Nissan Skyline GT-R
It's from 1989, before you were born.
- Iconic generation
- 1989 Skyline GT-R (R32, BNR32)
- Origin
- Japan
- Engine
- 2.6L RB26DETT twin-turbo inline-six
- Power
- 276 hp claimed (actually 300+)
- 0–60 mph
- ~5.6 seconds
- Top speed
- ~156 mph (claimed)
- Drivetrain
- ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive
- Production
- R32 GT-R built 1989–1994
About
As of 2026, it's 37 years old.
Some cars earn nicknames. The R32 Skyline GT-R earned 'Godzilla,' bestowed by an Australian magazine after it stomped the local racing scene flat. When a single car is so dominant that officials slap it with weight penalties just to give everyone else a fighting chance, you know something special is going on.
Launched in 1989, the R32 GT-R was built for one purpose: to win Group A racing. It packed the now-legendary RB26DETT, a 2.6-liter twin-turbo straight-six officially rated at 276 hp (thanks to a Japanese 'gentlemen's agreement' capping quoted power) but really making well over 300. Add the trick ATTESA all-wheel-drive system and four-wheel steering, and you had a technological tour de force.
On track it was simply untouchable, famously winning all 29 races it entered in the Japanese Touring Car Championship, a perfect season that borders on the absurd. It crushed BMW M3s and Porsche 911s and made everyone else's homework look lazy.
For decades Americans could only drool over the GT-R from afar, since it was never sold there and was locked out by import laws until the R32 finally became legal under the 25-year rule. That forbidden-fruit status, plus its racing pedigree and starring roles in Gran Turismo and Fast & Furious, turned Godzilla into one of the most coveted JDM legends of all time.
Nissan Skyline GT-R through the years
Godzilla awakens
The R32 GT-R revives the legendary badge with the twin-turbo RB26DETT.
Group A domination
The GT-R begins its run of 29 wins from 29 starts in Japanese touring cars.
Weight penalty
Australian racing officials handicap the GT-R for being too dominant.
R33 arrives
The next GT-R becomes the first production car to lap the Nürburgring under 8 minutes.
R34 peak
The final Skyline GT-R cements the legend before the nameplate goes solo.
US-legal at last
The R32 hits the 25-year import threshold and floods into America.
