * M·Spec = 366 * M·Spec Nür = 285 * Nismo Z-Tune = 19 Note: The Z-tune were built on used cars, which is why that number can not be added to the total figure below. * ''Total'' = 11,578


Z-Tune

Nismo , abbreviated as Nismo, is a division of Nissan Motorsports & Customizing focused in motorsport and performance-oriented car models for Nissan. Nismo was initially a company, , formed in 1984 as a result of a merger of two motorsport departmen ...
originally designed the concept of the Z-tune in 2002 when Nissan was putting an end to the R34 Skyline production. The first Z-tune was built in 2003, using a used 2002 Skyline GT-R V·Spec II. It was built with a concept RB26DETT 'Z1' engine. This engine was based on Nissan's Le Mans GT2 and GT500 racing experiences. As with the racing vehicles a strengthened engine block and stroked crankshaft were utilised. The engine was also bored. With the new displacement of 2.8 L and upgraded turbochargers the Z1 engine was rated at at 6800 rpm and of torque at 5200 rpm. The Z-Tune had a 0–100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time of 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of over . Nismo was then given the approval from Nissan to build Z-tune models for the Nismo anniversary. Nismo then purchased 18 used R34 GT-R V·Spec, each with less than on the odometer, they were then completely stripped and were resprayed to a "''Z-tune Silver''," a special colour exclusively for the Z-tune. One car was left in its original colour of Midnight Purple III. For each of the 18 production models, the 2.8 L engine was revised to allow it to reach a speed of 8,000 rpm. The turbochargers were supplied by
IHI Ihi, Ehee (Nepal Bhasa:ईही) is a ceremony in the Newar community in Nepal in which pre-adolescent girls are "married" to the Suvarna Kumar which is a symbol of the god Vishnu, ensuring that the girl becomes and remains fertile. It is bel ...
in Japan. The engine is advertised to be able to generate (for warranty reasons). This second revision of the Z-tune engine is called the 'Z2'. The bodywork is designed with the same functional components used in Nismo's GT500 racing cars, such as engine bay vents on the bonnet and bumpers, as well as wider arches for wider wheels. The Z-tune is also improved with an aggressive suspension setup from Sachs, and a specially designed Brembo brake system. The entire car is essentially handmade, with the car being completely stripped and re-built from the ground up. Engineers reinforced and stiffened the chassis seam welding in key areas such as the door seams and door frames and added carbon fibre to the strut towers and transmission tunnel and the engine bay, completely redesigning the suspension, drivetrain, engine, gearbox and other components so as to work at maximum efficiency and reliability as is expected of a road-going vehicle. Although Nismo planned on building 20 cars, they ceased production on only 19 (including 2 prototypes).


Replacement

Following the end of R34 production in 2002, Nissan announced they would separate the GT-R model from the Skyline name, creating an entirely new vehicle—though based on the same platform as the Skyline. This new car, now known simply as the
Nissan GT-R The Nissan GT-R (Japanese: 日産・GT-R, ''Nissan GT-R''), is a high-performance sports car and grand tourer produced by Nissan, unveiled in 2007. It is the successor to the Skyline GT-R, a high performance variant of the Nissan Skyline. Alt ...
, debuted in 2007 in Tokyo. Introduced to consumers in 2008, it was the first GT-R available worldwide, entering the North American market for the first time. The GT-R uses the Premium Midship (PM) platform, an evolution of the FM platform first used by the V35 generation of the Skyline. The R34 heritage is reflected in its chassis codes: CBA-R35 (2007–2011), DBA-R35 (2012-2016), 4BA-R35 (2017-present) or simply R35.


Powertrain

The GT-R of the 1990s included a 2.6 L straight six-cylinder
twin-turbo Twin-turbo (not to be confused with a twincharger setup, which is a combination of a supercharger and a turbocharger) refers to an engine in which two turbochargers work in tandem to compress the intake fuel/air mixture (or intake air, in the case ...
engine producing . The standard turbochargers were of a hybrid steel/ceramic design allowing them to spool up faster due to the light nature of the ceramic exhaust wheel. The drive train delivered power to all four wheels using an electronically controlled
all-wheel-drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...
system Nissan called the ATTESA E-TS. This system used two
accelerometer An accelerometer is a tool that measures proper acceleration. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of a body in its own instantaneous rest frame; this is different from coordinate acceleration, which is acc ...
s mounted under the center console, which fed lateral and longitudinal inputs to the ECU. The ECU then controlled power delivery to the front wheels via an electronic torque split converter. In 1995, the ATTESA E-TS Pro was introduced as an option for R33 GT-R customers, and came as standard equipment in GT-R V•Spec models. It was later standard equipment in all GT-R models for the R34 Skyline GT-R. The ATTESA E-TS Pro added an Active
Limited Slip Differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...
, which was controlled by the onboard ATTESA computer. This was only for the rear differential, as the front differential remained as a normal
Limited Slip Differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...
. The ATTESA E-TS Pro was also advertised in brochures as adding an electronically controlled 4-channel ABS brake system. Although it is not related to the all wheel drive system, it uses much of the same sensors, and the same computer. The R32 could be switched from AWD to RWD by removing the 4WD fuse, but R33 and R34 models had to have the front tailshaft removed, or the centre diff can be depressurised for 'towing mode' as specified in the owners manual. The car also had computer-controlled all wheel steering system referred to as
HICAS HICAS ''/hīkas/'' (High Capacity Actively Controlled Steering) is Nissan's rear wheel steering system found on cars ranging from the more recent Skyline and Fairlady Z (300ZX) iterations to smaller models like the Nissan Cefiro (A31), 240SX/ Sil ...
. The HICAS system activated when the vehicle exceeded and controlled the steering of the rear wheels in the same direction as the front to improve turn in on entry to corners. This feature is often seen as more of a hindrance than help in race applications. The system tends to favor less experienced drivers, and can make the rear suspension unstable during high speed cornering. While the published figures from Nissan were as quoted above, tests showed the car had a factory power output of closer to at the
flywheel A flywheel is a mechanical device which uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy; a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, as ...
. The lower published figure was Nissan's response to the need to abide by a
gentleman's agreement A gentlemen's agreement, or gentleman's agreement, is an informal and legally non-binding agreement between two or more parties. It is typically oral, but it may be written or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or th ...
between the Japanese auto manufacturers not to introduce a car to the public exceeding of power output.


N1 engines

RB26DETT N1 is an upgraded version of the standard RB26DETT engine. It was developed by Nissan Kohki's REINIK division for NISMO and N1 race cars. The standard RB26DETT, although known for its durability, proved to require too much maintenance for Group N (N1 class) racing conditions. REINIK started with a strengthened RB26DETT block. The N1 block is identified by its 24U number stamped on the block (05U standard blocks). The cylinder walls are thicker and
water cooling Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and non ...
channels are enhanced to increase flow. It also received an upgraded oil pump and
water pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they ...
, to improve the cooling and lubrication for race conditions. The pistons have top rings and were balanced before assembly but otherwise very close to standard. The connecting rods are also similar to standard but made from slightly stronger material and balanced. Standard crankshaft is balanced to a higher level. Higher flow exhaust manifolds and turbochargers were added for increased torque and slightly higher top-end power.
Turbine A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating ...
wheels on the N1 turbochargers are also made from steel for durability, rather than the lighter but weaker ceramic found on the standard turbine. The R32 Skyline GT-R N1 road car marked the N1 engine's introduction for sale to the public. R32, 33, and 34 N1 road cars were known for lack of amenities and their light weight. The R33 N1 engine and turbochargers were slightly revised, and the R34 N1 engine saw further improvement. The camshaft timing was altered slightly for more torque. R33 and R34 N1 turbochargers are the same size however R34 N1s use a
ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...
center section. NISMO states the ball bearings in the R34 N1 allow them to spool 400 rpm faster than R33 N1. The final N1 engine is the R34 Nür engine. The only differences are the cam cover colour change from red to gold and R34 Nür edition was a fully loaded street car. There were 1,000 Nür engines made for use in the R34 V.spec II Nür and R34 M-spec Nür models.


Motorsports

The GT-R's history of racetrack dominance began with its 50 victories scored from 1968 to 1972, including 49 consecutive wins in the Japanese race circuit. Nissan pulled out of racing shortly after the introduction of the KPGC110 due to the 1973 oil crisis. The Skyline GT-R later earned the nickname "Godzilla", as a play on its "monster" track performance and country of origin. The R32 GT-R dominated the Japanese Touring Car Championship, won all 29 races it entered in the series, as well as taking the series title every year from 1989 to 1993. It took 50 races from 50 starts from 1991 to 1997 (latterly R33) in the N1 Super Taikyu. The GT-R's success sounded the death knell of
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
Touring Car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition with heavily modified road-going cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not mov ...
; with the formula being scrapped soon after. JTCC was similarly dominated by the R32 GT-R, and splintered soon after, leading to the switch to the Supertouring category and also indirectly to the GT500 category of today. The GT-R's success in
motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...
was formidable, particularly in the annual race at the Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst, Australia, where the winner in 1991 and 1992 was a GT-R (despite receiving additional in weight penalties and a turbo pressure relief valve in 1992, and crashing). It took the overall win of the 1991
Spa 24 Hours The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by TotalEnergies. History The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their ...
, after getting the pole position and fastest lap time, ahead of the Porsche 911 and BMW M3 Evolution. It remained dominant in the Japanese GT series for many years. The Skyline GT-R was retired from the JGTC series (later changed Super GT Series) in 2004. Its successor, the
Nissan GT-R The Nissan GT-R (Japanese: 日産・GT-R, ''Nissan GT-R''), is a high-performance sports car and grand tourer produced by Nissan, unveiled in 2007. It is the successor to the Skyline GT-R, a high performance variant of the Nissan Skyline. Alt ...
, competed and dominated the
2008 Super GT season The 2008 Autobacs Super GT Series was the sixteenth season of the Japan Automobile Federation Super GT Championship including the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) era and the fourth season as the Super GT series. It marked as well as ...
, winning the GT500 (see details below). No other GT-R race victories escaped controversy. At the 1990
Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prémio de Macau; ) is a motorsport road race for automobiles and motorcycles held annually in Macau. It is the only street circuit racing event in which both cars and motorcycles participate, and one of onl ...
Guia touring car race, the factory-backed R32, driven by
Masahiro Hasemi is a former racing driver and team owner from Japan. He started racing motocross when he was 15 years old. In 1964 he signed to drive for Nissan. After establishing himself in saloon car and GT races in Japan, he participated in his only Formula ...
, led the race from start to finish, which caused a wave of protests by European entrants. The following year, officials forced the car to carry a weight penalty of . That year, it was also up against the more competitive DTM BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5–16 Evolution II. A disgruntled Hasemi took fourth place. For the following and final year, the weight penalty was reduced, and works-backed Hasemi returned with another privateer R32. The privateer crashed, and Hasemi retired with engine failure. In the UK,
Andy Middlehurst Andrew Michael Middlehurst (born 16 July 1962 in St. Helens) is an active British racing driver. Andy runs a successful Nissan dealership (Middlehurst Nissan) in the North West of England that is famed for its involvement with the Nissan Skylin ...
took the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32) to two consecutive championship wins in the National Saloon Car Cup. Other championship titles include the
1991 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1991 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Group 3A Touring Cars. The title, which was the 32nd Australian Touring Car Championship, was contested over a nine-round series which began on 24 Fe ...
( Jim Richards), the
1991 Australian Endurance Championship The 1991 Australian Endurance Championship was a Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing titleRecords, Titles and Awards, 2006 CAMS Manual of Motor Sport open to Group 3A Touring Cars. The championship, whi ...
(Mark Gibbs & Rowan Onslow), the 1991
Australian Manufacturers' Championship The Australian Manufacturers' Championship was a motor racing title awarded by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) to the winning car manufacturer in an annual series of races held throughout Australia. Whilst the first two champi ...
, the
1992 Australian Touring Car Championship The 1992 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 33rd running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group 3A Touring Cars, commonly known as Group A cars. It began on 23 Febru ...
(
Mark Skaife Mark Skaife (born 3 April 1967) is a retired Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five-time champion of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor, the Australian Touring Car Championship, as well as a six-time Bath ...
) and the 1992 Spanish Touring Car Championship. Janspeed provided three cars to race in Europe. One car to run for Andy Middlehurst in the UK in the National Touring Car Series. In 1990 they entered three cars in the SPA-Francorchamps 24 hours. They managed a tremendous finish of one, two and three in class. Three cars were entered to run in the SPA 24 hours in which it finished first and second in its class (Group N) in 1991. A GT-R Group A car also took first overall. In 1992 they finished second in Group N with the Group A entry retiring due to a pit fire. Janspeed also ran a GT-R in the Spanish Touring Car Championship (CET). This car won the championship driven by
Luis Pérez-Sala Luis Pérez-Sala Valls-Taberner (born 15 May 1959) is a Spanish former racing driver who competed in Formula One, Formula 3, Formula 3000 and Touring Cars. He was also the team principal of HRT Formula 1 Team during the 2012 F1 season. Pérez- ...
. Akira Kameyama has taken the GT-R to the
Pikes Peak International Hillclimb The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA. The track measures and has over 156 turns, climbing from the sta ...
race on three occasion winning in each Open Class for production cars he entered, one in 1993 with the R32, another in 1996 with the R33 and again in 1998. For the following year,
Rhys Millen Rhys Millen (born 6 September 1972) is a New Zealand-born racing driver. Nephew of IMSA GTS driver Steve Millen, son of Rodney and older brother of Ryan, is one of the America's top competitors in drifting. Prior to that he was a top rall ...
took an R33 Skyline GT-R to win the High-Performance Showroom Stock category. The GT-R debuted in the US at 1994
Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on the Sports Car Course layout ...
. Nismo entered a sole Group A specification R32 for the GTU category. This car was so fast in the infield section in the first practice that the competition colluded to have restrictors fitted. The team was not allowed to run again until they fitted them. They eventually finished 20th. NISSAN was probably not too upset as they did not import the GT-R model to the USA. However, they did sell the 300ZX and it was one of those that won. In 1995 Nismo developed the Skyline GT-R for endurance racing with a pair of JGTC specification R33s for the
24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose ...
. These were not allowed to run a four-wheel drive. To meet homologation regulations, Nissan had to build at least one street-legal version with four-wheel drive removed. The two racing cars achieved some success at Le Mans, with one car placing tenth overall, and fifth in its GT1 class, class—beaten only by the more developed
McLaren F1 GTR The McLaren F1 GTR is the racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It was powered by the nat ...
s and in overall standings by the GT2 class champion No. 84 Honda NSX entered by Team Kunimitsu. For , the Skyline GT-R LMs returned, this time carrying enlarged RB26DETTs displacing 2.8 litres. Again competing in GT1, they finished 15th overall and 10th in class. However, Nissan chose to abandon their production-based Skyline GT-R LMs in 1997 and instead turn to the purpose-built R390 GT1. In honour of the success of the Skyline at Le Mans, Nissan marketed a limited edition R33 they called the ''LM Limited'', available only in "Champion Blue" (colour code BT2). In 200
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became the first team to compete with an R34 GT-R in the United States, participating in the Speed World Challenge GT series. Team: Driver and President of ''Automotive Forums.com'' Igor Sushko, Crew Chief Sean Morris, Team Manager Victor Reyes, Mechanic Josh Mitchell, and Engineer Merritt Johnson. In 2007, the Heat Treatments Drag R32 Skyline GT-R driven by Reece McGregor of New Zealand, broke the world record for the fastest AWD over with a time of 7.57 seconds at at the Willowbank Dragway in Australia, a record previously held by the HKS R33 Skyline GT-R with a time of 7.67 seconds. Heat Treatments R32 has gone as quick as 7.53@185 mph. On the same year at TOTB U.K Racing series, Keith Cowie and RB Motorsport's GT-R BNR32 broke the fastest four-wheel drive record with a time of 12.47 seconds. The previous record holder was another GT-R, a BNR32 from Veilside Japan with 13.72 seconds during the early 90s. In March 2015, the New Zealand tuning shop, R.I.P.S., set a new AWD record with their BNR32 "RIPS MGAWOT III". It ran 7.32 seconds at . In July 2020, Australian tuning company, Maatuoks Racing's R32 GT-R broke the AWD quarter mile record. Car itself ran the quarter mile in 6.47 at 353.88 km/h (219.94 mph). Also became the fastest GT-R at the quarter mile by beating the ET-S R35 GT-R.


See also

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Nissan GT-R The Nissan GT-R (Japanese: 日産・GT-R, ''Nissan GT-R''), is a high-performance sports car and grand tourer produced by Nissan, unveiled in 2007. It is the successor to the Skyline GT-R, a high performance variant of the Nissan Skyline. Alt ...
* Nissan RB26DETT engine *
Nissan S20 engine The Nissan S20 engine was a straight-6, DOHC internal combustion engine produced by Nissan from 1969 to 1973, originally designed by engineers of the former Prince. It was essentially a revised production variant of the 1966 Prince GR-8 engine ...
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Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
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Shinichiro Sakurai was a Japanese engineer inducted into the Japan Automotive Hall of FameThe ...
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Naganori Ito is a Japanese automotive engineer, and was responsible for the development of the eighth generation R32 Nissan Skyline including the BNR32 Skyline GT-R. History Early years Ito was born in Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture on March 7, 1937 as a ...
* Kozo Watanabe * List of Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times *
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...


References


Further reading

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External links


NISMO Japan website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nissan Skyline Gt-R Coupés 1970s cars 1980s cars 1990s cars 2000s cars All-wheel-drive vehicles
Skyline GT-R A skyline is the outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city’s overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the land. City skylines ...
Sports sedans Cars introduced in 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars