The transition of a car from just another run of the mill machine into a legend takes time. There are no instant legends. None. Not even the mid-2000’s Ford GT…it is an awesome bit of machine, but it rode on the coattails of the legendary GT40 race car that took Ferrari to the mat and didn’t stop swinging back in the 1960s. In the same vein, you have the Nissan GT-R, a machine that is undeniably wicked. In the United States, unless you are a JDM fanboy or have a strong grasp of overseas cars thanks to video games, that’s the best introduction to the GT-R nameplate you’ve gotten. But there is more…more than the late 1990s R34 Skylines that Brian favored in the Fast and Furious movies, more than the 1989 R32 GT-Rs that beat ass so badly that it effectively killed Group A touring cars and the Japanese Touring Car Championship. There is the Genesis moment, where it all began. This is that car, the PGC-10, the new-for-1969 Skyline GT-R, the hakosuka. Powered by a 160 horsepower S20 2.0L inline-six, this unassuming little box not only went up against cars of it’s own nature, like the Mazda RX-2, but it could take on a Porsche.
The GT-R’s trick lay within the engine. Developed for the Prince R380 race car, the S20 was a vast change from the typical inline-fours and was far superior than the other two inline-sixes the normal Skyline range offered. Street trim horsepower was alright, but in race mode, these little bastards were on kill. In it’s first race at Fuji Speedway in 1969, the GT-Rs came first and second, lapping the next car, a Toyota Corona 1600GT in the process. Ouch. It was pure musclecar formula…biggest, baddest engine in the medium-sized shell…shake until ready and unleash on the world. No wonder collectors go absolutely bonkers for these little screamers now.
