For the better part of four decades it was only a Japanese legend. Unobtainium here in the United States, the Nissan Skyline GT-R was a high-tech, high-performance coupe we could only get a glimpse of in Japanese magazines or experience virtually through video games. Outfitted with all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, and a twin-turbocharged inline-6, it was understandably a car we drooled over, but only from afar. And that nickname: Godzilla. How cool was that?
And then it came here in 2008, and it hasn’t disappointed. The power is sudden, and the all-wheel-drive system puts it to the pavement to create supercar performance. The experience is a little bit digital and the looks are almost Japanese to a fault, but this is one of the best performance values on the market, despite annual price increases.
But without a long domestic history, many readers may not be all that familiar with the story of the GT-R. The nameplate turned 50 in 2019, we’re here today to remedy that problem one generation at a time. Nissan has a video out of all six generations of the GT-R, and you can read up on their history below. And while we’re plenty happy with the current car, we’re looking forward to the seventh generation.
