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Remembering the 1969 – 1972 Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-R: Enter the Hakosuka

Long before the R35 received its umpteenth update, GT-R stood for something completely different from today’s all-wheel-drive sports coupe. The first Skyline GT-R isn’t even a bonafide Nissan. As it happens, the Japanese manufacturer finalized its acquisition of the Prince Motor Company in the summer of 1966. By that time, Prince had already laid the foundations for the third-generation Skyline, referred to as C10.
1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R 31 photos
Photo: Nissan
1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT-R
Indeed, the Skyline nameplate dates back to when the Prince Motor Company was independent of Nissan. The first generation rolled out in 1957, followed by the second in 1963. The C10 started taking shape at Prince’s research & development center in the suburbs of Tokyo. The first example of the breed rolled off the assembly line in 1968 with a 1.5L four-cylinder mill that was pretty boring even back in those days. But over time, displacements and the cylinder count steadily grew to 2.4L and six.

A little over 310,000 units were produced between 1968 and 1972 at the Musashimurayama plant. Nissan closed this factory in 2001 as part of the Japanese automaker’s Revival Plan dreamt up by Carlos Ghosn. Even though it worked, the plan also had a less desirable side effect in the sense that aggressive cost-cutting took its toll on Nissan’s quality and reliability.

Turning our attention back to the GT-R, how did the performance-oriented variant of the Skyline come to be? Shinichiro Sakurai joined Price in 1952 as a chassis engineer. He was heavily involved in the development of the first-generation Skyline, and not surprising anyone, Sakurai-san would be promoted to head of the Skyline… well… line of vehicles. He was appointed president of Nissan's subsidiary in 1986. Until his death in 2011 at the ripe old age of 81, he continued working in the automotive domain.

Sakurai-san led the development team for the C10. He would remain in charge of the Skyline until the R31, after which he handed the reins over to his protege, Naganori Ito, who developed the R32. How important was the senpai in the development of the first-gen Skyline GT-R? For starters, he knew exactly what sports cars and racing cars are all about, having been involved with the Prince Motoring Club since its formation.

1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT\-R
Photo: bhauction.com
This kind gentleman was instrumental in the development of the Nissan S20 engine that would power the Skyline GT-R, an evolution of the Prince GR8 engine conceived for a Group 6 prototype racing car dubbed R380. Thanks to an 82-millimeter bore and 62.8-millimeter stroke, displacement came in at 1,989 cubic centimeters. The six-cylinder lump weighs just under 200 kilograms (440 pounds), which may seem like a lot of weight.

Said weight can be explained by the cast-iron block. The S20 was one of the most advanced six-pot engines of that era. Highlights include dual overhead camshafts, light alloy for the cross-flow cylinder head, pent-roof combustion chambers, tube headers, as well as a dual-piped exhaust. The S20 can also be considered a mechanical work of art of sorts, for the head was ported and polished by hand. A trio of Mikuni-Solex 40 PHH-3 sidedraught carburetors of the twin-choke variety also needs to be mentioned, along with a 9.5:1 compression ratio. It was the bee’s knees.

Shinichiro knew very well that he couldn’t marry this engine to the standard three-speed manual of lower-end Skylines or the four-speed unit. He understood that a five-speed stick shift is needed to extract the most out of that engine. The close-ratio transmission is joined by a limited-slip differential for the rear axle, which boasts unassisted drum brakes.

Because the fronts brake harder, steel rotors are found there. All four corners are equipped with 14- by 6-inch steel wheels painted black, and even though it was pretty expensive, the Hakosuka didn’t come with hub caps. The nickname combines the Japanese word Hako, which means box and references the three-box body style, and a short version of Skyline.

The 2.0L powerplant is fed by a 100-liter fuel cell mounted over the rear axle for better weight distribution, with 100 liters converting to 26.4 gallons in the United States. Sold exclusively in Japan through Nissan Prince dealerships, the four-door sedan was discontinued in 1970 in favor of a lighter coupe with a shorter wheelbase to boot. Officially designated Skyline 2000 GT-R after the engine’s displacement, the high-performance model bears two codenames, those being PGC10 for the sedan and KPGC10 for the two-door coupe.

1969 Nissan Skyline 20000 GT\-R
Photo: bhauction.com
As opposed to the single overhead camshaft engine in the 2000 GT, which produced 105 ps (103 horsepower) at 5,200 revolutions per minute and 157 Nm (116 pound-feet) at 3,600 revolutions per minute, the more advanced mill in the 2000 GT-R generates 160 ps (158 horsepower) at 7,000 revolutions per minute and 177 Nm (131 pound-feet) at 5,600 revolutions per minute. Given that it weighs 1,120 kilograms (nearly 2,470 pounds) as is, that’s pretty good for a sports car developed in the 1960s.

The coupe tips the scales at 1,100 kilograms (2,425 pounds), according to Nissan. The lower weight and shorter wheelbase make the KGPC10 better in the corners. In the hands of Motoharu “Gen-san” Kurosawa of Best Motoring, the coupe is nearly two seconds faster than its more practical sibling at the Fuji Speedway in the foothills of Mt. Fuji.

Gifted with independent suspension up front (MacPherson struts) and out back (semi-trailing arms) just like the L20-engined GT, the GT-R came with firmer dampers and springs compared. A couple of anti-roll bars are featured as well, and the go-faster suspension was also designed to lower the ride height. Be that as it may, one can’t escape the fact that the original GT-R flaunts a higher ground clearance than the 2007 – present GT-R.

From the standpoint of exterior design, the GT-R stood out with the help of lighter front and rear bumpers devoid of rubber overriders. The bodysides are cleaner as well. Hopping inside reveals a few differences from the 2000 GT, starting with the 10,000-rpm tachometer as opposed to 8,000 revs for the less powerful sibling. In terms of extras, customers could specify a passenger-side headrest as well as an audio system delete.

Shortly after its introduction, the Skyline 2000 GT-R would receive Lucas fuel injection. As mentioned earlier, sedan production came to a grinding halt in 1970, with only 832 units leaving the factory. The nimbler coupe lived on until 1972, ending production with 1,197 examples to its name.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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