When it comes to iconic sports cars, there are not all that many that have endured the test of time, but the Nissan GT-R (formerly known as the Nissan Skyline GT-R) is one such car. Most of us may still remember the original Skyline GT-R, or the R32 GT-R as it’s generally referred to, but the history of the badge goes much further back than that. All the way back to 1969 in fact with the PGC10 (the original Nissan GT-R) followed by the KPGC110. Nissan is now without a doubt manufacturing the best Japanese affordable supercar, but it once had to contest with the likes of Honda and Mitsubishi (NSX, GTO-GT3000). These days it appears as though its Japanese rivals have all but bowed in defeat (excluding the Lexus LFA which is considerably more expensive).

Before we get started, it’s worth taking a quick look at the GT-R’s recent history. Back in 1999 Nissan was in serious financial trouble and it took no other than Carlos Ghosn to turn the company around. Initially the restructuring plan saw thousands of jobs cut and factories closed down; it also meant an end to the GT-R project. Fast-forward a decade and it was Ghosn himself who gave the green light to the new R35 Nissan GT-R.

Nissan decided to build the new GT-R in a time when its Japanese rivals were focusing on volume rather than branding and the gamble proved to be a major success, lifting the Nissan brand to an entirely new level amongst car enthusiasts. Nissan’s ambitions to beat Porsche around its own test track at Nurburgring proved to be the clincher. 7:27.7 is the claimed lap time (one which has been disputed by Porsche). Despite what Porsche likes to claim, since its introduction over two years ago the Nissan GT-R has won 66 awards, a lot more than there is space here to list. Some notable awards include car of the year by Top Gear, Automobile Magazine, Evo Magazine, Motor Trend and more.

Driving a Nissan GT-R is similar to driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution or Subaru WRX STI, except that it’s powered by a 3.8-litre twin turbo V6 VR38DETT engine delivering (a ridiculous) 357kW and 588Nm of torque. That means it goes significantly faster than its cheaper Japanese rivals but also handles better (figure that one out). What really sets it apart is the 0-100km/h time of around the 3.5 second mark (can go down as low as 3.2 seconds with the risk of damaging the transmission) – this puts the GT-R in the same league as Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other European super cars worth considerably more coin.

For those of you wondering how a 3.8-litre twin turbo V6 can get such impressive figures, one of the secret is high combustion temperature. Mr Mizuno said whilst most cars have a combustion temperature of 800-850 degrees, the Nissan GT-R is around the 1,110 degree mark. “High temperature, small space, big bang“. The engine is able to take the higher combustion temperatures thanks to a plasma coating technique. There are only 12 engine development platforms at the Nissan GT-R assembly plant in Tochigi, Japan. Each one builds the entire engine from the ground up. Currently the Japanese company can only produce about 1,000 units per month. That also helps make the GT-R as exclusive as a mass produced Nissan can be.

2010 Nissan Skyline GT-R Specifications:

The 2010-11 models sells for $158,800 or $162,800 for the GTR Premium model.

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