Both Canada and the US began to take delivery of new GTRs on July 2008. In the GTR this system was removed, but a much improved all wheel drive system took its place to channel all the power from a now V6 twin turbo engine.Īfter taking a two year break in production which gave the public time to say good bye to the Skyline name, but also allowed the world to embrace what was to become Nissan’s next great automotive achievement, the GTR first debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and eventually making its way to production in Japan on December 6, 2007. This system made its way to a few other cars in the Nissan stable, but over time it proved to be a dying technology. What served the Skyline well in the 90’s was a technologically advanced all wheel drive system designed by Nissan called HICAS. When the GTR was brought over to North America for it’s first time as a production car, Nissan redesigned the car from the ground up as it became a world vehicle. It also utilizes all wheel drive in its drivetrain configuration, but that’s where the similarities end. Today, Nissan’s GTR continues the Skyline GTR legacy and pays homage to its predecessor by continuing to wear the signature four round tail lights in its design.

As well as the rear wheel drive Skyline GTRs performed in its day, the All-wheel drive twin turbo Skyline GTR of the 90’s made the car invincible. Bringing in new technology also saw Nissan toy with the idea of four-wheel drive system.

Over time, the naturally aspirated straight six engine adapted to the technology of its time and two turbo chargers made it’s way into the engine bay. The Skyline, throughout its history, has two signature characteristics, one being a straight six-cylinder engine, and the other being the four round tail lights that continues to live on in its modern day interpretations. Although the name no longer lives, the underlying DNA of the Skyline undoubtedly lives on. Although what we know today simply as the Nissan GTR is still manufactured to date, the Skyline name has since been dropped post 2002. The Skyline GTRs were built between 19 but took a hiatus until the late 80’s and production of GTRs started up again from 1989 to 2002. Since then, Nissan created a high performance version of their standard vehicle and badged it with GTR and history began to write itself. Nissan acquired the company Prince who manufactured the Skyline back in the 60’s. Most who know the GTR know it as the Skyline. Nissan’s Skyline GTR is one of the automotive industry’s greats to come out of Japan from a time when Italians and Germans dominated the racing field and to this day not only rivals the best of the best in the industry, but is the bar which others compare against. When the letters GTR is said, it immediately conjures up mental images of four round tail lights speeding into the distance. Those same three letters embody the ethos of a company’s relentless vision to defy technology at the time and push beyond it’s boundaries. It is not very often when three letters can carry with it such a long standing legacy of motorsport greatness.

Nissan skyline gtr evolution