A unsung performer, the Nissan R31 Skyline 2000 GTSR #BlogPost

GT-Rs have been renowned for their performance as sports cars competing with the best of the best and becoming pop culture icons to many car guys and non-car guys alike. Due to media such as the Fast and Furious film franchise and Japanese media (Initial D, Japanese racing leagues, etc), they have idolized the GT-R/Skyline name. The most commonly recognized names are the R32, R33, R34, and R35, with most people know less about the Hakosuka GT-R (KPGC10) and even less about the 2nd generation Hakosuka GT-R (C110) and the R31 GTSR.

First, a little bit of history

Part of the reason why they aren’t so well known similarly to the Hakosuka GT-R (C110) is the small numbers. The difference is that the later was not very well known because of the gas crisis in the 1970s resulting in just 197 being sold. The former was actually produced for Homologation for Group A racing hence why there were only 800 units sold of the R version. (Keep in mind there are other R31 Skylines but they were mostly sedans and daily drivers) The introduction of the R31 brought the first view of the Skyline body we know today, moving away from that really boxy sedan shape to the more streamlined body of the iconic Skyline. This was the bridge in which the Skyline name was becoming less of a luxury car that it started out as and becoming a full-fledged performance monster. The R versions were produced for homologation purposes as that was part of the Group A Touring racing rules. Group A Touring were the cars that you would see fire come out of the side of the car’s exhaust and did all the raw and crazy racing.

What made it a Skyline?

The R31 Skyline used the legendary RB engine series, reintroducing the legendary 6 cylinder DOHC engine. Utilizing the RB20DET-R engine it produced a whopping 207 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque paired with a 5-speed manual through the rear wheels. (A lot of car for the time) It weighed about 2965 pounds and it even had 4 wheel steering! The race model had a buffed up engine boasting 395 horsepower and 304 lb-ft of torque and weighed in at 2557 pounds. This power figure was achieved through the utilization of a turbo and other various performance parts exclusive to the performance versions. (Such as the Autech and R specs) All production GTSR R31s were painted in a “Bluish Black”. This was part of the beginning of the foundation of the Skylines reputation and a basis for future Skylines. Although maybe not the nicest looking Skyline it was still a Skyline nonetheless, housing that famous RB engine, putting down the power of a true performer.

To conclude, it was a very interesting car, the awkward bridge between the old Skylines and the newer, more performance oriented ones. The R spec provided very valuable and critical data towards the development of the R32 and beyond. It may never be as obtainable as an R32 but it is still a Japanese legend along with the rest of the Skyline group.

Thanks for reading! Sorry, it was kind of short as there isn’t that much readily and easily obtainable information and details on this limited production car.
You can read more about the specifics using the sources below.

Sources of information
http://gtrnissanskyline.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Skyline#GTS-R
https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/HERITAGE/skyline_gts-r.html
https://classicregister.com/id-guides/how-identify-1987-nissan-skyline-r31-gts-r