NISSAN Skyline GT-R (KPGC-10) 1971-1972 Photos, engines & full specs

In 1966, Nissan bought the small Japanese company named Prince, that had a long history in motor racing.

And together they developed a special, four-door sedan: it was the Skyline GT-R.

The Prince company tried to win over the Porsche 904 but they failed in 1964. In 1965 Prince developed a special, mid-engine, race-car named Nissan R380 that won against the Porsche 906 in 1966 at the Japanese Grand Prix. The engine that propelled the R380 was installed in a four-door sedan: the Skyline.

Its look was simple for those times. It was a three-box sedan with four round headlights. Nothing special would tell the bystanders that under the hood was a true racing engine. In 1971, Nissan decided to launch a coupe version for the four-door Skyline. The coupe featured a slightly different styling, with a sloped roof and wider C-pillars.

Inside, the car started to reveal its true racing-inspired DNA. The bucket seats, the 5-speed manual, and the instrument cluster that featured a tachometer were some of the clues. The car was large enough for four adults, even if its wheelbase was shorter by 70 mm (2.75”) than the regular sedan version.

The technical department was the most interesting part of the 1971 Nissan Skyline GT-R (KPGC-10). It featured an inline-six engine with dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. It offered 160 hp, which was a huge number for that era. Soon, the local tuners understood that the power could have been increased above 200 hp with the proper setup, carburetors, and headers. The independent suspension in all four corners and the limited-slip differential to the rear axle were part of the race-inspired components. It was fitted with front disc brakes and rear drums.