Miguel Sánchez
Six generations. Almost 50 years. A whole saga that defines the quintessential Japanese sports car: the Nissan GT-R. One of those legends on and off the slopes, with millions of followers conquered by his power throughout the world. One of them is Guillermo García, responsible for the PowerArt channel, which one we have already spoken to you.
One of its latest news is the trilogy focused on the history of the Nissan GT-R, of which we leave the first chapter below. Almost half an hour -it is not easy to find such documented and extensive videos- where Guillermo is reeling off the evolution of this motor icon. From the magnificent sporty palm groves of the debut model from 1969 to the current 480 hp version. And all while showing us representative units of four generations provided by Spanish owners!
JAPANESE ADRENALINE READY FOR CIRCUIT
Touring car championships are not only the heritage of Europe and America. Japan also has a long tradition in this type of race; a tradition in which, already in the 60s, the firm competed Prince. This was still one of those really exclusive little brands like Akura or Lexus, capable of developing interesting models derived from the big brands.
Prince was supported by Nissan from 1966. The latter, interested in the performance of the Prince Skyline S54 2000 GT, acquired the brand with the aim of developing a national car capable of successfully taking on foreign racing cars in the touring car championship. Thus was born 2000 Skyline 1969 GT-R.
And boy did they make it! For three years this model accumulated 49 consecutive victories thanks to exceptional dynamics. A legend was born.
1972 saw the birth of the second generation of the GT-R: A beautiful coupe with bodywork fastback, very in the style of Pony car American people. However, what was expected to be magnificent ended with a sudden stop: The Oil Crisis made its appearance and mortally wounded the GT-R, which did not understand low consumption. The second generation only sold about 200 units and shelved the model until the late 80s.
THE THIRD GOES THE DEFEAT: RESURRECTING THE GT-R
It took about 16 years until Nissan was convinced enough with one of its models to baptize it with the initials GT-R. A) Yes, in 1989 came the third generation or GT-R R32. A car conceived to compete in Group A, with an exciting street version equipped with a 6-cylinder 280 HP -according to Nissan, because it seems that it can actually reach more than 300- and all-wheel drive. A marvel that we strongly suggest you listen to from minute 7:30 of the video.
Bronco and menacing. This is the sound of the mechanics of the 1989 GT-R. And since it had worked well ... it was the same one that was mounted in the fourth generation. However, the commercial result of the latter was not splendid either: about 32 units of the R40.000 were sold, while the R33 only managed to commercialize around 11.000.
The reason? Well, the bodywork had been enlarged, and the car looked more like a grand tourer than a sports car. And at that time ... GT-R customers were looking for radicalism. Nissan took note and the fifth generation cut the battle short by looking for a more compact and rigid chassis, at the same time as a magnificent aerodynamic study lapaba the car to the asphalt.
The saga culminated in 2007 with the GT-R R35, a showcase for the Japanese brand in which it unleashes its most avant-garde technological advances. The GT-R is a race sports car, with a history behind it as interesting as it is unknown in our country. Will his fame ever be comparable to that of his great rival, the Porsche 911?
