The Prince Motor Company began producing the Skyline in 1957. After Nissan and Prince merged in 1967, the Skyline and its counterpart, the Nissan Gloria, were sold in Japanese dealerships called Nissan Prince Shop. The Early Skyline models were marketed as luxury cars and were powered by a 1.5-liter GA-30 engine offering 60 horsepower. This engine had previously been used in the prototype Subaru 1500, Subaru's first car. The Skyline was available as a four-door sedan and five-door station wagon with a front-engine, rear-drive layout. Styling was courtesy of Takuya Himura. Two trim levels were available including ALSIS-1 standard and the ALSID-1 Deluxe. Over the years that followed, it was updated, modernized and modified, including the rare Michelotti-styled Skyline Sport.
The second generation (S50) was introduced in September of 1963. As before, it continued as a luxury vehicle for the Japanese market. In May of 1964, Prince created a racing Skyline GT based on the S54 and powered by the G-7 engine from the Gloria S41. To accommodate the inline six-cylinder engine, the wheelbase was extended an additional 8 inches. The S54B 2000GT wore styling by Prince engineer Shin'ichiro Sakurai (Mr. Skyline), and would dominate the Suzuka Circuit during that year, finishing second to a Porsche 904 Carrera GTS. It swept the 2nd through 6th places, and even briefly outpaced the Porsche, birthing the Skyline legacy that would continue for many years into the future.
In 1968, the third-generation Skyline (C10) was introduced and given the nickname 'Hakosuka.' Developed under Prince at the Ogikubo R&D center in Tokyo, it was sold wearing a Nissan badge. By the time the C10 entered the market, the Prince nameplate was no longer being used on the trucks and cars.
The C10 was powered by Prince's 1.5-liter overhead cam G15 inline-four like the S57. An optional 1.8-liter G18 version was also available. The station wagon version was also available, and a hardtop coupe followed in October of 1970. The first 2000GT enjoyed success, prompting Nissan to further develop the Skyline with the triple-carbureted 2000GT-X. The ultimate iteration would come later in the 2000GT-R. The first GT-R was introduced as a four-door sedan (Type PGC10) when it was launched in February 1969. Power was from a race-derived S20 inline-six, which featured double overhead camshafts, a cross-flow head with four valves per cylinder, and a hemispherical combustion chamber that included triple dual-throat Mikuni-Solex side-draft carburetors. In October of 1970, a two-door coupe version (KPGC10) was introduced. In total, just 832 examples of the GT-R Sedan were produced.
The PGC-10 Skyline 2000 GT-R, introduced in February of 1969, was the result of the former Prince Skyline's efforts on the racetrack. The GT-R was marketed along with the Nissan R380 racecar to exhibit the Skyline's motorsport legacy. This new body style, still a traditional 3-box saloon, inspired the car's enduring nickname- 'Hakosuka,' a portmanteau of the box and skyline in Japanese.
The two-liter S-20 engine with dual overhead cams had a 7,500 rpm redline. The S-20 powerplant was derived from the Nissan R380 racecar which competed against the Porsche 906 at the 1966 Japan Grand Prix. This engine was only placed in GT-R's and Fairlady Z 432's. Along with the potent engine, they received a competition-tuned suspension that included double wishbones up front and an independent trailing arm setup in the rear. The pure driving experience and connection to the road were enhanced by the lack of power steering and unassisted brakes.
In competition, the PGC-10 GT-R secured an unbroken streak of 33 straight victories on racetracks around its home nation.
by Dan Vaughan