Skyline Owners Culture

The Skyline Scene

Unlike most clubs which demand a membership fee. Usually just the ownership of a Nissan Skyline is enough to warrant instant membership.
With the advent of the internet forums since 2000 onwards the online world has meant a wide scope for arranging meetings, races at the track and even european touring.
Indeed being a member or even an affiliate is a wise choice for the often crucial insider methods, techniques and mechanical know-how that conventional car garages may lack.

R35 GTR

Return of the GTR! But is it a Skyline...

Like the Skyline GT-Rs R32 through R34, the Nissan GT-R is all-wheel drive with a twin-turbo 6 cylinder engine; however, the evolutionary, incremental changes between Skyline models R31 through to the R34 have been done away with.

The engine's no longer a Straight Six cylinder one but a V6 3.8 litre. The 'Skyline' badge and name has disappeared yet the chassis code was maked as R35, indicating some reference to the previous incarnations.

The body shape and 'look' of the car is very different. The 'stove-pipe' brake lights are still there but only about 5% of the rest are compatable with earlier skylines. The sedan shape is gone, replaced by an aggressive 'coupe' look.

As a supercar it truly does offer the power and speeds to put the pricier sportscar pedigrees so shame.
With a top speed of 193 mph it is claimed to of lapped the Nurburg Ring in 7 minutes 28 seconds. Beating it's rival the Porshe GT2.

It also is now officially imported to foreign countries in greater numbers than previous GTRs

Yet for all its power its price and affordability are in question. Compared to the spare parts for the R32 to R34 models the R35 is truly an expensive car to maintain.

As a benchmark transmission is reckoned to cost $20,000 to change and fit in a Nissan dealer garage. This is many times that of the previous GTRs before it.

Some Skyline owners desire the GTR but others do not, stating price, the radical shift from its roots and the look is a skyline too far...

V35 Skyline

The Twilight of the Skylines...

When production ended in 2002 Nissan dropped the sedan / coupe 'look' that had been developing in the R31 thru to the R34 and changed the design and emphasis radically.
The engine shifted from an Straight 6 to a V6 and the bodywork became much uglier and box-like.
Known as the Nissan 350Z or V35 it's a shadow compared to the previous incarnations yet sometimes called the 'skyline' by enthusiastic dealers but the reality is it isn't considered one by most owners or tuners.

Japanese tuners practically ignore the V35 'Skyline', and instead concentrate on the R33 and R34 models.

R34 Skyline

Last of the Skyline Sportscars

In 1998 the R34 Skyline came onto the motoring scene.
By this time most, if not all the 'faults' and percieved short-comings had been put right; the RB 20DE engine was more fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly and the interior was given a facelift.
The replacement model for the GTST was the GTT model which was given an RB25 NEO DET .
An improved ceramic turbo but still one that's potentially unstable if heavily tuned. Good for low-levels of tuning though.

The GTRs centre management console had evolved into a mission-control function display and asthetically the car is more pleasing on the eye.

Many consider the R34 to be the last of the 'True' Skylines, production of these only ran from 1998 to 2002 and 64,000+ were sold. Compared to the R33 which had numbers nearing a quarter of a million the R34 has an air of exclusivity. Spare parts are therefore less available but still sourceable. Plus the aftermarket parts industry, like for the R33 means that prices are affordable.
Brake discs for the R34 GTT are in notoriously short supply from aftermarket suppliers. The main-dealers charge a fortune for these.

The GTR model of the R34 is considered one of the most desirable of the Skylines, second only to the R35 GTR.

The GT-R reappeared in 1999, with a revised chassis and other updates. The R34 turbos received a ball bearing core. The R34 N1 turbos had a metal exhaust wheel, and ball bearing center section. A 6-speed Getrag gearbox was used. The turbo outlet pipes were changed from cast to formed metal outlets. The intercooler had a temperature probe in the V-spec models.

R33 Skyline

A truly modern sportscar

1993 saw the arrival of the R33 model of Skyline. This was heavier and sported more refinements including airbags (post 1996).
On the Spec 2 GTST and GTR 'smart ignition coils' were fitted. The chassis remained unchanged.

The GTR version of the R33 has the same RB26DETT engine however this has been improved with increased Torque and turbo-airflow management.
The turbos were ceramic or nylon and typically are less robust for mid-to-high levels of tuning.
Further upgrades for the R33 GTR were in 1995 when the AWD transmission system and RB26 engine were improved.
Production for this Skyline ran from 1993 to 1998.

This version is the mainstay of most Nissan Skyline clubs in the UK and elsewhere. It's reliable, fast and relatively affordable. It also has a wide-ranging parts industry (many more R33s were produced in comparison the more recent R34) mean spares are slightly cheaper than the other models.

The Senior Skyline

Arrival of the modern breed of sportscar

In 1989 the R32 arrived on the scene. It too has the Inline-straight six cylinder engine the R31 has. But the power increases and body shape had been improved upon.
The engines capacity was a 2.0 litre, a 2.5 litre and a 2.6 litre version for the GTR version.

The GTR version was a beast of a car. It's twin turbo's were all-ceramic and and it came with electronic all-wheel drive. As before the HICAS was on all versions too.
Nearly 280 bhp was on tap with this version.

The GT-R had a significantly larger intercooler, larger brakes, and aluminium front guards and bonnet. Other distinguishing features include flared front and rear wheel arches.

More supportive seats were fitted, and the turbo boost gauge and digital clock were removed from inside the instrument cluster. The clock was replaced with a torque meter that indicated how much torque was being delivered to the front wheels (0%-50%). Oil temp, voltage, and turbo boost gauges were fitted just above the climate control.

To this day the R32 is seen as the 'old school' skyline. A rough-round the edges, mad-max of a machine compared to it's later, more improved models of skyline.
The R32 Skyline is quite affordable nowadays, although it's aged and getting on a bit with parts that will need looking at often for replacement etc.

For all that this version and model of the nissan skyline often is seen as a perfect project car for drifting or drag-racing.
It's slightly lighter than the later incarnations.

Best Japanese Sports Car

Arguably one of the best japanese cars in the world. It inspires most boy racers, car enthusiasts and all-round petrol heads.

Made in Japan and highly popular both there and overseas.

Built and designed as a practical sportscar without the crippling maintainance bills usually associated with performance vehicles. It has a strong following in many countries.

In the UK, Australia and New Zealand there are large clubs of motorists who own the popular models of Nissan Skyline.

The cars performance is group 20 and is matched by the level of tunability and power increases from modified, aftermarket parts. 1000 bhp engines are not unheard of in Skyline circles...

The Ultimate Skyline is usually considered the R34 GTR which has unmatched tunability. Yet other, earlier models of Skyline are no worse or inferior. Just owning one of the these machines is a treat.

The R32 - Good for Drifting and general thrashing around.

The R33 - General purpose, all rounder sportscar. Widely available.

The R34 - High spec owners machine. Less widely available.

The R35 - Not officially a 'Skyline' but considered the ultimate of them all. Very fast, powerful and awesome potential.