Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/139371
36 www.bigrigowner.com J u ly 2 0 1 3 By Pat French The Supercar Chronicles > Nissan GT-R The Return of Godzilla Godzilla rises from the Pacific Ocean to wreak havoc on the modern world…." While that sentence is an actual editorial review for a paperback book, the text can easily be applied to describe the Nissan GTR's, "take no prisoners" approach to the automotive landscape. The current Nissan GT-R (introduced in 2008) can trace its roots back to the Skyline GT-R's that were produced between 1969 and 1974. Due to the fuel crisis of the early 70's, the model line was cancelled because the demand for highperformance automobiles had effectively dried up. After a 16-year hiatus, Nissan revived the Skyline GT-R in 1989 and continued with production through 2002. supercars 0713.indd 1 The Skyline GT-R's were bred for track dominance and their trophy case is proof positive of Nissan's success. The Skyline's resume consists of over 200 race wins, including 29 consecutive victories and 5 consecutive championships in the Japanese Touring Car Championship series. To further add to the legend, while testing the 1995 model at the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany, the Skyline GT-R posted a sub-8 minute lap and in doing so, officially put the supercar clique on notice. While the earlier Skylines were not legally imported to the US, due to failing to meet Federal crash or emissions laws, the car was hugely popular with the Japanese tuner crowd. Stories of the mythical Skyline GT-R's made their way back to the States via magazines as well as movies & video games with the most desirable edi- 6/6/13 10:04 AM