Nissan Skyline

Nissan Skyline at a glance

The Skyline is a rear-wheel-drive car built in Japan, offered over the years as a saloon, coupé, hardtop and estate. Engineer Shinichiro Sakurai led its development from the start and reportedly named it after a mountain ridge where the peaks meet the sky.

It is usually described as the only Nissan nameplate in continuous production since the Prince era. Abroad it appeared under other names, from the Prince Mikado and Datsun 240K to the Infiniti G35, G37 and Q50. The model sits alongside the rest of the Nissan range, and its Prince roots are an important chapter in the history of Nissan.

Nissan Skyline generations

Nissan has built 13 Skyline generations, identified by chassis codes.

Prince Skyline ALSI and S50 (1957–1968)

The first Skyline appeared in April 1957 from Fuji Precision Industries, renamed Prince Motor Company in 1961. The S50 of 1963 spawned the S54 2000GT, a six-cylinder car with a 200 mm (7.9 in) longer wheelbase. At the May 1964 Japan Grand Prix it is usually credited with second to sixth places in its class behind a Porsche 904. Prince merged into Nissan in August 1966.

C10 "Hakosuka" (1968–1972)

The C10 earned the nickname Hakosuka, from "hako" (box) and Skyline. In February 1969 it gained the first GT-R, a four-door saloon with the 2.0-litre DOHC S20 six rated at 118 kW (160 PS); a hardtop coupé followed in 1970. The saloon GT-R won 33 races in under two years, the coupé reached 50 wins by 1972, and about 2,000 GT-Rs were built in total.

C110 "Kenmeri" and C210 (1972–1981)

Named after a "Ken and Mary" advertising campaign, the C110 reached 670,562 cars, the highest published total of any generation, yet only 197 were GT-Rs. In Australia and Germany it was the Datsun 240K. The C210 brought the first turbocharged Skyline in April 1980: the L20ET 2.0-litre six with 107 kW (145 PS), not yet intercooled.

R30 and R31 (1981–1989)

The R30 introduced the FJ20E twin-cam four with 110 kW (150 PS), turbocharged as the FJ20ET from 1983 and intercooled in 1984 for 151 kW (205 PS). The 1983 facelift gave the RS its "Tekkamen" (iron mask) front. The R31 brought the RB straight-six family, including the RB20DET with 132 kW (180 PS), and HICAS four-wheel steering. Its GTS-R, 823 built for Group A, produced 154 kW (210 PS).

R32 (1989–1993)

The R32 brought back the GT-R in August 1989 after 16 years. Its RB26DETT twin-turbo six was rated at 206 kW (280 PS), with drive through ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive. The Australian press called it "Godzilla". The GT-R won the Japanese Touring Car Championship every season from 1990 to 1993, 29 races from 29 starts, plus the Bathurst 1000 in 1991 and 1992.

R33 (1993–1998)

The larger R33 arrived in August 1993, with the RB25DET usually quoted at 180 kW (245–250 PS). The GT-R kept the RB26DETT and added Super-HICAS. Nissan quoted a Nürburgring Nordschleife time of 7:59.887. The Nismo 400R was a 2.8-litre special whose output is given as 294 or 298 kW (400 or 405 PS), depending on the source.

R34 (1998–2002)

The R34 went on sale in May 1998 with a shorter wheelbase. The GT-R stayed officially at 280 PS under the Japanese makers' "gentlemen's agreement", although measured outputs were higher. GT-R variants ran from the V-Spec to the 2002 Nür, and production ended in November 2002. The R34 is also often associated with the Gran Turismo games and The Fast and the Furious films.

V35 and V36 (2001–2014)

The V35, unveiled in June 2001, moved to the FM platform shared with the 350Z and used only naturally aspirated V6 engines, with no GT-R. In the US it was the Infiniti G35. The V36 followed in November 2006; as the Infiniti G37 it reached Europe in 2009/2010, with the 3.7-litre VQ37VHR rated in Germany at 235 kW (320 PS).

V37 (2014 onwards)

The V37 is the Japanese version of the Infiniti Q50, built in Japan. Engines have included a 2.0-litre Mercedes-Benz turbo with 155 kW (211 PS), a 3.0 V6 twin-turbo and a 3.5 hybrid with 268 kW (364 PS) of system output. A limited Nismo edition of 1,000 cars, shown in August 2023, has 309 kW (420 PS). No end of V37 production in Japan had been confirmed in the sources checked for this guide.

Engines and drivetrain

The engine story runs from Prince four-cylinder units to turbo sixes and V6s. Key steps were the S20 twin-cam six (1969), the L20ET turbo (1980), the FJ20 16-valve four (1981) and the RB sixes from the R31 onwards. The VQ V6 replaced the RB with the V35, and the V37 added a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6. HICAS four-wheel steering arrived with the R31, and the R32 GT-R introduced ATTESA E-TS, which sends torque to the front axle when the rear wheels slip.

Dimensions and key specifications

The table covers the R32 GT-R, with V37 rows to show how much the car has grown.

GT-R: the Skyline that outgrew its name

The GT-R left the Skyline name with the R35. Usually quoted production totals are about 44,000 for the R32 GT-R, about 16,500 for the R33 and about 11,500 for the R34. The Nissan GT-R (R35) was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show as a model in its own right, and its production ended on 26 August 2025 after about 48,000 cars. North America got a one-off R35 "Skyline Edition" in 2024.

Safety data

The fullest crash-test record for a Skyline-based car comes from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which rated the 2015 Infiniti Q50, the export twin of the V37, a Top Safety Pick+. Scores were Good for moderate overlap, side, roof strength and head restraints, Acceptable for small overlap, and Superior for front crash prevention with optional Forward Emergency Braking. The V36-era Infiniti G was rated Good in front offset and side tests and Acceptable for roof strength.

Rivals: how the Skyline compares

The R32 GT-R, an all-wheel-drive twin-turbo car, is often set against the Porsche 959, which combined the same two ideas. Among Japanese cars contemporary with the R32 to R34, the closest are the Toyota Supra, the rotary Mazda RX-7 and the mid-engined Honda NSX. Unlike them, the Skyline range also included four-door saloons. From the V35 onwards, as the Infiniti G and Q50, it has competed with compact executive saloons.