Nissan grew rapidly in the post-war period and just as the monster emerges out of the wake that, however, when the motoring magazine “Wheels” continued to call it “Godzilla”, the name stuck. The comparison between Nissan and Godzilla fits incredibly well. RELATED: 90s Market Wars: 1999 Nissan Skyline GTR R34 Vs Its CompetitorsĪccording to Nissan, the Australian media began referring to the car as “Godzilla”, the famed monster from Japan. Beyond Group A touring championships, the R32 had success in endurance racing at the Bathurst 1000 with Nissan Motorsport Australia's car going on to win. At the same time, the car-dominated in the Japanese Touring Car Championship, taking four titles, two with Impul and another two with Hasemi. These rules resulted in a plethora of championships, the R32 GT-R went on to win the final three Australian Touring Car Championships from 1990 to 1992 before the championship took a hiatus until 2011. Heading into the 1990s, Nissan's next GT-R took this technology to enter under the FIA's Group A homologation rules, as well as harnessing turbochargers to produce more power. This system created one of the most dynamic and versatile track racers. In a rather ingenious move, the car would be rear-wheel drive until the car broke traction, where the torque will then get sent towards the front axle as well. This made its way into road cars like the Porsche 959 which could rival many larger-engined cars like the Lamborghini Countach.

Group B rally had showcased the success of all-wheel-drive systems, with the Audi Quattro dominating the World Rally Championship. RELATED: 10 Reasons Why You Need To Buy A Used Nissan GT-R Now The current GT-R dropped the Skyline name at launch in 2009 but has continued the Godzilla legacy that the R32 began by leaving cars twice the price in its wake. The road-going cars officially produced 280 horsepower, although allegedly road-going examples produce over 300 and in race trim potentially double that. This model had the RB26 motor, which with a 2.6-liter displacement provided the perfect balance of power to the car's weight. With a futuristic design and new all-wheel-drive technology, the car lay the foundation for the R33 and R34 models that would follow the car. The car would come into its own in 1989 when the third generation car launched an instant JDM icon. The second model found inspiration in Toyota's first-generation Celica and was the last car before the model's new design language.

The first generation came with a 2.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine and is an icon of motoring. Across six generations, the model has been Nissan's flagship, an example of the marque's finest engineering. Tracing the history of the Nissan Skyline GT-R is fascinating.

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