Over the years the Nissan Skyline GT-R has garnered taglines like ‘Japanese Supercar’ and ‘beast-from-the-east’, which all do justice in explaining this mythical machine. But the one that stuck has to be… ‘Godzilla.’
You see, the Nissan Skyline GT-R was always far too brutal to be embellished with a tagline like ‘Supercar’. The Syline GT-R is as much a Supercar as Godzilla (the atomic mutation of all the world’s most vicious dinosaurs, if you don’t know your Japanese pop culture) is a Superhero.
Much like Godzilla, old Nissan Skyline GT-Rs have been far too busy savaging metropolitan Tokyo, inducing panicked screams from slim-waisted nymphets and leaving entire city blocks destroyed in their wake, to be considered mere ‘Supercars.’
No, what Nissan Skyline GT-R’s have done is ensconce themselves as the anti-establishment darlings of the retilin generation; the heroes of PS2/PS3 consoles, and playmates of tuning magazine centrefolds everywhere.
Despite their cult status amongst those who’ve never driven a car, the Nissan Skyline GT-R through its lifetime has also been a tour de force in auto motive engineering. That’s what assured its passage into immortality.
The 1989 R32 Skyline GT-R was the first such inculcation of what Nissan Skylines were to become world renown for. The first one was nicknamed ‘Godzilla’. This all-wheel drive, two-door monster lived in a world of scorched earth and burnt rubber. It was born out of Nismo’s (Nissan Motorsport) need for a competitive car in Group A racing.
Group A was 4 500 cc displacement category of the Japanese Touring Car Championship (JTCC) and to achieve competitiveness they took to twin-turbocharging a 2.6-litre, cast iron, straight six powerplant already doing service in a sedate Skyline sedan. The ‘RB’ engine or ‘Race Bred’ engine was born.
But in typical low bowing, Japanese custom they didn’t want to draw too much attention to their new machine and the R32 looked little flashier than a go fast Camry that belied the magic working away under its self-conscious metal.
Nissan will admit, however, that the R32 Skyline GT-R was still suffering under its excessive curb weight. But rather than doing something totally European and poncy… like gluing body panels or using light-weight materials, Nissan just decided to make it heavier. No really. They decided that weight equalled traction.
For the R32, Nismo engineered an entire motor sport orientated all-wheel-drive traction system, the likes of which had never been seen before in Japan. Nissan called it ‘ATTESA-ETS’ – which stood for (hold your breath) – Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All Electronic Torque Split.
This system worked at lightning quick pace (for the time) and further maximised the R32’s behemoth-levels of traction out of corners. Nissan also set to work developing a new, ‘Super-HICAS’, or intelligent four-wheel steering system to work with the ATTESA-ETS.
People who drove the original R32 said the systems made every corner feel like it was banked, and yet the twin-turbo, fire-breathing dragon still flattered the driver with easy point-and-shoot steering. No matter how hot you were entering the corner, once the barrel-chested R32 pointed out the other end, you could stamp on the loud pedal and the four-wheel steering would sling shot you right out the other side.
Group A JTCC homologation rules stated at least 500 had to be produced for the street, but over 44 000 units where produced in various specifications until the R33 replaced it in 1995. One of the all-conquering Group A Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R race cars that spawned the road car is now for sale in Australia.
This particular example is the 1992 Bathurst-contesting chassis number 5, driven to victory by Jim Richards and Mark Skaife. Current owner, Terry Ashwood purchased the car in 2001 from Fred Gibson. Since then Gibson Motorsport has continued to maintain the car, with full documentation available right up until its last service in 2012.
The R32 is said to have a fresh Nissan Motorsport engine which is good for around 435 kW, a rebuilt transmission and drivetrain, new AP calipers and brake rotors as well as a full suspension service. It also has full original and historic CAMS logbooks, a transport trailer, two spare engines, four sets of wheels and bunch of parts, panels and electronics.
Godzilla won 29 races in a row in the Japanese Touring Car Championship and won the 1991 Spa 24 Hours by 21 laps. Everywhere it went it forced other manufacturers to withdrawal from competition. In the case of Australian and British touring cars, a complete re-formulation of the rules virtually forced the R32 out of racing altogether.
