Nissan Skyline gtr

Nissan Skyline gtr

Before Nissan Skylines were imported by dedicated enthusiasts into their home countries, Skylines were an unheard of car outside of Japan, and to the few foreigners who had heard of it, it had an almost mythical status. Japan then was known only for small and cheap commuter cars which were good for only one thing - sipping fuel. But the first gas crisis had already hit and the world as a whole had woken up to the fact that oil was a finite resource and an oil cartel could and did control the price.

Nissan Skyline gtr

But a few decades later, Skylines have become synonymous with blazing performance comparable to German or Italian sports cars, and they can now be found in every corner of the world. As a result, a lot of previous owners now sell a used Nissan Skyline GTR. Selling a Skyline is practically the same as selling most other cars but with a few notable differences. First of all, buyers of these types of cars are usually knowledgeable about cars. So if you intend to sell a used Nissan Skyline GTR, make sure that the car is in good shape. Aside from making the car look as fresh as you can make it, take a look at possible mechanical and electronics issues that a buyer may bring up. Conscientious buyers will have done their research about how much a particular model should sell for and what maintenance issues and costs are involved with a certain variant.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Secondly, Nissan Skylines are not exactly daily drivers, nor are they family cars. Their reason for being is to go fast, very fast, with little consideration for backseat passengers, fuel economy or cost of maintenance. Consequently, the market for such a car is limited, compared to commuter cars which even enthusiasts buy for their daily driving needs. People who sell a used Nissan Skyline GTR are also well aware that at the market prices these cars command, there are already plenty of viable alternatives for car guys looking for their performance fix.

Nissan Skyline gtr

As a measure of the prominence that Skyline GTRs now have in enthusiasts' minds, prices of older Skyline GTRs are actually trending upward, with vintage Hakosukas and the R32 GTR commanding prices that rival some newer GTRs. This is because these cars, specially the Hakosuka, have become collectibles, and few owners with pristine examples are keen to sell a used Nissan Skyline GTR that has had a considerable amount of money and effort put into restoring it and keeping it in roadworthy condition.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Enthusiasts looking to buy a used Nissan Skyline would normally have a checklist, mental or written, of things to look out for in a car they are checking out. These would include looking for oil leaks around the engine, transmission and differentials. Torn boots indicating poor maintenance of the CV joints, rust spots, sensor checks and suspension checks are also part of inspecting a used car.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Without a doubt, the most important component to check when you buy a used Nissan Skyline is the car's engine. This is specially true with the top-of-the line RB26DETT that powers the Nissan GTRs up to the R34. Most buyers know that they should do a compression check (with values of 150 and above indicating a healthy engine) and looking at the condition of the twin turbochargers, specially the rear unit, which need to be replaced at about 100,000 miles. But there are also other non-obvious items that need to be checked even if they seem so trivial as to be ignored or left for another time. The following things, believe or not, have been proven to cause engine failures:

Nissan Skyline gtr

1. The first item to check is the fuel pump. A faulty pump can cause a lean fuel condition, which would wreak havoc with the fuel mixture. This will lead to detonation, which, as anyone knows destroys engines. In highly tuned engines such as the twin turbo RB26, this can happen in a matter of seconds. One cannot depend on the knock sensors, sophisticated they may be, to step in to prevent catastrophic damage.

Nissan Skyline gtr

2. Most owners know to replace an engine's timing belt every 100,000 miles. But to keep proper timing and tension, the belt system uses an idler pulley and tensioner. A failed tensioner can cause the belt to slip, causing cam timing changes or worse, bent valves. In cases where the idler bearing freezes, the timing belt heats up to the point where it will snap, causing extensive engine damage from bent valves and possibly holed pistons.

Nissan Skyline gtr

3. A cautious buyer will also ask questions from the seller about the operating conditions of the car. High ambient temperatures and detonation can cause broken ring lands in the pistons, which could have been replaced with inferior replacement parts just to get the car running again.

Nissan Skyline gtr

4. Difficult to diagnose without tearing the engine down are cases of overboosting the engine without strengthening the engine's internal components. Using higher than normal boost will obviously shorten the life of the engine. Unfortunately, increasing the boost on the RB26DETT can be as simple as tampering with a hose on the boost control solenoid.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Buying a used Nissan Skyline can be a trying, and scary, experience. A buyer can protect himself by buying from a dealer who offers a warranty, considering only cars recommended by people you trust or buy a used Nissan Skyline only after a thorough inspection by a Skyline specialist.

Nissan Skyline gtr

I have begun to wonder if the Nissan GT-R may attempt to be the first car to lap the Ring in Nurburg in under 7 minutes, becoming the first legitimate production car to do so.

Nissan Skyline gtr

It seems the race hasn't stopped yet since Nissan's epic debut at the Tokyo Auto show with the 7:29 video as the prelude to the unveiling of the 2009 GT-R. In my opinion, it was modestly tuned, and there wasn't a serious emphasis on weight reduction, as Kazutoshi Mizuno added in response to the weight reduction inquiries, "GT-R is a multi-performance supercar" and that the 'GT-R is a supercar for anyone, anytime, anywhere', with even snow in mind, which even influenced their decision in the tires.

Nissan Skyline gtr

I was quite impressed with the initial 7:19 time around Nurburgring of the Dodge ACR, followed by the 7:19 by the Nurburgring edition ZR1, followed shortly after with the 7:14 of the Nurburgring Edition LFA, and now the 7:12 from the ACR.

Nissan Skyline gtr

I was thinking about this, and how it would be interesting to see how a modified GT-R fares, similarly to how the ACR is a modified track prepped Dodge Viper with full weight reduction. Chevrolet produced the Carbon Edition C6 Z06, and then in turn the Nurburgring ZR1. Lexus then followed suit with the Nurburgring edition LFA. I am curious, were Nissan to go balls out on a Spec V version.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Then I thought about how the R33 GTR was the first production car to lap the ring in under 8 minutes.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Nissan could have easily gone balls to the wall, but rather they are incrementally increasing the GT-R's performance, starting with model years 2012, then potentially 2013, in incremental amounts of added horsepower, weight reduction, suspension tweaks and other performance additions. This in itself almost seems a brilliant marketing ploy to the likes of Apple with the iPhone.

Nissan Skyline gtr

It almost seems they are waiting for everyone give it their best shot, and then perhaps come back out and try for another good time.

Nissan Skyline gtr

With cars now dipping into the low 7 minute mark, it would be exciting to see Nissan once again break the next minute barrier.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Considering how the R32 GTR was soon given the nickname Godzilla after obliterating everyone in Japan after it's release for 29 races straight of domination. Then onto Australia for more domination, until they eventually banned it from racing. Then when it was actually allowed to race, the rules gave it a huge handicap of added weight until the competitors could catch up.

Nissan Skyline gtr

When the Prince Automobile Company merged with Nissan-Datsun in 1967, it gave way to the beginning of new GT-R legend series. Though the super car came from the humble Nissan Skyline family saloon, it was right at the time when the FIA GT series was making waves in the market. Nissan wanted to take on the Porsche 904 in the Japanese Grand Prix since the earliest predecessor of the GTR, the S54 2000 GT-B, came second in the very first race in 1964. So in 1969, Nissan premiered its first race-spec GT-R and it overtook the Porsche 904 in the race. That was the beginning of the legend of the GTR Skyline.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Nissan rolled out the next generation of the GTR, a four-door sedan PGC10 2000 GTR. It was good enough to achieve 33 victories in a short span of one and a half year. In 1972, the Skyline GTR, which had 1000 victories, was discontinued by the company. The next year, it brought out a better version of Skyline GT-R, a 2-litre engine driving the rear wheels. The production was suddenly stopped in 1977 due to poor sales. The last of the original GTRs from the Nissan saloon was the KPGC110 2000GTR. But it was never used for race and is still kept at a unit as historical reference in Zama.

Nissan Skyline gtr

The setback of 1973 Skyline GT-R, which was powered by a 1989cc engine, was due to the oil crisis and it smothered the enthusiasm for high-performance cars in the market. Sixteen years later, in 1989 the new GT-R version of Skyline with advanced technologies like four-wheel drive system 'Attesa-ETS' and the Super-Hicas four-wheel steering was launched. It progressed from 1989 until 2002 in R32, R33 and R34 specifications. In 2007, Nissan displayed a redesigned concept. The new Nissan GT-R was based on this concept and did not carry the Skyline badge. Thus the Nissan Skyline GT-R, which has achieved great success on the race track, is still forms the heritage of Nissan.

Nissan Skyline gtr

In 2009, the Nissan reached an agreement with Federation Internationale de l'Automobile GT Championship (FIA GT1) to fine tune its performance to market the car to racing team. And in 2010, Nissan was declared the Official Vehicle Supplier for the new FIA GT1 World Championship in which it will supply four GT-R cars for each SRO event and one of its high performance vehicles will take the Official Safety Car role at each event.

Nissan Skyline gtr

By any yardstick, the Nissan GTR gives giant-slaying performance, able to take on almost any other Japanese sports car and capable of humbling German, Italian and British sports cars selling for more than twice its price. Before selling to practically anyone with the money to buy a Nissan Skyline R35, Skylines were limited to Japan, Australia and other Asian countries with right-hand drive requirements. The 11,000 or so Skyline R34s produced were found in these countries, although Australia, and of course Japan got the lion's share.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Nissan's decision to make the R35 available worldwide and to practically anyone who wanted to buy a Nissan Skyline R35 must have been influenced by diehard enthusiasts who kept oven older Skylines on the road. It's safe to say that Skyline GTRs of all generations enjoy much recognition and respect among car buffs everywhere and it was a sound business decision to make the R35 globally available.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Compared to choices from Porsche, BMW, Aston Martin, even Ferrari, the price of entry for a Nissan Skyline is a bargain. In Australia for example, the latest version of the Nissan R35 sells for around 168,000 dollars in local currency. In the same country a Porsche 997 GT3 goes for around 213,000 dollars. Why compare a Nissan with a Porsche? That's because the R35 gives similar, or dare we say, better (though only by a bit), performance. At a price difference that will allow you to even further modify the car when you buy a Nissan Skyline R35. Or buy a cheap and fuel-sipping daily driver for the price difference.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Unlike a Porsche GT3 which is track-oriented and thus gives a jarring ride, the R35 gives the driver the choice of three suspension settings, namely comfort, sports, and the track-oriented R mode. Comfort would be the setting you choose for when you use the car for your daily commute or just want a soft ride. R mode hardens the suspension and switches the ECU and transmission to its most aggressive modes. This setting is definitely not recommended for street use, which is why Nissan provides a sports mode, which gives you a suspension setting that's a balance between comfort and race hard. In contrast, the GT3 gives you stiff, and that's it. To be sure, no one who can buy a Porsche GT3 has that as his only car. There would be at least a couple more in the garage which would be more practical for daily use.

Nissan Skyline gtr

Going back to the price difference between the two cars, having a cheap car to run also makes sense when you buy a Nissan Skyline R35. And that's because the R35 has maintenance costs that are on a par with maintaining a Porsche or any other supercar. In fact, you cannot have an R35 serviced at just any Nissan dealer. Nissan has designated Nissan Performance Centers in countries where the R35 is officially sold. By far, the most expensive consumable maintenance items are the transmission and differential oils, which some have likened to having gold dust because of its price. Many a new owner has been shocked at the maintenance cost of this supercar but if you compare the costs of maintaining an R35 to most other supercars, the cost is actually a bit cheaper. It's just that at the price you can buy a Nissan Skyline R35 for, the maintenance cost seems disproportionately high. But that's the price you pay for having a supercar that gives you the docility of a luxury tourer when you want it and aggressive king-of-the-hill performance at the push of a button.

Nissan Skyline gtr