Nissan Skyline GT-R

The Nissan Skyline GT-R (Japanese: 日産・スカイラインGT-R, Hepburn: Nissan Sukairain GT-R) is a sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range. The first cars named "Skyline GT-R" were produced between 1969 and 1972 under the model code KPGC10, and were successful in Japanese touring car racing events. This model was followed by a brief production run of second-generation cars, under model code KPGC110, in 1973.

After a 16-year hiatus, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 as the BNR32 ("R32") Skyline GT-R. Group A specification versions of the R32 GT-R were used to win the Japanese Touring Car Championship for four years in a row. The R32 GT-R also had success in the Australian Touring Car Championship, with Jim Richards using it to win the championship in 1991 and Mark Skaife doing the same in 1992, until a regulation change excluded the GT-R in 1993. The technology and performance of the R32 GT-R prompted the Australian motoring publication Wheels to nickname the GT-R "Godzilla" in its July 1989 edition.^[1][2] Wheels then carried the name through all the generations of Skyline GT-Rs, most notably the R34 GT-R, which they nicknamed "Godzilla Returns", and described as "The best handling car we have ever driven". In tests conducted by automotive publications, R34 GT-R have covered a quarter of a mile  (402 metres) in 12.2 seconds from a standing start time and accelerated from 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 4.4 seconds. It was one of the fastest accelerating production vehicles at the time.^[3][4][5][6]

The Skyline GT-R became the flagship of Nissan performance, showcasing many advanced technologies including the ATTESA E-TS All-wheel drive system and the Super-HICAS four-wheel steering. Today, the car is popular for import drag racing, circuit track, time attack and events hosted by tuning magazines. Production of the Skyline GT-R ended in August 2002. The car was replaced by the GT-R (R35), an all-new vehicle based on a enhanced platform of the Skyline V36 platform. Although visibly different, the two vehicles share similar design features and are manufactured in the same factory.

The Skyline GT-R was never manufactured outside Japan, and the sole export markets were Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, in 1991,^[7] and the UK (in 1997, due to the Single Vehicle Approval scheme^[8]) as used Japanese imports.

Despite this, the car has become an iconic sports car as a Grey import vehicle,in countries from the Western World (mainly the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Canada, and the United States).^{[9][10][11][12]} It has become notable through pop culture such as The Fast and the Furious, Initial D, Shakotan Boogie, Wangan Midnight, Need for Speed, Forza, Driving Emotion Type-S, Test Drive, and Gran Turismo. In 2019, Nismo announced that it would resume production of spare parts for all generations of the Skyline GT-R, including body panels and engines.^[13][14]

The car was named at the time by BBC's Top Gear as the only true Japanese contribution in the line of supercars,^[15] and by Jeremy Clarkson as one of the best cars in the world.