Supercars.net

As one of Japan's most celebrated performance cars, the Nissan Skyline GT-R has developed an immense racing pedigree that includes over 200 race wins, five consecutive championship wins in the all Japanese Touring Car Championships and the unofficial lap record for a production car at the world-famous Nurbürgring. Every aspect of the Skyline GT-R, from the aerodynamics to body rigidity, has been fine-tuned through competitive racing.

For 16 years, the GT-R badge gathered dust in a Nissan back-room, until in August 1989 it enjoyed a spectacular revival. In keeping with its pedigree, the R32 - a sleek, purposeful-looking coupé - was built with competition in mind and even before it reached the racetrack, its technical specification was to cause a real stir amongst the opposition.

However, no-one could have predicted just how successful the R32 would be. Entered in Group A of the Japanese Touring Car Championship in 1990, it annihilated the opposition, claiming 29 wins in 29 races. The GT-R claimed another important victory that year, winning the famous race on the Macao street circuit. Finally appearing on the European motorsport scene in 1991, the by now infamous Skyline won many events, including one of the most significant races in the touring car calendar, the Spa 24-Hours.

As a road car, the R32 GT-R reached new heights of sophistication. Multi-link suspension front and rear, electronically controlled intelligent four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, a 2.6-litre 24-valve straight-six powerhouse of an engine boosted to 280PS by a pair of ceramic turbochargers - the R32 pushed forward the boundaries of supercar engineering.