ok guys, here is going to be a quick overview on some topics floating around the automall/internet these days. Everyone is a fan of the GTR or can at least appreciate the fact that nissan has continued to keep manufactuering such a fine car. Since the GTRs conception from the days of the drawing board to the first one rolled off the assembly line back in february 1969 it was introduced to be a fun sporty car that your every day person could enjoy. It made an impressive 160hp, which may sound like a small amount however, which was more than enough to compete with japans super cars at the time. Such rivals as the Mazda RX-2, R100, and Isuzus bellett with the same power we out matched on japans racing circuit. The Skyline earned it keep and respect in the racing world with 33 wins out of 50 in the course of the two years it had been out. it was from then on known as Hakosuka (ハコスカ) to the entusiast and racer . Hako (ハコ) means Box in Japanese, and suka（スカ） is short for Skyline (スカイライン; Sukairain).
As the years went on Nissan like most manufacteurs started to fine tune its weaker points providing us the public with a more enjoyable road experience without the sacrifice for performance. The next generation benefited from a much need refinement. The public although impressed with the the performance capabilities of the skyline craved a more “family” oriented car, with the public demand for a less race car feel nissan unveiled the C110 skyline or as it was known to the exported world the Datsun K car (160K, 180K and Datsun 240K.)
Sadly shortly after the release of the hardtop GTR Nissan ceased production due to the economic shift. Even though they had followed the publics demand for an affordable sports car with tasteful design, the gas crisis was felt even in japan. The Sports car industry took a heavy toll as peoples pocket books shrank, their desire to own the latest and greatest nissan had to offer was pushed to the back burner. The general understanding and feeling was that owning a sports car was looked down upon, and as a result, no sales means a company has to cut where it can. Nissan dropped out of the racing scene as the GTR had come to a screeching halt and was no longer needed as a production piece to compete in the japanese racing circuits. Only 197 GTRs were fortunate enough to make it off the assembly line, and were only sold in japan by Nissan Performance division (soon to be called NISMO). The GTR would remain dormant til i was brought back in 1989.
