Through its various incarnations, from the R32 of 1989 to the R34 that was last produced in 2002, the Nissan Skyline GT-R has become an icon of modified car enthusiasts and is one of the most sort after car for modification projects, despite being sold exclusively in the Japan Domestic Market (JDM).
However, the Skyline GT-R emerged almost two decades before the arrival of the R32, and wasn’t always produced by Nissan! In fact the first series Skyline was produced and sold by the Prince Motor Company, which had evolved from the Tachikawa Aircraft Company that produced the Japanese Zero fighter planes during World War II. After the war, the Tachikawa Aircraft Company diversified into manufacturing electric vehicles under the Tama Electric Car Company which changed its name in 1952 to the Prince Motor Company in honor of the crowning of Prince Akihito. The Price Motor Company produced petrol powered cars using engines produced by Fuji Precision Industries. In 1954 the Prince Motor Company and Fuji Precision Industries merged with the Prince name falling away until 1961 when Fuji Precision Industries changed its name to the Prince Motor Company.
The first series Skyline, the ALSID-1, was introduced in April 1957 and featured a 1.5-liter OHV GA-30 engine that produced 60 bhp at 4,400 rpm and reached a top speed of 140 km/h (87 mph). The first series Skyline was upgraded in 1958, when it became the ALSID-2 and featured a more powerful 1.5-liter GA-4 engine that produced 70 bhp at 4,800 rpm. In 1961 the first performance derived Skyline was released, namely, the Skyline Sport (BLRA-3) that was available as a coupe and a convertible. The Skyline Sport featured a 1.9-liter OHV GB-30 engine that produced 96 bhp and 113.5 lb-ft of torque. Unfortunately the Skyline Sport proved too expensive to produce and was discontinued in favor of the S50 series Skyline that appeared later in 1961. The S50 Skyline became one of the most desirable cars in Japan in the early 1960s and was powered by a 1.5-liter OHV G-1 engine that produced 73 bhp and 87 lb-ft of torque.
In 1964 the legendary Skyline GT-R was born when Prince built a modified a S50 Skyline for racing purposes, designating it as the S54 Skyline GT. The Skyline GT featured a longer front end to accommodate a six-cylinder 2.0-liter OHC G-7 engine and was raced in the GT-II class at the 2nd Japanese Grand Prix. The Skyline GT managed to finish 2nd through 6th in the GT-II class, being beaten only by a race built, mid-engined Porsche 904 GTS!
Following its success, Prince created a street version of the Skyline GT. Two versions were built: the Skyline GT-A and the Skyline GT-B. Both were powered by a G-7 engine but the GT-A featured a stock G-7 engine with a single carburetor and made 106 bhp, while the GT-B featured a high compression G-7 engine with three Weber 40DCOE-18 carburetors and made 127 bhp! The latter also featured a limited slip differential and a 5-speed, close ratio manual transmission. The Skyline 2000 GT-B production continued into 1968 during which time in garnered quite a few race victories and is considered by many to be forerunner to the Skyline GT-R.
Meanwhile, Nissan and Prince merged in 1966 with the S50 Skyline appeared as part of the Nissan range for the first time. Two years later the third generation C10 series Skyline appeared, and in February 1969 the first Skyline GT-R, designated the PGC10, appeared! The PGC10 Skyline GT-R was powered by a DOHC 2.0-liter S20 engine that produced 160 bhp, the same horse power as the Porsche 911 of the time! Not surprising as the S20 engine was basically the same as the GR-8 engine that powered the Nissan R380 racecar to victory over the Porsche Carrera 6 at the 3rd Grand Prix of Japan in 1966! The GR-8 engine was a race developed, multi-valve, DOHC engine based on the G-7 engine. The PGC10 Skyline GT-R was initially available as a 4-door sedan with a 2-door coupe, designated the KPGC10, being added to the range in March 1971. The KPGC10 Skyline GT-R was even lighter than the PGC10 Skyline GT-R and featured a shorter wheelbase. Both the PGC10 and the KPGC10 had great success on the race track, notching up 50 race victories in one and a half years of the C10 series Skyline’s production.
Continue reading ‘Ode to the Nissan Skyline GT-R (Part 1)’ →
Nissan is to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Datsun 240Z’s first SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) National Championships in the U.S. with the release of an Anniversary Edition Nissan BRE 370Z. Forty years ago in 1970, the Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) racing team successfully campaigned a Datsun 240Z to the first of two SCCA C-Production class championships, making the 240Z, the first Japanese car ever to win a national championship in the USA. The Datsun 240Z, followed by the Datsun 260Z and the Datsun 280Z would retain the SCCA C-Production class championship for the rest of the decade but BRE turned its attention to the SCCA Trans Am 2.5 class where it campaigned a Datsun 510 to consecutive championships in 1971 and 1972. BRE disbanded in 1973 when the SCCA Trans Am 2.5 class was canceled.
