The 1500 series

The 1500 series replaced the S 50 in July 1968 and was built until 1972. It came in 4-door sedan and wagon form with the G15 engine from the S57.The same car was also available as the 1800 with the G18 engine. These cars were mostly using Prince parts and were the last Skylines to be released with the Prince badge, with all following Skylines to be renamed Nissan Skyline.

The Skyline 2000GT (GC10 series)

Just like all other derivatives of the C10 series, the GC10 (G standing for GT) was basically planned by Prince, although it was later badged Nissan Skyline 2000GT. It was introduced in 1968 (2 months after the 1500) and first came in 4-door sedan (GC10) and 5-door wagon versions and from 1970 on also with two doors (KGC10). The car was almost the same as the preceding S54 GT-A model, featuring a 6-cylinder engine instead of the previously common 4-cylinder. The Skyline 2000GT got the L20 engine, a 1998ccm OHC inline-6 with 105hp.

The Skyline 2000 GT-R (PGC-10 series)

1968 had seen the introduction of a basic Skyline (the 1500 series) and a model comparable to the previous GT-A (the GC10 series). But people were still eagerly awaiting a replacement for the GT-B. Almost a year passed after the intro-duction of the new model range, until finally in February 1969 the new GT-R sedan came along.

This car was about to write history!

The Skyline 2000GT-R was powered by the S20 engine, a 1998ccm DOHC inline-6, producing 160hp - equally strong as a Porsche 911 of that time. This engine was basically the same as the GR8 of Nissan’s R380 racecar, which won the 3rd GP of Japan in 1966 against a Porsche Carrera 6.

Since it was intended for racing, the PGC10 (P stood for Prince) was very lightweight inside, without a heater or radio, but from the outside almost looked like any other 4-door sedan. After over two years, the coupe-version of the GT-R (KPGC-10) was introduced in March 1971. A shorter wheelbase and less weight made for a better maneuver-ability in comparison to the 4-door version and further enhanced this car's capability on the circuit. The Skyline 2000GT-R lived up to the racing pedigree of its predecessors and the sedan scored 33 victories in those one-and-a-half years it raced, which was raised to 50 victories by the KPGC-10, until its production was stopped in 1972.

The Skyline had become a Legend after all.

The C110 series was built from 1972 until 1977 and came in four versions.

Firstly, there were two basic versions now, the 1600GT and the 1800GT, both using derivatives of the G15 engine, the G16 (1.6l) and the G18 (1.8l) respectively. The third model was the 2000GT-X, which could be compared to the C10 2000GT. It was powered by an improved version of the L20 engine with an output of 130hp instead of the earlier 109hp.

The most powerful of the quartet, though, was the 2000 GT-R, using an unchanged version of the S20 engine with still 160hp. Similar to its prede-cessor from 1969, the GT-R was avail-able as a coupe (KPGC110) and a 4-door sedan (PGC110).

With only 197 unit produced, this was to be the last car to wear the GT-R badge for more than a decade, and the only one ever not to be used in racing at all.

The C211 series was released in August 1977 and, just like the C110 series, came in four versions. First of all, due to the fuel crisis and emissions regulations, the GT-R was missing and instead the Skyline 2000GT-ES (KGC211) marked the top-of-the-line now.

The latter came out in April 1980 and featured a new turbo-version of the L20, called the L20ET, with 140hp. This engine might have been less powerful than the GT-Rs, but in contrast to the S20, obeyed to emissions regulations and marked a new milestone in Skyline history: For the first time a turbo engine powered a Skyline.

The basic versions were called 1600TI and 1800TI now and featured L16 and L18 engines respectively, instead of the preceding "G" engines. The old 2000GT-X lost the X (and was now called the 2000GT), but kept an unchanged L20 engine, which still pumped out 130hp.

Also check out the Press Reports about the Skyline and G35.