Driving the Legend

Edmunds Inside Line

"And in this 1971 Nissan Skyline GT-R, you can see where the story began. It might look like a boxy Japanese car from a particularly unimpressive era, but you'll notice the impressive badging and wide tires. And under the hood you'll find a souped-up engine from a pedigree racing car.

This is Skyline GT-R KPGC10, the place where the Skyline GT-R legend began."

"Under the hood, we find the Prince-engineered, iron-block 1,989cc inline-6. This S20 engine made 160 hp with its 40mm Solex carburetors, but three 40mm DCOE Webers were optional and Lucas fuel injection became standard shortly afterward. Yasuhito has installed larger 45mm DCOE45 Webers, the setup used for racing. The original red airbox has disappeared in the course of time, but everything else is original, right down to the Elephant Oil sticker. Thanks to the high-lift camshaft and advanced ignition timing, this engine makes 210 hp."

"Overall, the Skyline listens obediently to your steering commands and its handling is free of any dirty tricks. It's an honest, transparent machine. Because all the power is bundled at the top of the rpm range, it's best to apply the power pretty early in the corners and wait for the acceleration to begin.

If you approach the 1971 Nissan Skyline GT-R with an open mind, you cannot but conclude that this car deserves your full admiration. The car is not a poor mirror image of European sport sedans, but instead a cleverly developed car that will fuel your passion for the concept of a sport sedan.
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