GTR Godzilla

GTR Godzilla

If the Western world has the Mighty King Kong, then Japan has the ferocious GTR Godzilla, a magnificent creature that dominated the Japanese landscape and a historic symbol of Japanese creativity. While these characters were fictional, the GTR Godzilla is one real thing that epitomizes world class Japanese ingenuity in the competitive world of sports cars. Godzilla is the nickname of the famous Nissan Skyline GTR series, which began in 1969. The first and second generations of Skyline GTRs, which refer to the first phase of production, lasted for 4 years. The brief manufacturing period was halted by the oil crisis that hit the 1970s. The first two generations were available in 4-door sedan and 2-door coupe body styles with 5-speed manual transmission.

The revival of the Skyline series was realized in 1989 when Nissan launched the R32, which became its third generation that continued the same line. Backed with a supportive Japanese economy at that time, the R32 went on production for 5 years and claimed dominance in the motorsports arena. Wheels, an Australian motorsports publication, gave the nickname Godzilla for the R32 owing to the supercar’s dominance in Japanese motorsports. The GTR Godzilla won 29 races out of the 29 competitions it joined. It also garnered international recognition when it won JGTC Group A championship cup for 4 years in a row.

The R32 truly revived the Nissan Skyline GTR series and left a lasting legacy. The GTR Godzilla has the E-BNR32 chassis that house the RB20 engine. This engine was bored and stroked so as to produce a twin turbocharged 2350cc machine that would power the R32. With this setup, the R32 realized a power output of 233 kW (313 hp) with a rear-wheel drive layout. Other characteristics of the layout include a front-located engine with an optional four-wheel drive. The engine model was a 2.6L RB26DETT I6 with 5-speed manual transmission design.

The venerable R32 was succeeded by the R33 which reinforced the manual gearbox with a tougher material and design. The engine was also corrected with a wider drive collar so that the R33 could endure high power applications. This model was produced between 1995 and 1998. The R34 followed production lines between 1999 and 2002. It sported a 6-speed manual transmission layout using the 2.6L RB26DETT I6 engine. The car has over 236 kW (330 hp) of power output.

The latest descendant of the GTR Godzilla is the R35, which debuted in 2007. It retained the name Skyline and was made available to the entire world in 2008. The R35 made use of the evolved Premium Midship platform.