The Nissan Skyline: Everything Prior To The R32

Photos courtesy of the Nissan Heritage Collection.

The Nissan Skyline is an icon among icons. Mention the nameplate and visions of the R32 GT-R variant are usually the first to flash before one’s eyes. But in a strange twist, the Skyline predates Nissan itself. The car debuted in 1957, manufactured by the Prince Motor Company, and saw a second generation well before the two automakers merged in 1966. 

KPGC10 – Hakosuka, 1969-’72

A scant three years later the first GT-R-branded Skyline hit the scene at the 16^th annual Tokyo Motor Show. Originally developed by Prince, the Skyline was rebranded and sold as a Nissan after the merger. Following the success of the initial 2000GT, Nissan advanced the line with the triple-carbureted 2000GT-X and ultimately the high-performance DOHC 2000GT-R. It was initially offered as a four-door sedan (chassis designation PCG) and was adorned with the nickname Hakosuka, “box-sky” or “boxy skyline.” Nissan dropped a high-tech 2.0-liter inline six under the hood and went racing. The 24-valve DOHC S20 engine pumped out a powerful for the day 160 horsepower. Nissan stepped up its GT-R game in 1970, shortening the wheelbase by 70 millimeters, lightening the car by 20 kilograms, and making it into a coupe. These KPGC10 coupes are the most collectible of the first-generation Skyline GT-Rs. In three years of competition, the GT-R took home 52 checkered flags, including 49 in a row, foretelling the marque’s future racing domination. With between 1,100 and 1,200 produced, first-gen GT-R coupes are rare gems indeed. Rust is a concern, especially in the unibody, around the inner rear fenders, below the rear window, and in the floor pans. Also look for quick paint-overs hiding poor body repairs.

Recent pricing, gleaned from classic.com, reveals an expensive date with pristine C10 GT-R coupes in the $100,000 to $150,000 range, four-door GT-Rs approaching $100k, and driver-quality examples of GT-R and non-GT-R models checking in around $50,000. Some of the lesser variants make sense for enthusiasts planning to drop a modern engine under the hood.

KPGC110/210 – Kenmeri, 1972-’81

This vintage of Skyline got its nickname from a series of Nissan TV commercials that depicted an American couple, Ken and Mary, living their best life in a Skyline, replete with folksy soundtrack, lyrics describing the good times, and quick cutaways of the couple enjoying the outdoors on Hokkaido Island. The 1973 model run was the only year to offer a GT-R badge. It ran the same S20 powerplant as the Hakosuka which became problematic as Nissan struggled to meet new Japanese emissions standards. As a result, only 197 authentic Kenmeri GT-Rs were produced in a highly abbreviated, four-month production run and the C110 would be the GT-R’s last appearance for 16 years.

It is believed that less than 40 real-deal Kenmeri GT-R survivors exist today. Swap or replica GT-R builds are the way to go as the Ken and Mary commercials made the C110 and the facelifted 1978 to 1981 C210 variants among the best-selling Skylines in the model’s entire run. More plentiful but still powerful, C110 GT-X models fetch $40,000 to $70,000 according to classic.com while the C210s can be had for around $20,000.

R30 – Tekkamen (Iron Mask), 1981-’85

The sixth-generation R30 represents an important waypoint in the development of the Skyline as a domineering racing platform. It was also called the “Newman Skyline” because Paul Newman, an actor and a legit race driver who campaigned Nissans in America during this time, appeared as a poster boy for the automaker.

At launch Nissan offered five engines: the L20E, L20ET (turbo), Z20, Z18, and the LD28, a diesel. Two months later the 2000 RS dropped and set the stage for an exciting time. The 2000 RS featured Nissan’s new fuel injected FJ20E engine, and it was a major step forward for the automaker being the first Japanese four-cylinder to offer a four valve per cylinder, DOHC head design.

Some FJ20 engines were known to experience timing chain slop due to a weakening oil-pressurized tensioner. In contrast, the L20 engines were highly reliable, with few issues, though their performance could have been enhanced with the addition of an intercooler. R30s had better corrosion protection than previous generations but buyers should remain vigilant.

In 1983 the R30 received a big boost under the hood, the FJ20ET engine which, at 190 horsepower, made the RS-Turbo the most powerful Skyline ever. Later in the year this was followed up with a facelift, that included the narrow, sans-grille slotted front fascia that earned the car its Iron Mask nickname. In 1984 Nissan added an air-to-air intercooler and bumped the compression ratio to coax 202 horsepower from the FJ20ET. Despite these improvements, it wasn’t branded as a GT-R, so there is no “GT-R tax” to pay, and these cars can be had for $10,000 to $25,000. Make no mistake, the RS-Turbo is a righteous flag bearer with a distinctive place in Nissan racing lore. 

Super Silhouette Racers

In the early 1980s FIA Group 5 specifications denied modifications to a car’s hood, trunk, and doors. But racers and race car designers like their aerodynamics and Nissan went all-in on modifications to the front and rear fascia and fenders of its race cars. The highly exaggerated wedgy racers became known as Super Silhouettes as they tried to remain recognizable as their road-going brethren. 

In Japan, the cars raced in a sub-series from 1979 to 1983, primarily at Fuji Speedway serving as supporting competition in the Fuji Grand Champion series. Nissan fielded three models of cars, a Skyline, a Silvia, and a Bluebird, Nissan’s FIA Group 5 racers were called The Turbo Corps in reference to their boosted LZ20BT engines that produced an amazing 560 horsepower, on par with open wheel formula race cars of the day.

These angular avengers with their massive fender canards, audacious box flares, and protruding air dams sparked similar mods on countless “Kaido Racers” and more extreme Bosozoku-style street cars that embraced the exaggerated design motif. The Tomica-sponsored R30 Skyline made its race debut in May 1982, achieving two victories that year and an impressive five wins in 1983 against competition from the Mazda RX-7, BMW M1, Toyota Celica, and others.

R31 – Seventhsu, 1985-’89

Speaking of silhouettes, the R31 has the same bodylines as the R30. Still, even with a boring nickname of “seventh generation,” it represents the most significant turning point in the Skyline timeline. The warmup before the game, the R31 introduced the RB-series inline six engine, the RB20DET, ceramic wheeled turbos, and Nissan’s HICAS all-wheel-drive system to the badge. Unfortunately, the car debuted as a four-door-only luxury offering, with “driver-friendly high performance.” Nissan shook the tree and came out with a two-door variant in 1986.

Problem areas are minimal, centering around steering rack leaks, dodgy differentials, interior light switches in the doors not working, taillight troubles, and the bottom belt pulley sounding like a supercharger whine when it wears out.

On classic.com, there seems to be a lot of four-doors available in the $6,000 to $10,000 range with the performance-minded two-door GTS-X hitting $20,000 to $30,000, which is quite a deal for the first RB-powered, AWD Skyline.

Looking at the original 1957 Prince Skyline and projecting how far the badge had come by the end of the 1980s one has to appreciate the technology these cars have employed. We see the carburetor evolve, then the emergence of electronic fuel injection and its refinement, and finally the magic moment in the late 1980s where turbochargers are introduced to the computer-controlled engine equation. The ultimate result is a group of diverse and significant cars with impressive racing legacies, high collector value, and the performance and drivability to serve as useful project cars. Early Skylines are not as readily available as newer variants… they may require some chasing, but the pursuit leads to a glorious payoff.

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