GTR Is One of the Best Racing Cars

A car given the nickname “Godzilla” not because of it’s large body, but because of its true dominance and ability to take over the streets, the GTR. GTR stands for Gran Turismo Racing. Nissan bought the GTR in 1969 from Prince Motor Company. GTRs were mainly made as racing vehicles due to their dominance on the track. The GTR Skyline 2000 demonstrated it’s dominance by “winning 50 straight races in Japan’s touring car series between 1969 and 1972” (Lyon). The car became so popular from it’s winning that Nissan released an everyday driving verison 20 years later, the R32, to accommodate for high demand.

After the R34 there was another wait, this time not as long, but nonetheless 9 years the R35 hit the streets. These cars made history and speeding forward to present day we now have the R35 Nissan GTR.

GTR Skyline 2000 “Hakosuka” first released in 1969. The car’s nickname Hakosuka has simple meaning, “hako” meaning boxy and “suka” which comes from the Japanese pronunciation of the word Skyline.

This GTR Skyline was a rear wheel drive, 2 door coupe or 4 door sedan with a 5 speed manual gearbox and weighed a total of 2,425 pounds. This car had a 2.0 liter engine that was rated to 160 horsepower.

This was very powerful back in the day, when most cars revved to only 4000 rpm and didn’t make close to that power with an engine twice the size. Based on factory claim the vehicle can reach 124 miles per hour and go from 0 to 60 in about 7 seconds. Because of these speeds the United States have made the GTR Skyline illegal, “the car failed to meet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards” (Why Nissan Skyline).

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This car is extremely popular in the car community. Although they are very popular there are not many left in the world and if interested in buying one you will most likely be shoveling out close to $100,000. The rarity and price of this car is no surprise when explained that, “Nissan only built 1945 of them. And today, estimates put the number of original GTRs remaining on Japan’s streets at about 500” (Lyon). After the “Hakosuka”, Nissan released another GTR labeled the R30. This time around the car was more of an everyday car and was available in 26 variations; available as a coupe, four-door sedan, five-door hatchback, and a four-door wagon etc. But, this did not last long because it’s specifications, and memorable body style were not as interesting and it soon died off.

The world then waited 20 years for the next memorable GTR to be released, the GTR 1989 R32 Skyline. This car left the “Hakosuka” nickname for the 1969 behind and received a bit of an upgraded nickname being “Godzilla.” The new GTR Skyline changed a bit. This 1989 was released again as a 4 wheel-drive, all wheel steering, 2 door coupe with a 5 speed manual gearbox, this time weighing 3,373 pounds. The car got a revamped 2.6 liter turbo engine whose stock engine horsepower started at 320, but could be upgraded to 700 on the stock block. This car while being similar to the previous victor, the Hakosuka, made a name for itself on the track, “According to EVO, GT-Rs won all 29 races of the Japanese Touring Car Championship entered, took victory at the 1991 Spa 24 Hour race and decimated the competition in Australian racing” (Perkins). The press then decided this car deserved to gain a new nickname and earned it’s new nickname “Godzilla.” This car is basically a racing car for the streets, but it is not a car that can be driven by just anyone. Being that is it labeled a race car the person behind the wheel must have a certain skill of driving to be able to drive the car to its full potential.

The R32 received minor upgrades and a newer heavier body transforming it into the R33. This car had a more advanced all wheel drive system Nissan calls ATESSA E-TS Pro. Despite the technical advances, the R33 was ridiculed for its weight and long wheelbase. The R34 GTR was released in 1999 and features the best of both worlds. This car was released as a 4 wheel-drive, all wheel steering, 2 door coupe with a 6 speed manual transmission and weighs a total of 3,386 pounds. This car as explained by Sean Morris, the director, at Toprank International Vehicle Importers is a car in high demand in the car community. The R34 GTR is much more advanced in every area, but mainly “..under the hood are larger twin steel blade intercooled turbochargers, which allow for higher power levels to be achieved” (Morris). The R34 also featured a shorter wheelbase that allowed for increased cornering speed. Though banned in the Japanese racing series, it truly continues to uphold the name of the legendary GTR.

We then fast forward to present day where we now have the R35 Nissan GTR. This car was released as a 4 wheel-drive, 2 door coupe with a 6 speed automatic transmission and weighs a total of 3,933 pounds. Nissan has since upgraded the engine to a 3.8 liter V6 turbo engine and a horsepower of 565. It set the fastest production car lap time on the legendary Nurburgring in Germany. This R35 is definitely fast, being able to reach 191 mph, but it can never live up to the Hakosuka or Godzilla. This car as up to date with it’s interior systems and body style that is can cost $99,000 to $175,000. Morris explains that, while this new version of the GT-R is great it does not require any skill to drive and is basically just a fast everyday car that practically anyone with a driver’s license has the ability to drive.

Looking at these 5 cars you can truly understand where the fascination lies with the Nissan GTR. The horsepower, the cornering speed, the body styles and continued performance on and off the track. When interviewing Sean Morris, I was able to have the chance to visit the Toprank facility in Cypress, CA and ride in a 1992 Nissan Skyline GTR R32 and can honestly say that even on the streets this car is truly incredible. As years go by the legendary GTRs begin to get older, but those who have them in their possession make sure to take extra caution and care for them. After the production run of the R35, Nissan decided that it will no longer be making the GTR which leads to the end of an extending heritage of legendary vehicles. Although, the earlier GTRs are illegal in the United States there is a law, as explained by Sean Morris, that allows these cars entry in once they have turned 25 years old. So, the more years go by the closer we get to having these extraordinary cars on the streets of the United States.