A sports automobile built on the Nissan Skyline platform is known as the Nissan Skyline GT-R (Japanese: Ri Chan sukairainGT-R, Hepburn: Nissan Sukairain GT-R). The first “Skyline GT-R” vehicles, with the model code KPGC10, were made between 1969 and 1972. They were successful in Japanese touring car racing competitions. In 1973, a limited number of second-generation vehicles bearing the model number KPGC110 were produced in its place.
The GT-R moniker was brought back in 1989 as the BNR32 (“R32”) Skyline GT-R following a 16-year absence. The R32 GT-R was utilized to win the Japanese Touring Car Championship four years in a row in Group A standard versions. Prior to a regulation change that banned the R32 GT-R in 1993, the R32 GT-R enjoyed success in the Australian Touring Car Championship, where Jim Richards and Mark Skaife both used it to win the championship in 1991 and 1992, respectively. The Australian auto magazine Wheels gave the R32 GT-R the moniker “Godzilla” in its July 1989 issue due to the vehicle’s technological advancements and performance. Following that, Wheels continued to use the moniker for every subsequent Skyline GT-R generations, most notably the R34 GT-R, which they dubbed “Godzilla Returns” and hailed as “the best handling car we have ever driven.” In tests conducted by automotive journals, the R34 GT-R accelerated from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.4 seconds and completed a quarter-mile (402 meters) in 12.2 seconds from a standing start time. At the time, it was one of the production cars with the fastest acceleration.
The ATTESA E-TSAll-wheel drive system and the Super-HICAS four-wheel steering were just two of the cutting-edge technology on display in the Skyline GT-R, which quickly rose to the position of Nissan’s performance flagship. The automobile is still in demand today for import drag racing, circuit racing, time trials, and competitions sponsored by tuning publications. The Skyline GT-production R’s ceased in August 2002. The GT-R (R35), a brand-new car built on an improved version of the Skyline V36 platform, took the place of the previous model. Despite their obvious differences, the two cars were made at the same factory and have identical design elements.
The only Skyline GT-R export markets were Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand in 1991, and the UK (in 1997, thanks to the Single Vehicle Approval process) as used Japanese imports. The Skyline GT-R was never produced outside of Japan.
Despite this, the automobile has gained notoriety as a Grey import sports car, especially in Western countries (mainly the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Canada, and the United States). The Fast and the Furious, Initial D, Shakotan Boogie, Wangan Midnight, Need for Speed, Forza, Driving Emotion Type-S, Test Drive, and Gran Turismo are just a few examples of popular culture works that have made it well-known. Nismo declared that it would restart manufacturing replacement body panels and engines for all Skyline GT-R models in 2019.
The vehicle was recognized as one of the top automobiles in the world and as the sole authentic Japanese supercar at the time by BBC’s Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson.
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There is a compartment deep within Nissan’s Yokohama engine facility that is only accessible to five expert craftsmen. The clean room is where the hand-built GT-R engine is constructed.
It is one thing to acknowledge that the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 engine of the Nissan GT-R supercar was hand-built by just five men. A completely different experience is having the opportunity to observe it take place while taking in the chilly air, the eerie calm within the “clean room,” and the focus of the Takumi master engine builders.
The R35 GT-R, Nissan’s iconic vehicle, is revered as a demi-god, and the VR38DETT engine that Nissan builds is incredible. Only five master craftsmen, or Takumi, are permitted to hand-build the engines, but the climate-controlled facility in which they construct the legendary twin-turbo V6 helps to minimize the possibility of material malformation. To maintain high levels of precision, everything they do is watched over and supervised, even the clothes they wear and the instruments they use.
It takes seeing to believe Nissan’s legacy with the GT-R engine, which is equal parts artisanal and mass-produced.
Four master craftsmen who hand-build each Nissan GT-R engine are part of Nissan’s illustrious Takumi program.
California’s IRVINE – A master artisan who has honed his abilities over years of laborious work and dedication is referred to as takumi in Japan. It is only available to individuals at the pinnacle of their field. Four men have been recognized as takumi at Nissan’s sizable engine manufacturing in Yokohama. One of the most celebrated sports vehicles in automotive history is powered by an engine that is exclusively assembled by them.
Takumi Kurosawa, Tsunemi Ooyama, Izumi Shioya, and Nobumitsu Gozu are the four takumi of Nissan’s Yokohama facility. They have a combined track record in their field of excellence spanning more than 100 years. Every one of the stunning 545-horsepower twin-turbocharged V-6 engines found beneath the hood of the Nissan GT-R, production automobiles, and racecars alike are hand-built by these engine craftsmen. One of these four people carefully and precisely assembles each engine.
The takumi craftsman proudly attaches a plaque bearing his name on the finished masterpiece whenever an engine is finished, providing as a timeless reminder of the high caliber of craftsmanship and knowledge that went into each creation.
Numerous Nissan GT-R owners have traveled to the Yokohama plant to see the takumi engine builder who built the engine for their car by hand. Even well-known American late-night talk show host and automotive enthusiast Jay Leno has traveled to the factory to see the takumi.
The Yokohama facility of Nissan is an industry leader in terms of efficiency and technology. It has manufactured more than 35 million engines in its over eight decades of operation, including the incredibly powerful VR38 that drives the storied Nissan GT-R high-performance sports car.
“Our company was founded in Yokohama, and we are honored to produce Nissan’s flagship engine here. It stands for the apex of the Nissan brand “said Nobuhiro Ozawa, manager of the Yokohama facility. We affix the nameplates of the takumi who individually handcrafted these engines and invested their souls and feeling of responsibility into each one.
Regarding Nissan The Renault-Nissan Alliance includes Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., the second-largest automaker in Japan, which has its headquarters in Yokohama. Nissan sold more than 4.9 million automobiles and earned 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012 while employing more than 236,000 people worldwide. Nissan sells a wide variety of vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands, totaling more than 60 models. Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF in 2010 and is still at the forefront of zero-emission transportation. The LEAF is currently the best-selling EV in history. It was the first mass-market, all-electric vehicle to be introduced globally.
A Nissan GT-R engine can only be built by five workers worldwide.
Master artisans are referred to as takumi in Japan. Only five selected takumi are allowed to have their name on the renowned GT-R, the company’s halo vehicle, at the Nissan factory in Yokohama. The names Shioya Izumi, Tetsuji Matsumoto, Tsunemi Ooyama, Hiroyuki Ichikawa, and team leader Takumi Kurosawa can be seen on thousands of engines throughout the world.
The five artisans hand-make the twin-turbo VR38 engines, the pride of the plant and Nissan, under the direction of team leader Takumi Kurosawa, who heads a well-respected small group of workers with more than 100 years of combined factory experience.
In the nearly 80-year history of Nissan, Yokohama has produced over 35 million engines, and the small group is aware of their historical obligation.
Kurosawa claims that by putting his name on the engine block, he is considered as a maker of GT-R engines and strongly feels that he represents Nissan. “I experience deep pride.”
Even while 374 engine parts are assembled by hand in Yokohama’s controlled “clean” room, automation is still a key component of car manufacturing in the twenty-first century.
Regarding his three decades at Nissan, Tsunemi Ohyama claims, “We are always enhancing our quality.”
“Valve clearance adjustment was done mechanically when GT-R manufacturing began in 2007, but today everything is done manually, including measuring, tightening, and measuring again. Only when manual verification and checks are complete do we provide to our clients.”
Both the street-legal GT-R engines and the Super GT300 racing versions are created by Takumi Kurosawa, whose first name is pronounced the same as that of his group of skilled workers.
Any skilled individual can learn to construct a GT-R engine in three to four months, but because GT-Rs are used for shopping or to travel at speeds of up to 320 km/h on a racing circuit, absolute precision for every engine item is necessary.
“In addition to overseeing engine assembly, Takumi also evaluates part quality and ensures accuracy. The difference between the GT-R engine and other engines is that each one is hand-built by a single master artisan.”
The 3.8-liter engine, which generates 545 horsepower, undergoes rigorous testing on location before receiving the tangible bond between its creator and owner.
After a six-hour assembling process, the engine block is given the takumi seal as a guarantee of quality and kansei, or consideration of its intended use.
Nobumitsu Gozu, the creator and owner of the GT-R, claims that each GT-R owner has a unique bond with their vehicle.
“Even though it’s an older model, I too own a GT-R, so I understand the feelings of GT-R customers. We put our souls into each engine in the hopes of giving customers that exhilaration,” the speaker continued.
Even after 20 years and several engines developed, Izumi Shioya continues to strive for excellence.
What Shioya refers to as a “perfect engine” is one that he is confident will function at the greatest level.
Nobuhiro Ozawa, head of the Yokohama facility, claims that building supercar engines is only part of the tale and that owners want to meet the person who built their GT-R.
“Owners of GT-R vehicles occasionally ask us, “Who built this engine?” Some even travel to the Yokohama facility in an effort to speak with the real engine manufacturer. He thanked him for constructing the engine for his GT-R when they first met “Ozawa says.
When takumi’s handiwork rolls down the line with a small nameplate attached and the engine soon to be installed inside the GT-R, forging a seal of craftsmanship for the ages, it is an ultimate honor that their namecards on paper fail to mention their status among the world’s greatest motor craftsmen.
Nissan GT-Rs are handcrafted, right?
The only Skyline GT-R export markets in 1991 were Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. The Skyline GT-R was never produced outside of Japan.
The Nissan GT-R will be replaced by what?
The GT-R can reach a high speed of 205 mph and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in only three seconds on a long enough racetrack. With its fast gear changes, the dual-clutch transmission provides passing power that is almost instantaneous.
What does the Nissan GT-R acronym mean?
Not only a Victory-Spec II limited edition, not just a discontinued Nissan Skyline Gran Turismo Racing (GT-R), but also a Nurburgring limited edition. In 1989, the Skyline R32 earned the moniker “Godzilla” for its prowess in the Japanese Touring Car Championship.
What company creates the GT-R?
The Nissan GT-engine R’s is still hand-built by its own “Takumi” specialist with the second facelift. Every engine for the Nissan GT-R is hand-built by skilled artisans at Nissan’s engine factory in Yokohama, Japan. This is referred to as “takumi” in Japanese.
A GT-R is it a supercar?
Gran Turismo-Racing and Gran Turismo-Berlinetta, respectively, are abbreviated as GT-R and GT-B, respectively. As most automobiles produced in Japan at the time used Western acronyms, the Japanese decided to name the car using Italian naming practices to increase sales.
How dependable is the GT-R?
One of Nissan’s most potent and iconic vehicles is the GT-R. It is marketed by Nissan as a supercar you can use every day. Although its seating capacity and fuel efficiency may be constrained, it has tremendous storage and is comfortable enough to be used as a daily driver.
Will a 2022 GT-R be released?
Nissan and NISMO have introduced the new Z-model GT500 vehicle, which will take the place of the departing GT-R in the portfolio of the Japanese automaker beginning in 2022. The Z is a brand-new automobile that will compete against the Honda NSX-GT and the Toyota GR Supra in the premier division of Japan’s Super GT championship next year.