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Favourite Skylines

Everybody who visits this website is likely to have a favourite Skyline, so what is yours? In a recent survey of Skyline favourites the most popular was the 1998 Nissan Skyline R34 which received 45% of the total votes cast.

Next was the 1970 Skyline GTR which polled 37% of the votes followed by the Nissan GTR which was launched in 2007 and which received 12% of the votes.

The 1989 Nissan Skyline R32 received 10%, the 1993 Nissan Skyline R33 and the 1972 Nissan (Kenmeri) Skyline C110 both received 9% of the votes.

The most unlived Skylines were the 1958 Prince Skyline ALSID-2, the 1961 Prince Skyline S50 and the 1967 Prince Skyline S57 which received no votes at all.

So what is so special about the 1998 R34 that stands it apart from the rest? Perhaps it is because it is the last Skyline bear the name Skyline. Before the model was launched Skyline R33 sales had plummeted. The R34 was produced as a sportier looking car and was also more fuel efficient, though it re-iterated the R32 shell. There were five models which ranged in power from the relatively tame 155 bhp GT through to the mighty 280 bhp 2.5 litre GT-T.

This car did much to revive the fortunes of the Nissan Skyline and still seems to be most Skyline fans’ favourite car. For all skyline lovers and you are interested in insurance buy your insurance online at http://www.endsleigh.co.uk.

The newest Skyline to hit the shelves

Although it is not called a Skyline the GT-R is the next model in the range to hit the forecourt of many garages. The look of the car can be likened to the bat mobile rather then a car for road use. The striking design is what is the selling point for many buyers as it is a real head turner. This car is normally known for being a boy racer car but the steep price tag may put them off. The car is shiny and has large alloys. The promotional picture on Nissan’s website would make anyone want to buy it. They show the car in the best light inciting many people on test drives.

The specifications of the car are top of the range as you would expect from a performance car. The car comes In two models the GT-R premium and the GT-R Black. The later being the more expensive. The only difference between the two is only really antithetical features such as having bigger alloys and black and red leather trim. Both come with petrol engines. You will notice how technology has evolved over the years as a car made by the same manufacturer now can reach 310mph where as years ago it could only reach 85mph.

When buying a GT-R brand new you will be able to add certain features and virtually build your own car. You will be able to add features such as a parking system and tracking devices. It would always be advised in a car that is so expensive.

Why Did Nissan Stop Making The Skyline?

This is a much asked question and the answers to it are multifarious. In fact some people might consider that Nissan never did stop making the Skyline, they just rebadged it; however that is more an opinion than a fact.

The whole motivation behind the Skyline was motor sport. The Skyline had a tremendous success in both Category A and Category M touring car racing, and the original reason for producing Skylines as production cars was in order to satisfy the motor sport regulations. When Nissan produced the first production batch of the Skyline GT-R the company was surprised by the very warm reception that was afforded to this magnificent car. Almost my public demand, the company had little choice but to produce them continually.

During the latter part of the twentieth century the major cities in Japan were suffering from some of the worst pollution they had known, particularly at certain times of the year. The major culprit was the motor car, and for some time moves had been made to introduce new laws to control car emissions. Eventually in 2002 the government had no choice but to impose them and this meant that new cars had to achieve strict emissions standards.

The nature of the Skyline meant that far more would be needed than just adding a catalytic converter. Many fundamentals of the design would need changing in order to achieve these standards, and in ord4er to do this and not compromise performance a substantial investment would need to be made.

These events coincided with a difficult time for the Japanese economy and the type of investment money needed was difficult to come by. As a result Nissan decided to stop making the Skyline. You may however strike lucky and find a model in a second hands cars magazine or garage.

However, instead they brought out a new car that was based on many of the Skyline design concepts. This was the Nissan GT-R which was launched in 2007. With a top speed of just under 200 mph and a 0 to 60 time of 3.2 seconds, it is still quite a car though it lacks the Skyline branding.

Nissan Skyline GT-R

Perhaps the Japanese are not particularly well known for creating supercars, but with the Nissan Skyline GT-R they came fairly close. In fact one famous motor car commentator has gone so far as to say that the Nissan Skyline GT-R is the best car in the world. Perhaps that is a little over the top, but it certainly was some motor car.

The first model was introduced in 1969 and production continued until 1977. There was then a gap of sixteen years until the new GT-R started rolling off the production lines in 1989 and then continued to do so until production finally came to a halt in 2002.

As a racing touring car it had a successful run and won just about every race in Japan in which it was entered. It was also successful in the Australian Touring Car Championship which it won in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

The 1989 version had a 2.6 litre engine which developed 276 bhp. Only 510 cars were manufactured in order gain racing authorisation; however the car instantly received critical acclaim. Everybody loved it and Nissan put it into full production. The production car differed sufficiently from the Group A racing version for Nissan to have to manufacture a modified version, the Skyline GT-R Nismo; 590 of them were made.

The GT-R was so successful in Groups A and N racing that a Victory version was also made. This was called the Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec.

A new version, the R33, was launched in 1995 and a modified NISMO version was added to the line in 1997. The fifth and final generation Skyline GT-R was introduced in 1999 with several modern innovations. Over the next five years a number of modifications were introduced and the final production models, the GT-R V-spec II Nur and the GT-R M-spec Nür, were launched in 2002. The Nur tag is in reference to the Nürburgring race track in Germany.

Unfortunately by the end of 2002 Nissan had seen fit to cease production, however the legend lives on and many enthusiasts still enjoy driving and racing this wonderful motor car.

Was the R33 when Skyline discovered its signature style

A lot has changed over the years in the case of the designs of cars. Some people will buy cars dependent on their appearance or performance. The Nissan Skyline tries to incorporate both and the R33 is a prime example. Come 1993 when the car was first on sale the exterior if the car has changed dramatically. It looks more like a racing car then a car that is used to drive around town. This is why some love to drive a skyline. Most will have been fitted with alloys to add to the look of the car and metallic paint was a necessity. You will be able to tell by the body kit whether a car is a skyline as it is very distinctive.

All new Skylines have a similar look and it is taken from the very first R33. Over 200 thousand cars were sold of the model so that just proves how popular it was. To make the car more sporty a spoiler was added to the designs. Some will like the look of a spoiler but others will not. If you buy an R33 without a spoiler you can always add one later.

There were many variations of the R33, The R33 series 3 and the GT-R Not only were these available but a special edition model called the NISMO 400R was released in 1996. This was a big hit as it produced 400bhp. The engine size ranges from 2.0Lt to 2.8 which is relatively small for such a fast car.

Is the Skyline R34 better then the Skyline R33

nissan-skyline-r34-gtr

Many car lovers will have various opinions on these two cars. As they were manufactured consecutively they would appear to be very similar. As time goes on you would expect designs to get better but in some cases this would not be correct. The R33 is said to be a great car but a little more heavier then the R34. Depending what you prefer best whether it be more speed or better handling may make your decision.

All Skylines are well known for being fun fast cars so picking a favourite can be hard. Both models look very much alike maybe to alike to tell the difference to the untrained eye anyway. Most buyers of Skylines are Nissan or Skyline enthusiasts so will more then likely make changes to the body work. As this is the case it will be even harder to tell the difference between the two unless you are an expert. This is why they can never go out if fashion.

The Skyline brand is very sought after, so you will always be able to sell your car if you wanted to. They will retain their money fairly well. They are known their loud engines and super fast speed. Compared to large sales of the R33 the R34 only sold just over 64,000 units. This might give an indication that the R33 was more popular. But whilst the R33 had more sales the R34 away from Japan due to its appearances in certain films. It would be personal preference to which one is better.

The Unknown Skyline V35

Whenever you think of a Nissan skyline your first thought will be a low, long and possibly a white car. Like the first produced Skyline the V35 looks like a family car but a modern version. The sleek lines improves the look and make it a classy looking car. The colours are standard the most popular colour being silver. Being the 11th generation of the Skyline, Nissan have had plenty of time tweaking some bits.

The car was first introduced 2001 and shares similarities to the 350Z which is another car model by Nissan. This maybe where the V35 gets it sporty look from. It shares much of it looks with a 350Z especially the front end. It is thought to be more luxurious then the 350Z and one of the bonuses is that it has 4 seats. The V35 is a very attractive family car and is very practical as it comes with 4 door. If you have children this is a must as it makes life so much easier. The car looks great with slightly tinted windows. To make the car more functional it comes with a large boot to store shopping or any other items which need transporting.

As well as the basic models they also come in various GT models. Each will offer something different but may only be noticed by someone who is a car enthusiast. The prize of the car on today’s market is still really reasonable. For a car of this size and it’s reputation you may call it bargain.