30 years of Godzilla: Time For Tea?
2019 marks three decades of the R32 GT-R; as if any excuse were needed for a Skyline celebration...
2019 is a fairly momentous year for Nissan; it marks both 50 years of the Zed cars, plus 50 years of Skylines, with the anniversary cars already revealed. Handily, too, this year is the big 3-0 for the R32 Skyline GT-R, the beginning of the modern GT-R story.
And what a story it's been. Supercar humbling performance on the road, legend destroying pace on the track and cult hero status the world over. Whether through film, game, print, television, YouTube or, for the fortunate few, driving, the Skyline GT-R has become an automotive legend.
So when a legend hits 30, a celebration is in order. Given the R32 actually went into production in August 1989, this won't be the last birthday tribute in 2019, either.
Given the GT-R was conceived for Group A success (16 years after there had last been a Skyline GT-R, don't forget), it seems right to begin the party with some touring car action. And where better to get footage from than Australia? In 1990, the GT-R had shown huge promise; by 1991, however, it was truly dominant, Jim Richards and Mark Skaife winning seven of nine rounds of the ATCC.
This video is Nissan Australia's highlights video from then, and highly recommended viewing. 600hp Skylines make a mockery of the established competitors, trouncing the field with new technology and appearing almost too fast for the track at certain points. Straight-sixes howl, tyres screech, flames erupt out of the side and the slow-mo is oh-so-gratuitous; if you like Skylines, you're going to love this. And if not, be warned that this is just the start...
Here's an ad for the Nissan Mobil 500 race from New Zealand back in the day.
With it's trick 4WD systems, the Sierra's, M3's and Aussie Commodore's\Falcons didn't stand much of a chance.
In this interview with Greg Rust, John Bowe talks of how tricky the Sierra's were to drive.
https://www.podcastone.com.au/episode/27-John-Bowe...
And for balance, Rusty had previously spoken with Skaife as well, where he talks of the Gibson days
https://www.podcastone.com.au/episode/22-Mark-Skai...
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