Inside The Nissan Heritage Car Collection (Part 3) - Nissan's Magic Kingdom

Fans of the GT-R had to wait four months after the C110 Skyline's debut in January of 1973. The KPGC110 (The "P" makes it scrumptious) came stuffed with a 160ps, 2.0L DOHC S20 straight-six capable of 7K rpm, and disc brakes behind all four wheels. Thanks to inopportune timing, the oil crisis of the '70s shifted demand toward fuel-efficient cars, and Nissan pulled the plug on production a scant four months after it went on sale, thus only 197 were manufactured. The public would have to wait another 16 years for the GT-R emblem to make its way back into showrooms.

The first Skyline to wear the iconic circle taillights was introduced in September of 1972. Similar to the previous generation, the C110 chassis came available in three trims: 1600, 1800, and 2000 (with GT and GTX versions). Due to stronger exhaust emission regulations in 1975, later GT-E and GTX-E versions were introduced with fuel-injected L20E engines and a revised chassis code of C111. The C110 is commonly referred to as the "Ken and Mary" (or "Kenmeri") Skyline in Japan, thanks to a series of popular ads featuring actors portraying a young couple of the same name.

Like many domestic cars, the fuel crunch brought with it questionable styling during late '70s and early '80s, to which the Skyline fell victim as well. Dropped in August 1977, the fifth-generation Skyline, with its 125ps L20E motor, met the new emission regulations and was offered in GT, GT-L, GT-EL, and GT-EX trims. In 1980, a turbocharged GT-E model was added to the lineup.

The sixth-gen Skyline was the first to use the "R" moniker for its chassis code and went by R30. Available in August of 1981, the 1,160 kg R30 had five engine options: Z20, Z18, L20E, LD28 (diesel), and the turbocharged L20ET, a 145ps six-cylinder. Famously, actor/racer Paul Newman was hired on as the spokesperson for the marketing campaign.

Three more months after the GTS model, 800 units of a buffer GTS-R trim were released in August 1987 to meet Group A homologation rules. Powered by a tweaked RB20DET-R, it cranked 210 ps courtesy of a larger turbo and intercooler, and tubular exhaust manifold. Race versions of the GTS-R made a whopping 430 ps in full Group A form.

While the seventh-generation R31 Skyline closely resembles the R30, the technology that went into the new Nissan differed dramatically. The R31 was the first Skyline to use the RB-series of motors, offering them in four configurations (RB20DET, RB20DE, RB20ET, RB20E) as well as the CA18S engine. Though first offered in August of 1985, May of 1986 saw Nissan release a high-performance GTS model that integrated four-wheel disc brakes, more supportive seats, and the revolutionary HICAS rear-wheel steering technology capable of up to half a degree of turn, depending on steering angle and speed.

After four U.S. presidential terms, the GT-R name was resurrected with the eighth-gen Skyline. The R32 brought with it the twin-turbo, 280 ps RB26DETT engine, ATTESSA E-TS all-wheel drive, and HICAS. With Group A domination in mind and the Porsche 959 and its 8:45 Nurburgring time its target, the R32 would go on to win all 29 of the Group A All-Japan Touring Car Championship races and smash Porsche's record with an 8:20:00 lap, with H. Katoh driving. Because of the R32's success in the Australian Touring Car Championship, their press nicknamed it "Godzilla".