1995 Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R Coupe

Description

Judged for both its brilliance as a road car and its dominance in motorsport, the most important machine of the 1990s decade was the Nissan Skyline GT-R. Much of the explanation for the unique character of the GT-R dates all the way back to Nissan’s merger with Prince in 1966, back in the time of the Datsun Cedric. In the mid-1960s the Japanese automotive industry was coming of age.  The government saw the merging of smaller operators with larger ones as the best way to consolidate the industry and make it internationally competitive. Prince was one of the small players but had brilliant focus and was a more international player than most Japanese automotive manufacturers in 1964; indeed the Prince Skyline GT was beaten only by a single Porsche 904 Carrera GTS of that year! Two of these interesting sedans competed in the Sandown 6-Hour race in 1965, faring quite well. The Skyline is best understood as a sub-brand permitted to flourish within Nissan. Even so, nothing prepared the automotive world for the Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R. Nissan’s PR machine claimed that its works driver Hiroyoshi Katoh had knocked 25 seconds off the production lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, held by the Porsche 944 when he stopped the watch at 8:20! The GT-R’s twin-turbocharged 2.6-litre straight six made 250 brake horsepower and 411Nm of torque. The standing 400 metres wasted just 13.9 seconds! Perhaps its use of all-wheel-drive was inspired by the Porsche 959. One hundred examples of this supercar – imported in two batches of 50 – were sold in Australia in 1991-92. At the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show that the public got its first sighting of the R32’s successor. Essentially, the R33 – never sold new here – was more of the same, enclosed in a sleeker streamline. But it did have upgraded synchromesh in the gearbox and an improved oil pump. Sales began in January 1995 and finished in November 1998.