There are a few select cars that stand out in the import tuner scene as some of the fastest and most notorious. One of those cars that generates some exclusivity is the Nissan Skyline. Spanning 40 years, with of course various names and differences, the Skyline has been a staple of Japanese Performance. It wasn’t till the late 80’s and early 90’s when the newer breed of Skyline’s really took the “scene” by storm. The R32 Skyline was really a beast of a car, improving on old motors, The old engine line-up was mostly dropped, so all versions of the R32 – sedans and coupes – at least got the RB20DE engine, a normally aspirated 2.0l inline-6 with 155hp. Stronger models like the GTS-t came with the RB20DET engine, already known from the R31 GTS-R, but with an increased output of 212hp. Later versions got the normally aspirated RB25DE engine, a 2.5l DOHC inline-6 with 180hp. It bad been 10 years since the streets had seen a GT-R badge roll of the Nissan lot. The GT-R had been reborn with the 89 Model R32 Skyline GT-R. The car came with ATTESA-ETS (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All – Electronic Torque Split), an electronically controlled all-wheel-drive system that usually delivers the power to the rear-wheels, but can send up to 50% of the torque to the front wheels. It also featured one of the best production engines of all times, the RB26DETT, a 2.6l DOHC inline-6 twin turbo with 280hp. The RB26DETT is a pure racing engine, derived directly from Group A racing, which was despec’ed to fit the maximum 280hp allowed by Japanese regulations.
The next generation Skyline brings us to the R33 model, which so happens to be the one featured here. Being the predecessor of the previous R32 model, which in some rings is considered unbeatable, was given a heavy burden of out performing the last model. However, to much criticism the R33 Skyline was much better overall than the R32, out performing it in almost every category with a broader torque band and upgraded versions of the tracking control system, only the extra weight was holding the R33 back.
It’s hard not to turn your and do a double take whenever you see a Skyline on the road. Not only that, to be in the presence of a Red Emblem (GT-R) is one that many don’t get to partake considering the rarity of these machines in the US. The introduction of the new R35 Concept at the last Tokyo Auto Show and the extensive coverage of the new Skyline will be one to watch over the next few years as Nissan hopes to take over the Super car market once again.
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