Jalopnik
As car legends go, few have had their flames as passionately fanned as the Nissan Skyline. Despite extensive research proving only seven Americans have seen one on the street, and four have actually driven the mythical machine, it's astounding how often its tale is told. We're reminded of a particular Jonathan Gold restaurant review, in which he tells of intercepting scratchy CB conversations between truckers about a taqueria hidden somewhere in East Los Angeles. It's allegedly home to the world's most perfect torta. Gold never reveals if he found the mythic Mexican sandwich, or if the restaurant is anything more than a Hoffa-like figment of Teamster lore. And I'm glad. The reality could never hold up. That, in a nutshell, sums up my feelings vis-a-vis Nissan's decision to bring its Skyline replacement to America. The get here already upcoming GT-R may whip a Porsche Turbo's ass around the 'Ring, but in time, we'll learn its flaws. Luckily, previous-generation Skylines remain automotive apocrypha to us Yanks, forever shrouded in imagination and painful thumb blisters. And now dear Jalops, you get to vote one into the Fantasy Garage.
Like many hot Japanese domestic market rides (Evo, WRX), Electronic Arts' Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo is usually credited with alerting the American pistonhead's inner hoon to Nissan's world beater. We remember the Skyline from back when Mario was riding karts. In fact, the Skyline has been the stuff of dreams for several decades. In 1957, the Prince motor company released their first luxury car, the four-door Skyline. Powered, or rather underpowered, by a 1.5-liter straight four, the first Skyline was capable of reaching a grand total of 87 mph. Saving its bacon (in our mind at least) is the fact that the Skyline was available as both a wagon and a 'camino. And later as a coupe and a convertible. But pay no mind to its humble beginnings.
C10 GT-R
In 1966 Prince merged with Nissan-Datsun. In 1968 the company released the C10 Skyline, a rather handsome looking sedan still powered by a 1.5-liter engine (G-15), though power was up to 94 hp. In 1969, the Skyline GT-R came to market complete with a 2.0-liter DOHC straight-six good for 160 hp. The US spec Porsche 911 S was making 170 hp in 1969 (thought the Euro-spec model was good for 190 hp). Meaning the GT-R was seriously fast, especially for a JDM vehicle.
Later Nissan came out with a coupe version and, combined, the two body styles racked up 1,000 racing victories by the time they went out of production in 1972. Nissan blamed the car's fate on the oil crisis. The final iteration of the original Skyline (known as the KPGC110 2000GT-R) sold only 197 copies and was never raced. We know the C10 Skyline GT-R is a long shot for the Fantasy Garage and has as much chance of making it as Clay Aiken does finding a nice girl, but we're giving you the chance to vote on it for one simple reason: To battle the C10's notorious understeer, racers took to grabbing the handbrake while in motion. And just like that, drifting was born.
R32 GT-R
After mucking about for most of the 70s and 80s (though the C211 GT-ES was the first turbocharged Japanese car), Nissan big time bellied up to the bar in 1989 with the eighth-generation Skyline, the R32 GT-R. If being the first truly mega-performance Skyline counts for anything, than this is the car to go in the Fantasy Garage. Let's start with the engine.
The 2.6-liter RB26DETT (the RB prefix may or may not have stood for "Race Bred") was designed to produce 500 hp in racing tune. As sold, the RB26DETT with its twin-ceramic intercooled turbos, noisy recirculating blow off valve and DOHC four-valve heads put out 276 hp. Like most of our Fantasy Garagers, the R32 GT-R actually stonked closer to 320 horses, but because of Japan's lingering "gentleman's agreement," all cars sold on the island nation could be sold producing no more than 276 hp. However, Nissan colored the governor in the control lines yellow so owners could easily yank it out once they left the dealership. Long story short, the R32 was bloody fast. And with a little bit of tweaking, 600 hp is easily achieved. With some severe wrenching, 1,340+ hp was attainable (that's one megawatt for you metric types)!
Unlike last week's Buick GNX, which was also underrated in the power department, the Skyline was designed to do much more than go straight fast. Its all-wheel-drive system known as ATTESA E-TS was ridiculously advanced for the time. Lead engineer Naganori Itoh followed the mighty footsteps of Porsche's 959. Therefore the ATTESA E-TS was essentially a rear-drive system (constant power to the rear diff) with a transfer case mounted at the back of the gearbox to supply torque to the front wheels if slippage is detected at the rear. Just like in the 959, a chain-driven, multi-plate wet clutch pack routes power through a central differential when called for. The GT-R also featured Super HICAS electronic four-wheel steering. The cars were light, too.
The result of all this technology is the stuff of legend. At the time of its release the 'Ring record was 8:45 set by a Porsche 944. The R32 GT-R did the deed in 8:20, totally shattering Porsche's record and humiliating the Germans at the same time. From 1989 to 1993 the R32 GT-R entered 29 JTCC (Japanese Touring Car Championship) races and won 29 times. The R32 GT-R also dominated Australia's Great Race (the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000) winning in 1991 & 1992. The controversial 1992 race, which was stopped due to rain, was particularly memorable. Leading at the time of cancellation, Skyline driver Jim Richards was declared winner and subsequently booed on the podium, prompting the Kiwi to call the Aussie fans, "a pack of arseholes." Known simply as "Godzilla," no vehicle before or since has been so dominant. What a car.
R33 GT-R NISMO 400R
1995 saw the introduction of the R33 GT-R. Bigger, heavier and more refined. Enthusiasts were not pleased. In truth, the dumpy-looking R33 GT-R was nominally better than its predecessor in every meaningful way, most complained that it was not as driver focused. So, Nissan fixed the problem, and fixed it good.
Meet the 1996 NISMO 400R. Only 99 were made and they cost an arm and two legs. However, they left the factory producing more than 400 hp (some sources claim as much as 450 hp) thanks to the venerable RB26DETT. Only now, it was bored out to 2771 cc and fitted with upgraded pistons, connecting rods, crankshaft and intercooler. The 400R's zero-to-60 time was in the 4.5 second range and top speed was rumored to be north of 200 mph. The suspension, AWD and AWS (all-wheel steering) systems were also improved and downforce-generating body work was added. Possibly as important, the 400R looked the part.
But forget all that. Here is why you want to vote the NISMO 400R Skyline in: The specialist-tuned 400R was the first production car to lap the Nurburging Nordschleife in less than 8 minutes. If we're being honest, there is some controversy surrounding this record as Jaguar's XJ220 had unofficially lapped the 'Ring in 7:46. Still, the fact that a hopped up Nissan can be mentioned in the same sentence as a half-million dollar hyper car is reason enough for us.
R34 GT-R
Happily, Nissan came roaring back to form in 1999 with the tenth-generation R34 Skyline. The new car had an improved and shortened chassis, a Getrag six-speed (up from five gears on all previous cars), improved suspension, a splitter and diffuser and red valve covers. The last of the great Skylines also came equipped with an LCD screen that displayed such need-to-knows as turbo boost pressure, lap times and lateral g-forces. The final Skyline also looked much more sporting, finally shedding the wolf in sheep's clothing disguise favored by its predecessors. Oh, and the shocks, steering and brakes were improved.
The R34 was also available in a seemingly endless variety of specifications. The GT-R V-Spec II had NACA ducting, brake ventilation, a carbon-fiber hood and more body kit. The M-Spec (the M literally stood for "Man") featured heated leather seats and softer suspension. The GT-R V-Spec II, with radio, AC, rear wiper and sound insulation deleted, had a blueprinted N1 motor plus a 300 kph speedo. The ultimate R34 was of course the NISMO Z-tune. Nissan only produced 20, and each car was good for 500 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Nuff said. Happy voting.
[The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage appears every Tuesday. Readers vote the cars in or out. The idea is that we'll have 50 cars in our Fantasy Garage, the world's greatest mechanic and endless wads of cash. Would you like to nominate a car for the Fantasy Garage? Write tips@jalopnik.com with the subject line "Fantasy."]
The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage, So Far:
RUF RT12 | Maserati Quattroporte Executive GT | 1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage | Honda 1300 Coupe 9 | 1931 Daimler Double Six 50 Corsica Drophead Coupe | Ferrari 288 GTO | Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 | 1970 Buick GSX 455 | First Generation BMW M Coupe | Bugatti Veyron 16.4 | Ford GT | Citroen SM | Porsche 928 | Jensen FF | DeTomaso Vallelunga | Audi Quattro S1 | Buick GNX
Related:
Jalopnik Fantasy Garage: Buick GNX; Nissan GT-R at Goodwood: Porsche May Have Something to Worry About; The Jalopnik Fantasy Garage [Internal]
Comments
does seeing it on the streets of another country still toss me into the seven?
My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who was one of the seven.
Living in Englandland, one sees quite a few of these.
As we will the new Civic Type-R, which you are also not allowed to have, apparently.
Anyway, I was the 1 vote so far for the C10, on the grounds of it being the prettiest.
I voted for the R34, but only on the condition that it's the Z-tune that gets in the garage (otherwise I would've gone with the R32).
I mean, come on, by the time the Z-tune came out skylines had been out of production for a bit, so Nissan had to go out, buy used ones, strip them down and rebuild them. That's like getting 2 cars (maybe 3 considering how good it is).
Plus there's only 20 of them, how could you pass up the chance to grab one?
Definitely the R32.
I actually saw a R34 GT-R two weekends ago. I almost peed my pants; I crapped them instead.
Are we voting on which one will go in or on which one we are going to vote on?
I had a roomate that had the R32 when I lived in Okinawa. Fast yes, but the suspension was horrible...
@Stoatmaster: you're not the only one.
Skylines are awesome, right? And we all know that old cars are usually more awesome than new cars in terms of coolness and balls-out unsafe motoring. So thusly, by this derivation, an old Skyline is awesome enough to tear open the fabric of the universe.
I don't know where you got that 4-door one from, but try this on for size.
Old Jap cars in general don't have that irritating Fast and Furious stigma anyway, so that's another plus. It doesn't hurt that the KPGC10 looks subtly aggressive and perfectly proportioned at the same time, especially on those pretty Minilitesque wheels.
Oh, and here's one for sale. Sell your house, it's worth it.
R32 hands down..and becoming rationaly affordable.
you know how you all always talk about those Countach and F40 posters on your walls, and the teenage lust that issued thereof? i think the R34 really does that for the kiddies these days. the OG predecessor Skylines are very nice, but just look at the haunches on that R34. it's like the Mossad agent on the El Al flight, a ripped dude stuffed into a too-small suit who can kill you in 18 different ways without unbuckling his seat belt. there is no doubt you can put a hurt on the competition in an R34. Godzilla, indeed.
@RalphieDC: Don't over think it.
"After mucking about for most of the 70s and 80s"
you call the Z mucking about?????? BLASPHEMY!!
R34 Nismo all the way.
How about three R34s parked next to each other??
[www.flickr.com]
Sorry for the meager photo, I was distracted by the lineup of 20 Ford GTs. Such is the display every Saturday at Cars& Coffee in Irvine. Why doesn't Jalopnik ever make a visit?!
Damn good presentation of the Skyline question.
Some people may wonder why the soon to arrive next gen Skyline isn't up there (obviously the fantasy garage could obtain a pre-production model), but I think that the R34 was the pinnacle of the Skline with its super potential cast-iron inline-6 instead of the corporate VQ engine.
The question is whether the less developed but more historically important and race winning R32 should be there instead (I think the R32 looks better also). The R34 is more famous, but I think the R32 is more significant, and more impressive since it was so advanced back in 1989, so I vote for the R32.
So lets see, in 1989 Nissan got as much power out of a 2.6 liter engine as Buick got out of a 3.8 liter engine in 1987, plus the Nissan had a revolutionary awd system in a rigid all independent suspension monoque chassis. Why is the GNX in the garage again?
Living in Canuckistan.. we can import these from Japan.. I've seen several young hotshots running around in r32's.. although most are the GTS-t and not the GT-R's.. still weird pulling up to a light and noticing that the driver beside you is on the wrong side of the car.. I think r33's become eligable for export next year..
R-34 in the garage for me. One of the cars where the best was the last..
While I voted for the R34's inclusion in the JFG, I'd rather have a Skyline KPGC10 coupe in my own garage.....right next to a Toyota 2000GT!
Since this is the fantasy garage, we should put the 1200 HP Gran Turismo for Playstation version.
With bodykit.
I voted for the 32 because I belive the 34 should be disqualified for being the lead role in the worst automotive movie I've ever seen.(and I saw "Redline")
The WAGON!!!! With an upside down Chinese character for squirrel scrotum on the hood.
[www.gtrclub.org]
Seriously though R32.
Im not a JDM freak, but i do deal alot with these headaches. I only call them headaches cause theyre all grey market over here, which is a PITA and of course no one can get any parts in decent time.
But thats all beside the point.
R33 400R, of course.
@Gabe Balch's pic
oh dear god..
@no_slushbox:
Cause the GNX ROXX!
The GNX has just as much potential as the Skyline, if not more.
There is no R34 beside the Z-Tune. You seriously have to fix that error. But if not the R34, the original.
But the R34 will always be my first choice.
@no_slushbox: Because it made 400 lbs. ft of torque and was in fact faster than an R32.
And the Countach.
I feel special now to have seen one. It was on I-88 west of Chicago around the Naperville area. This was maybe 5 or 6 years ago if I had to guess. It was a black R-32 if memory serves.
@jonnylieberman:
A lot of people forget that 300 American HP is different than 300 Japanese HP.
American HP is usually accompanied by torque.
Uhm. R34 all the way. Probably the pinnacle of the Skyline's design. Without a doubt. This is the only car i want in my fantasy garage if i only had the choice of 1.
@danio3834:
It is also accompanied by driving in a straight line.
as much as i dig the looks of the c10, you can't deny the raw pwn4g3 of the r34 z-tune
Maybe one should clear up the semantic distinction here. The current generation Skyline is sold in the US as the G35. Of course, I understand that anything with a lame-o-matic VQ has no place in this discussion, so for the sake of accuracy, I move the title be changed to "Which Nissan Skyline GTR?".
"Electronic Arts' Grand Turismo"
You should probably go and fix that.
Further to my last, it seems that with this new one, Nissan is capitalizing on the GTR monicker by spinning it off as a seperate model, unrelated to the more plebian "Skyline", As GM is doing with Corvette, in a sense.
@akier: I always thought that the Mossad agents on the El Al flights were the hot stewardesses... Please don't destroy that fantasy for me.
I prefer the Nissan Stagea Autech version. Essentially a wagon GTR.
Doesn't count? Fine then the C10's the prettiest of the bunch.
@Papercutninja:
I dont know about you, but i dont have the 'Ring in my back yard. I do have a 1/4 mile not far away tho.
@rawtoast: I was driving on LA's most deserted freeway (figure it out) and came up on a black R32.
We were both going about 80 mph and the freeway was empty. We looked at each other, nodded, and then dropped our respective hammers.
I may as well have been driving a dump truck.
@ no slushbox
because the GNX is Lord Vader's car, because it is the definition of menace, and just pure unbridled awesomeness...the Skyline as awesome as it may be just puts me in mind of all the little rice boys who run around w/ fart can exhausts, and negative camber on their wheels, and have cars with annoying stickers and wings and lights festooned everywhere....which is why I voted for the C-10 GT-R also its pretty, and it doesn't put me in mind of ricers, and that example that BZR posted a link to is only 40 g's which seems like quite a steal...
@Gabe Balch: I have always loved the Autech Stagea it's the best go fast wagon other than the RS6 Plus but it definitly looks better without the terrible R34 front end conversion.
I would like to point out that like the E30 M3 and Audi Ur Quattro the R32 was sold as a road car only because it was required to go racing. It is a stripped down no frills race car for the road. Later generations just like the M3 got heavier and fatter and more diluted by trying to appeal to the masses.
If Electronic Arts had made Gran Turismo, it would never have become the legendary game it is. The game's produced by Polyphony Digital, a studio owned by Sony.
Of course, we at JNC are by law required to vote for the KPGC10 GT-R, or "Hakosuka" as the J-landers like to call it.
However, the KPGC110 GT-R (http://www.japanesenostalgiccar.com/picture.cgi?section=events&article=tas2007&picnum=32) , the famous "Kenmeri" Skyline named after the fictional Juppie couple (jupple was just too many words to combine) that starred in the car's long running TV ads, was a completely different generation from the C10.
It was the fourth, in fact, which makes the C10 the the third, and the 1957 Prince Skyline the "original." Ok, we know you probably meant to say "original GT-R" but there's so much murky information out there in the Series of Tubes that we thought we'd chime in and pontificate a li'l.
This past April happened to be the 50th Anniversary of the Skyline, and in the creatively-named Midtown Park in Tokyo, Nissan pulled out one example from each of the 12 generations of Skyline to display:
[www.japanesenostalgiccar.com]
Of course, none of this changes the fact that the Skyline is a true legend, and there should be room in the JFG for both a C10 AND an R32. Yes, that's right, 1/25th of the world's most desirable cars!
"Man spec?" Hell-goddamn-yes!
i voted for the r34. it was a toss up between that and the r32. the r32 racing pedigree always astounds me but i like the styling a bit better on the r34. i saw an r34 gtr on the streets of new york the other day(i am pretty sure it was an r34, it turned the corner before i got super close). this is definitely a car that belongs in the jfg. whether it is the r32 or r34, i don't much care. it is an amazing machine.
@Clashtastik
Since when does a Skyline qualify as rice?
By the way, if you feel that passionate about it,please tell the drivers of the plague that is the V6 mustangs with cheap exhausts and dubs that have decended apon the south side of chicago to swallow a pistol. Don't even get me started on the neons with the omnimax light shows underneath.Bad taste in automotive accessories is a universal problem,not just with the hondas.When i see a corvette should the first thing in my mind be Larry the cable guy?
@clashtastic: you may be correct about some of the people coveting these cars but not only can they crush the gnx easily, i have seen videos of them blowing away hayabusas pretty effortlessly too. it is a monster.
@tentacles: How is the VQ lame-o-matic?