As perhaps the ultimate Japanese performance car, Nissan's fantastic GT-R sits at the forefront of a famous evolutionary line that began way back in 1969. But it's worldwide box office status wasn't confirmed until the arrival of the third generation 1989 R32 GT-R model, famously nicknamed 'Godzilla' by the Australian motoring press.
Where the fascination began for most of us
On the track Nissan's multiple Touring Car Championship-winning Skyline swept all before it, whilst the roadgoing version - complete with the latest in hi-tech four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering - captured the imagination of a whole generation of younger performance enthusiasts.
The R32's readily accessible tuning potential added even more appeal and the model's kudos grew with successive 1995 R33 and 1999 R34 Skyline GT-R generations. Now the default first-choice for many motorsport enthusiasts involved not just in saloon and touring car racing, but also drag racing, drifting and time attack, the Skyline GT-R is one of the definitive fast car icons.
Also sold in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and the UK (from the R33 onwards), the ultimate Skyline has achieved worldwide cult status. There are the starring roles in films and video games to consider also, in spite of losing the original Skyline tag with the launch of the R35 GT-R in 2007.
And now that the very first R32 GT-Rs are over 25 years old they can legally be imported into the USA, which has served to push R32 prices skywards - as well as having a knock-on effect on the values of the later models too. So the questions now on most potential buyers' minds don't just include which GT-R is currently the best buy, which version is the best to buy to tune, and which incarnation offers the finest track day drive, but also which GT-Rs are destined to become the most appreciating classics? Here we'll attempt to answer all these questions.
Many thanks to Dave Warrener at the GT-R Shop, Andy Middlehurst at Middlehurst Nissan, the Nissan Skyline and GT-R Owners Club forum and Glass's Guide for their help with this feature