Nissan Skyline GT-R · Automobile History

Overview

The Skyline GT-R was the high-performance branch of Nissan’s Skyline range, built in Japan in two distinct periods: 1969–1973 and 1989–2002. Its first cars combined saloon-derived bodywork with a competition-related, naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine, meaning it used neither a turbocharger nor a supercharger to force air into the engine. The revived series used twin turbochargers, four-wheel drive and electronic chassis control to turn the Skyline coupe into a formidable road and racing car.

This record covers the Skyline GT-R model series, rather than a single generation or trim. The wider Skyline family included many cars without GT-R engines or running gear. Equally, the R35 Nissan GT-R, introduced in 2007, was a separate model that carried forward the performance identity without the Skyline name. Nissan describes that separation in its corporate history of the 2000s, including the R35 Nissan GT-R.

Origins and the first GT-R

The Skyline came to Nissan through its merger with Prince. The first Skyline 2000GT-R, introduced in February 1969, applied knowledge from the R380 racing prototype to a production car. Its S20 engine was a 1,989 cc straight-six with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder; Nissan’s road-car heritage record gives 160 PS, with PS denoting metric horsepower. Those specifications belong to the early S20-powered cars, not the later turbocharged GT-Rs.

Initially a four-door saloon with the PGC10 designation, the GT-R changed to a two-door hardtop, KPGC10, in autumn 1970 according to Nissan’s Heritage Collection. Both belonged to the C10 Skyline generation. The upright bodywork concealed an unusually sophisticated engine for a saloon-based car, and rear-wheel drive was part of the original formula. Nissan records a race victory on the GT-R’s competition debut in May 1969. Nissan’s 1969 GT-R record

Generations and chronology

The periods below refer to the Skyline GT-R, not the full production lives of the corresponding Skyline ranges. They are calendar-year periods, not a universal list of export model years. ATTESA E-TS is an electronically controlled torque-split four-wheel-drive system: it varies how much driving force goes to the front and rear wheels. Derivative-specific equipment is described separately below.

Skyline family and GT-R code	GT-R period	Body style	Engine	Drivetrain	Other distinctions
C10 — PGC10 / KPGC10	1969–1972	Four-door saloon, then two-door hardtop	Naturally aspirated S20 straight-six	Rear-wheel drive	Original GT-R series
C110 — KPGC110	1973	Two-door hardtop	Naturally aspirated S20 retained	Rear-wheel drive	Four-wheel disc brakes
R32 — BNR32	1989–1994	Two-door coupe	RB26DETT twin-turbo straight-six	ATTESA E-TS four-wheel drive; five-speed manual	Return after a sixteen-year absence
R33 — BCNR33	1995–1998	Predominantly two-door coupe; four-door Autech derivative released in 1998	RB26DETT retained	Four-wheel drive	GT-R introduced after the ordinary R33 Skyline
R34 — BNR34	1999–2002	Two-door coupe	RB26DETT retained	Four-wheel drive; six-speed manual	Dashboard multifunction display

The generation periods are also set out in Nissan’s GT-R heritage brochure. C10, C110, R32, R33 and R34 identify Skyline families; PGC10, KPGC10, KPGC110, BNR32, BCNR33 and BNR34 identify the GT-R branches more precisely.

C110: a short second chapter

Nissan’s Heritage Collection dates KPGC110 manufacture to January–April 1973 and attributes its short life to tightening emissions requirements. The car retained the S20 engine but wore the larger C110 hardtop body, with wheel-arch extensions, a mesh grille and rear spoiler. It also had disc brakes at all four wheels. Unlike its predecessor, it did not establish a touring-car competition career. The wider C110 Skyline range continued after the GT-R disappeared; its production dates should not be assigned to the GT-R. Nissan’s KPGC110 record

R32: the return in 1989

The R32 Skyline range arrived in May 1989, followed by the GT-R that August after a sixteen-year absence. Its purpose-designed RB26DETT displaced 2,568 cc and used twin turbochargers. Nissan lists 206 kW (280 PS) for the Japanese road car. A five-speed manual gearbox, multilink suspension at both ends and electronically controlled ATTESA E-TS torque-split four-wheel drive defined the new approach.

The R32’s Group A racing programme gave these technologies a public proving ground. Nissan records 29 wins without defeat in the Japanese Touring Car Championship across 1990–1993. This is a specific championship record, not a claim that every GT-R won every race worldwide. Nissan’s R32 record

R33: development and a four-door exception

The R33 GT-R arrived in January 1995, later than the ordinary R33 Skyline introduced in 1993. It retained the RB26DETT and four-wheel-drive concept. V-spec was an equipment and chassis derivative within this generation: its ATTESA E-TS Pro system and more focused suspension should not be treated as the specification of every R33. Nissan’s 1990s chronology and Nissan Canada’s GT-R heritage overview

Autech’s 40th Anniversary version was shown in 1997 and released in 1998. It adapted the four-door Skyline body with specially designed rear doors and rear wings to accommodate the GT-R’s broader body shape. Its four-seat interior and restrained exterior, without the coupe’s rear spoiler, made it a distinct derivative. It was the first four-door Skyline GT-R since the original PGC10, rather than evidence that all later GT-Rs offered a saloon body. Nissan’s Autech record

R34: the last Skyline GT-R

The R34 GT-R debuted in January 1999; the wider R34 Skyline had appeared in 1998. Its more compact proportions and increased body rigidity accompanied the familiar RB26DETT, now paired with a six-speed Getrag manual gearbox. A dashboard multifunction display gave the driver access to engine and operating information.

The V-spec had dedicated aerodynamic parts, suspension settings and an active limited-slip differential, a controlled mechanism that limits the difference in speed between the driven wheels to help maintain traction. V-spec II followed in 2000 with a carbon bonnet incorporating a NACA duct, a recessed air intake. These were derivatives and updates within BNR34, not new generations. The 2002 V-spec II Nür and M-spec Nür used engines based on N1 specification. Skyline GT-R production ended in 2002. Nissan’s V-spec II record, Nissan’s Skyline GT-R M-spec Nür record and evo’s R34 history and road test

Production and markets

The Skyline GT-R was a Japanese-built series with Japan as its principal market. Overseas availability was much more limited than its later international fame suggests. Officially supplied export cars also need to be distinguished from used Japanese imports and subsequently modified cars. Skyline GT-R production and export overview

Australia received a limited official R32 allocation in 1991. Australian-delivery cars had local compliance details including different indicator and reversing-light arrangements; they were not simply interchangeable with Japanese-market examples. The R32’s Australian touring-car success helped establish the GT-R’s international reputation. Carsales’ Australian history

British R34 V-spec cars supplied through Nissan GB received additional oil cooling for the engine, gearbox and four-wheel-drive transfer system, along with an altered ECU and leather-trimmed seats. Middlehurst carried out the conversion work. These changes describe that UK supply programme, not all R34s or all privately imported cars. evo’s examination of Nissan UK’s heritage R34

Historical significance

The Skyline GT-R connects two eras of Nissan performance engineering: the racing-derived, naturally aspirated S20 cars and the electronically controlled, twin-turbocharged R32–R34 series. Its production periods, 1969–1973 and 1989–2002, were separated by a long gap and a major change from rear-wheel drive to electronically controlled four-wheel drive. The R35 Nissan GT-R subsequently continued the performance identity as a separate model without the Skyline name.

The R32’s racing record provides a specific measure of its competition success: Nissan records 29 wins without defeat in the Japanese Touring Car Championship across 1990–1993. That record applies to this championship and period, not to every GT-R race worldwide. Nissan’s R32 record

Modified cars’ power figures and equipment should be distinguished from factory specifications. For a contemporary Japanese performance-model comparison, see the Toyota Supra, whose own history likewise spans several distinct generations.

Source notes

The linked Nissan Heritage Collection records are the principal references for individual cars and engineering. Museum exhibit years and broad marketing timelines are not always launch dates: this record follows Nissan’s detailed heritage entries for the R34’s 1999 introduction and the C110 GT-R’s January–April 1973 manufacture. Exact production totals are omitted. Export adaptations are described separately from Japanese specifications, and no single factory location is asserted for the entire series.

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