The 1964 Skyline 2000GT needed an 8-inch wheelbase stretch to make room for a "big" 2L inl
In 1983, the R30 spawned a car that is largely credited for the return of the GT-R badge. The Skyline 2000 RS Turbo was so different from the R30 that the chassis was dubbed DR30. Armed with the more powerful FJ20ET, the car was the most powerful Japanese production engine to hit showroom floors with around 190 hp. The cars were easily distinguishable by their redesigned front ends, nicknamed "Tekamen" or Iron Mask, for the sloping hood and narrow headlights that were unique to the rare DR30. If you're nerdy enough to wonder what the best DR30 made was, it's the RS-X Turbo C, which boasted 205 hp thanks to a revised exhaust housing, an intercooler and a different compression ratio. The takeaway message? Nissan was getting into turbocharging and they were good at it.
The Skyline R31 is that car that everyone has considered bringing in to the United States but then decided it was too ugly to expend the effort. A shame, because it was the gateway drug that drove Nissan to produce the Skylines we obsess about. It was the first Skyline with an RB-series engine, despite it being a 2L variant (that's RB20DET). Interestingly, these were the first engines to be dubbed "red tops" in the Nissan line. On top of that, it was the first Nissan to get HICAS, which brought four-wheel steering into the equation.
While Nissan wasn't ready to use the GT-R nameplate, there was an R31 called the GTS-R, which featured a number of tricks you'd be surprised to see on a modified car, including a big turbo-mounted on a tubular stainless steel manifold and a big front-mount intercooler. Racing variants made as much as 460 hp.
By the time the Skyline R32 hit showrooms in 1989, Nissan had pared the offerings down to two body styles: a coupe or a sedan. No longer would the breed be diluted by wagons or even vans-it was time to build a race car. The performance benchmark? A Porsche 959.
The R32 was the first car in 16 years to bear the coveted GT-R emblem and this time it meant twin turbochargers, all-wheel drive and a claimed 280 hp. Of course, any Japanese car enthusiast can tell you that most of Japan's turbocharged sports cars produce more than the claimed 280 hp-the number is a result of a gentleman's agreement between manufacturers to not advertise more than this number.
The reality, in the case of the R32, was that the car made closer to 320 hp and would make a hell of a lot more if you could find a way to uncork it. Interestingly, it seemed Nissan wanted new owners to find a way. A bright yellow restrictor was fitted in the boost control lines, which could easily be removed by the owner. Martin Donnon, in his book High Performance Imports 57, claims Nissan did it on purpose.
Nissan squeezed as much brake as they could behind the homologation-mandated 16-inch wheels, which meant the car wasn't the world's best stopper until the rules changed allowing 17-inch wheels. Hence the Skyline GT-R V-Spec in 1993, with 17-inch BBS wheels and larger Brembo brakes. In 1994, the final and best R32 was produced, called the V-Spec II, which had wider, stickier tires mounted on 17-inch wheels.
These things were made for the sole purpose of competing in Group A racing, and the engines were pretty much identical to the 500hp monsters that utterly dominated the class causing other manufacturers to throw their arms in the air and scream "no fair!" The car was so fast and so technologically advanced that it quickly earned the nickname "Godzilla" (pronounced GOD-zirra) and was responsible for crashing every party it attended. It didn't matter what the series was-nobody could catch the GT-R, which led to the eventual demise of each racing class.
Godzilla's effect on the competition and on the series in which it competed wasn't going to stop Nissan from further development. Enter everyone's favorite, the Skyline R33. Bigger and heavier than all Skylines before it, this is the car whose unmistakable nose became the mold for every body kit company operating in the mid-'90s.
By James Tate
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