#Nissan skyline gtr evolution driver

The KPGC10 is prettier than the sedan and just as capable. The word combines “hako,” meaning box, and the first half of “sukairain,” the Japanese for scenic mountain road, from which the Skyline takes its name. The hakosuka nickname refers to all Skylines of this generation. The Sakurai School was just like a Lion School.” Ito would later become the lead engineer on the R32 Skyline GT-R. Naganori Ito, an engineer who apprenticed under Sakurai, said, “I’ve heard that lion parents kicks their cubs down into the abyss of a ravine, and raise only the kids who can climb back up. A brilliant engineer who had been with the Prince Motor Company since their founding days, Sakurai was an uncompromising boss. The father of the first Skyline GT-R was Shin'ichrō Sakurai. To add another analogy to the mix, the first Skyline GT-R was essentially Nissan's E28 M5 moment. Factory horsepower was 158 hp at 7000 rpm, but tuners soon had that above the 200-hp mark. With four valves per cylinder, double-overhead cams, and triple Mikuni N 40 carburetors, the S20 was a race-derived powerhouse, essentially a production version of the motor found in the mid-engined Prince R380 racing car. Where things get a bit special is under the hood, where you find the S20 inline-six. Brakes were discs up front and drums in the back. The chassis had a semi-trailing rear and independent front suspension. The interior of the first GT-R was spartan, with bucket seats and a three-spoke steering wheel. If you squint, the sedan looks a bit like a longer, wider Datsun 510, and like the 510, the GT-R was a pretty basic, straightforward affair. The Skyline GT-R was a better-handling car than its predecessor from our story’s introduction. Once under the Nissan corporate umbrella, that recipe had been refined somewhat. Before they were snapped up by Nissan, the Prince Motor Company took the engine from their larger Gloria sedan and stuffed it into the nose of the smaller Skyline. The recipe for the first GT-R is analogous to another three-letter car, the Pontiac GTO. Here's your guide to the machines that carry the pride of Japan in three little letters.Įvery First-Gen GT-R Should Be Driven Like This The sedans and coupes that followed it immediately established a dominant racing legacy, and thanks in part to the Sony Playstation, would go on to become objects of desire all over the world.Īnd now you want one.

It wasn't even under the Nissan corporate umbrella. That moment, that pass, is really where the GT-R story begins. Ikazawa went on to have a successful career, the highlights of which include him becoming the only Japanese Porsche factory driver.

#Nissan skyline gtr evolution driver

Tetsu Ikazawa, the driver of the Skyline, ended up third on the podium. If you look up the race results for the 1964 Japanese Grand Prix, you’ll find that Porsche won the race. It was a moment for Japan to take pride in her fledgling automotive industry. There was much to cheer about: The underdog Skyline had slipped past the sleek, mid-engined Porsche 904, proving that the pinnacle of German engineering could be bested. The hometown crowd of 170,000 rose to their feet, roaring their approval.

On March 5, 1964, a boxy Japanese sedan passed a Porsche at Suzuka.