Nissan Skyline Generation

1st generation (1969-1972)

The first Skyline GTR known as "PGC10" made its public debut at the 15th annual Tokyo Motor Show in 1969. It was powered by a 2.0 L DOHC S20 I6 making 160 hp (120 kW) at 7000 rpm with 118 N·m (87 ft·lbf) of torque. The power was delivered by a 5-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels. It was originally only available as a four-door sedan and was available as a coupe in March 1971 with the chassis code "KPGC10"

2nd generation (1972-1977)
 

The successor to the "KPGC10", came in the form of the "C110", which was released in 1973 after it made its public debut at the 1972 Tokyo motor show. the 2nd generation Skyline was powered by a 1989 cc I6 S20 engine, it delivered power to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. demand for high-performance sports cars in the early 1970s was not very high because a gas crisis making the second generation GTR unsuccessful . With just a total of 197 cars built by the end of its short production run.

Nissan Skyline 2000 GTSR (1985-1987) R31

 

 

In August 1985 the seventh-generation Skyline "Nissan Skyline R31 2000 GTSR" was launched and was the first to reintroduce the 6-cylinder DOHC engine. Only 800 units were built to allow homologation for Group A Touring Car racing. The ultimate version of the R31 was the RB20DET-R powered HR31 GTS-R Coupe, claimed 210 ps (154 kW), with racing versions making over 430 hp (321 kW) in Group A trim. The R31 GTS-R had a reworked version of the normal RB20DET with a much larger turbocharger on a tubular steel exhaust manifold, as well as a much larger front mounted intercooler boosting power.

 

3rd generation (1989 - 1994 ) R32 GTR

The Nissan Skyline GTR R32 was initially put into production on May 22, 1989 to meet the required 5000 cars to allow for racing homologation. But with critical acclaim by the motoring press and with heavy demand by the public for the car, Nissan decided to allow an unlimited production run which went on sale in August 1989. With a new 2.6 Liter twin-turbo all wheel drive system designed by Nismo, it was put into production as the R32 Nissan Skyline GTR. The total production run of the R32 Skyline GTR was 43,394 units. White is the national racing color of Japan in international motorsport, which explains the above average number of white GTR's.

The list of accomplishments the R32 GTR has acheived race track is quite impressive. It includes five consecutive championship wins in the all Japanese Touring Car Championships and over 200 race wins, plus the unofficial lap record for a production car at the world-famous Nurburgring. Just about every part of the Skyline GTR has been developed and refinedon the race track.

The R32 Nissan Skyline GTR is basically a racing car for the road. The R32 is not quite as idiot-proof as the newer Skyline GTRs which is both good and bad. In the right hands the R32 is extremely fast, but requires alot more skill than the aim and fire R34 and R35. It's not quite as forgiving, but much more rewarding and potentially alot faster.

The R32 GTR as a road car reached new heights of sophistication. With such developments as Multi-link suspension both front and rear, it also had an electronically controlled intelligent four-wheel drive and "Hicas" four-wheel steering. A 2.6-liter 24-valve straight-six engine boosted to 280PS by a pair of ceramic turbochargers - the R32 truly moved the bar higher in the japanese performance car market. 

4th generation (1995–1998) R33 GTR

 

The Nissan Skyline R33 GTR was launched in January 1995 as the successor to the legendary R32 model. The new R33 used the same 2.6 Liter twin-turbo engine as the R32. And it shared the same 5 speed manual gearbox, although the syncros were made stronger for the R33. The weak oil pump drive collar in the R32 engine, which was likely to fail in higher power applications, was fixed with a wider collar. The intake camshaft on the R33 engine was also improved making torque slightly higher.

Although the Japanese law stopped the new R33 from exceeding the 280PS of its forefather Nissan improved upon just about everything else that made the R32 GTR into such a legend.

The GTR Skyline race car was given the nickname "Godzilla" in Australia, so crushing was its superiority over the Ford and Holden V8's. It was inevitable that the governing bodies of motorsport would soon find ways to legislate the formidable GTR out of competition. The GTR Skyline continued dominate racetracks around the world, claiming trophies wherever it went.

A proud moment in history for the R33 GTR was when it took the production car lap record at the Nurburgring in Germany. The stock standard R33 blasted around the 13-miles and 172 corners of the circuit in 7 minutes 59 seconds. If you know the Nurburgring circuit you will understand how good that is.

The R33 GTR Skyline created a large market for unofficial aftermarket performance parts, and an official one Nissan's own NISMO "Nissan Motorsport" division. Although the GTR only came out with 280PS, Nissan's engineers designed the engine to cope with alot more power.

5th generation (1999–2002) R34 GTR

 

The Nissan Skyline GTR R34 has elvoled and fine-tuned through 11 years of competitive racing and extensive testing, which has resulted in one of the best race-bred coupes on the market.

The R33 which it replaced was a great car but the R34 GTR is much more advanced in every area. Under the hood are twin ceramic intercooled turbochargers, which effectively eliminate turbo-lag. The RB26DETT in-line, 2568cc six-cylinder engine retains the 280PS at 6,800 rpm of the R33 it replaced. It also has better power delivery and more torque than it predecessor. Also the R34's body is stiffer and the aerodynamics of the car have been improved.

The R34's engine keeps the general layout of straight six-cylinder configuration with twin overhead camshafts and four-valves per cylinder and twin turbochargers. As before, the throttle chamber has six individual throttle valves (one per cylinder) isolating each engine cylinder from the rest and acting like six individual single-cylinder engines. The power is fed through a new six-speed close ratio Getrag gearbox.

Nissan's electronically controlled four-wheel drive system "ATTESA-E-TS PRO" is specifically designed for both road and racetrack use. Most other all-wheel drive systems are designed for off-road applications or rally cars. The system was designed for more high speed road use, it has a series of sensors and two centrally controlled wet multi-plate clutches to optimise torque split between the front and rear axles. It eliminates understeer and gives optimum traction and stability under acceleration, braking and cornering.

The Nissan Skyline R34 GTR has cut weight in many areas. From the light alloy wheels, which save over 7.7kg, the rear diffuser is now made from a lightweight carbon fibre. All the way to the use of light-weight audio speakers. In addition a new type of aluminium has been used for the front wings and bonnet which has saved about 1kg compared to the hoods of the previous models.

6th generation (2007–present) R35 GTR

 

The R35 GTR made its debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and its launch to the Japanese market was the 6th December 2007. It was launched to the U.S.A July 07, 2008. The R35 has its engine and rear-mounted dual-clutch gearbox built by hand, limiting production to around 1000 cars a month. The Nissan GTR also features the world's first independent transaxle 4WD developed by Nissan.

Although the Nissan R35 GTR no longer carrys the "Skyline" badge, it has heritage in the Nissan Skyline GT-R. Just like its predecessors, the "R32-R34", the R35 is all-wheel drive with a twin-turbo 6 cylinder engine. But thats about all they have in common, the traditional Straight-6 RB26DETT engine has been replaced with a new V6 VR38DETT, also the four-wheel-steering HICAS system has been removed. The R35 GTR, with the chassis code CBA-R35 or 'R35' is carrying on the naming trend from previous Skyline GTRs. It has also retained the nickname "Godzilla".

The first R35 concept was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2001 to show how the 21st century GTR would look. Nissan unveiled a redesigned concept at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, the GTR Proto, stating that the production GTR would be 80-90% based on this concept.

The creators of the Gran Turismo series of racing video games, were contracted to design the GTR's multifunction display. The Nissan GTR gives ultimate performance for virtually every driving condition whether it be on the Nurburgring circuit, on snow, rain or urban streets, it is all manageable to the GTR driver through the advanced technology and driving dynamics.

Nissan have claimed the GTR will reach a top speed of 195 mph "314 km/h" and that the R35 has been tested to achieve 0-60 mph "97 km/h" times as low as 3.2 seconds. Nissan have also claimed a lap time of 7:29 sec using standard Japanese market tires, which makes the GTR currently one of the fastest production cars to lap the Nürburgring circuit. Porsche have accused Nissan of falsifying these claims, Porsche conducted their own test of the R35 GTR using no modifications and stock tires and achieved a best time of 7:54. Nissan have officially disputed Porsche's claim in October 2008. Another independent test recorded a time of 7:50, although one key corner of the track was damp. The GTR currently holds a lap time of 1:19.7 around the Top Gear Test Track, "equal with the Ferrari F430 Scuderia". On the Las Vegas Motor Speedway infield road course, Motor Trend were able to achieve lap times with the GTR that were equal to the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and Porsche 911 GT2 and only 3 seconds slower than the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.