Nissan Skyline. The 1989 car that changed things!

Way back in 1957 a Japanese car manufacturer called Prince entered a Skyline in saloon car racing locally. In 1966 they merged with Nissan and continued racing with the Gt-A and B. In 1969 the GT-R arrived and it dominated in Japan until Mazda brought forth the RX-3. After that and the fuel crisis Nissan lost a taste for racing until 1981. Not long after they reverted to their tried and tested 6 cylinder engine with twin cams and 4 wheel steering.

Then we had 1989 and an R32 GTR thrust upon us.
Picture the scene if you can. News of the R32 had filtered out to the world and a group of European journalists were invited to try the car out at the Nurburgring, regarded by many as the world’s most testing circuit. They met up with a small group of Japanese journalists and, quite by chance, a German Magazine had invited a group of professional drivers to do a comparison test of the Porsche 928, Mercedes 500SL and a BMW M5. After a learning lap the journalists set off at speed and it became clear that the car was very poised in whatever circumstance they threw at it. A red 928GT with far more power was just ahead of one particular journalist and kept ahead until the twisty bits of the circuit and then at the end of a lap the 928GT pulled over with smoke billowing from it as it fell silent.
The car itself.

Technically it was on a different planet to anything anyone had seen and the subsequent revised models (R33 and R34) hardly changed. The spec runs long and deep and it’s difficult to know where to start, so I am going to start at the back and work forwards with discussion around the 4 wheel steer system. Sensors monitor speed, steering angle, the speed at which the steering wheel is being turned and feed this to a microchip which works a hydraulic actuator and thus to a pair of track rods. The rear wheels can be turned up to a max of 1 degree. These rear wheels also receive power through a wet multiplate clutch and have sensors attached to see what the wheels are doing. The reason for this is that there is a transfer box which can transfer power to the front wheels should it see the back wheels not coping. This is all controlled by a unit that also takes information from sensors to the front wheels and a lateral G force sensor. Basically power can be put to each wheel as and when needed.

To ensure this all works you need a good suspension system. Nissan had recently introduced multilink suspension to their 300ZX which employs unequal length upper and lower control arms which some considered to be revolutionary, coupled with huge 225/50 R16 tyres on 8J 5 spoke alloy wheels, also designed to throw a lot of air at the brakes.
The brakes themselves are huge 4 pot piston units with vented discs up front and coupled to an anti-lock braking system seen only on super cars of the day.
Then we turn our attention to the engine. Nissan have massive experience with straight 6 cylinder engines and the twin cams, 24 valves are engines seen in previous models. What they added though was twin ceramic Garret turbo charges coupled to intercoolers and controlled injection and ignition systems giving them 280bhp and 353Nm of torque allowing the car to do 0-60 in around 4.5 sec but keep pulling. Nothing happens under 3,000rpm but by 4,000rpm it all smoothly hurtles you on.
It really was the World’s most advanced road car at the time and at a little over £10,000 in 1989 was a ‘snip’ at the time. (Escort Xr3i was not much cheaper!)

There are 13 versions including the GTS single turbo version with rear wheel drive only and some 4 cylinder cars. All seat 4 people. The top of the range is actually a modified GTR—what more can they do I hear you say? Well there is a V-Spec version which, in 1999 was £10k cheaper than the Porsche, BMW Alpina and Honda NSX at the time, it was also better! The engine unofficially develops more power and as its 0-60 time is under 3 sec that is understandable. It was not sold officially in the UK but cars did find their way over and Middlehurst Nissan dealers in Lancashire could help with servicing as Skyline dealers. Needless to say the electronics played a large part in its surefootedness on the road which made it such an easy car to drive fast. The final version was an M-spec which had new ‘ripple control shock absorbers’ which worked to soak up any bumps to maximise tyre contact with the road. This showed the way to go for car makers as it showed that it was not just about power. Handling improved even further.
In March 2002 it all came to an end with the R34 but, as with most things, it has been revived in a new form of recent times.

THE FACTS
Best model —GTR V Spec
Worst model —auto estate
Budget buy—GTS-T
OK for unleaded—yes, some prefer super but all run on 95
Will it fit the garage—4600×1785
Spares situation—Excellent, new or used
DIY ease—fair
Club support—www.gtr.co.uk and skyline-owners-club.com
Appreciating asset?—not yet but thinking about it

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Running gear
• Gearbox gets notchy in 3rd—well used gear!
• Suspension has a lot of bushes but poly option ready available, standard front shocks difficult to find and most cars have shortened springs all round
• Original alloy wheels will probably have long gone
• Clutch good on all models and plenty of garages can do repair
• Most consumables cheap as fit other models in Nissan range
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Body and Chassis
• Most cars are imports which means a lack of underseal, if it has been in the UK for a few years check it was undersealed here
• Rear arches around the lip are first to go
• Dash is a nightmare to get out to change radio, so look for damage
• Rear lights let water into the boot due to ageing
• Front and back bumpers are plastic—look behind them
• As most have been lowered look for signs of dents underneath as they often don’t use the proper jacking points
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Engine
• Oil pressure gauge often reads low, there was a problem on early R32s with the oil pump but after that it was down to a duff sender, new ones from Nissan are over £100 but plenty of options on eBay
• Most have slung the air filter to get more noise in the car, ask if still available as it improves long journeys!
• All 4 cylinder and 6 cylinders good for long distances if serviced regularly
• Check cam belt done regularly
• ECU can be chipped to make an easy 370 bhp on top models, after that it gets expensive, ask what has been done
• Passing emissions test is hard work as the sensor is so far from the engine, make sure its warmed up
• A stainless exhaust system is a good idea, its usually a big bore affair

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
General
There are lots of cheap ones out there on eBay and that’s because they have been thrashed to death. Walk round the car, look for bends in the large panels. If you want top of the range then be prepared to spend over £15k or even more if modified (1,000bhp not unusual or useable!)
Very little alterations were made between the R32/3/4 but obviously the newer the model the less likely there are to be problems.
If you want a good low mileage example in original kit go to an importer. As an example JM Imports can bid on a car for you in Japan, arrange shipping and all alterations to UK spec with number plate and MOT and under seal.
The reason to do this is simple. They drive on the same side as us, they have nicer weather, it’s a small place and so a lot are not thrashed, they have very stringent emissions rules and so cars end up sold with low mileage on them.
Because it’s Japanese there are very few electrical issues and they are very reliable in standard form, a bonus is that the indicator stalk is in your right hand were it should be.
As mentioned previous, most will have been lowered. As we have an obsession with speed humps in this country check underneath for ‘grounding’, the first to suffer is usually the exhaust.
PRICES
All over the place!! Some early rare models can be over £5k and even earlier ones dating back to the 60s/70s/80s are a real guess—they were also not very exciting.
A good V-spec car will command £15k but a good useable GTS-T with low mileage will be of the order of £5k. A standard GTR will be £8k upwards depending on age and condition
There are some much cheaper but expect to do work on them. If you like a challenge then pay £2k and set to finding parts, there are plenty being sold for parts only on both eBay and in Auto trader.
The authors own example is a bit rare, it’s a R33 GTS-T Type M. What this is is a single turbo version which makes exactly the same power but in a different way using a large turbo, but being a Type M means it has all the other ‘goodies’ that the GTR has except 4 wheel drive. That means power to the rear wheels only and a car weighing 150kg less (transfer box etc. weigh a lot!) On the road price in this country was £7.5k for a low mileage car (80 km) with stainless exhaust, lowered suspension and everything else as standard—the subsequent paint job was a further £1.5k but was the owners preference!
IMPROVEMENTS
If not fitted then an aftermarket stainless exhaust is a must. There are a lot of suspension tweaks one can do depending on what type of road you travel on most, if its motorways then short springs improve handling—also good for track days. The big engine is good for 280bhp anyhow unless you have a restricted version which a good garage can remove. If you want to increase power then 370 is easy with a chip, after that it costs and you can spend £10k getting it to 480bhp. There are masses of brake alterations you can do and you could spend £500 on a full poly bush kit for the suspension if inclined.

VERDICT
Any skyline has ‘presence’ on the street, it says Nissan on the boot but then neatly says Skyline in the corner, those that know know! They are not parked up on any street corner and an early mint original R32 will have folk asking you what it is. Just say skyline and leave them to look it up on their ‘life support system’.
Shop around, scour eBay, auto trader and talk to the importers as they also service and repair a lot of these cars. If you want a nice standard relaxing one that will not break the bank then avoid the GTR, you are looking at 18mpg whereas a single turbo car can do 25mpg.
They have a decent boot, a calming presence, 4 seats, Nissan reliability and street cred—what more can you ask for!