Article taken from "EVO" mag
Setting Sons
The R34 Skyline dies in August and with it goes the familiar straight-six and chiselled shape. David Yu savours three generations of boxy but brilliant Skyline GT-Rs
March 2002
Skyline Generations
ontrary to popular belief, I wasn't the first to coin the name 'Godzilla' to describe a Skyline (some of you will remember my tuned, 620bhp R33 GT-R that used to terrorise these pages). In fact the 'Godzilla' moniker was first used by awe-struck Aussies who watched their beloved Holdens get eaten alive by fire-breathing R32 Skyline GT-R Group A race-cars in their domestic touring car championship back in 1990.
That was my first exposure to the Skyline legend too, and when the opportunity came up later that year to try an R32, I was dumbstruck by its ability, but decided I would probably kill myself trying to find its limits. Five years later, of course, I found myself driving up the M6 in a friend's F355 to pick up a tuned 440bhp R32...
But let's forget tuning for a moment and assume you had the choice between a standard R32, 33 or 34. Which is the most capable, which is the fastest and which is the most fun?
Luckily for evo, I founded the Skyline GT-R Register (UK) back in '95 and a request on their very active web forum (
www.gtr.co.uk) quickly yielded a suitable example of each generation. This was actually less likely than it sounds since well over 90 per cent of the Skyline GT-Rs in this country have been tuned to some extent.
Dave Redpath's 1989 R32 is one of the first built, but has done just 50,000 miles and had two previous owners, one in Japan and one in New Zealand. The latter loved the car enough to bring it with him when he moved to the UK. Finished in unprepossessing gunmetal grey, his car is standard apart from a subtle Trust exhaust.
Although you couldn't call it elegant, the R32 does have a pleasing simplicity to its aggression. The flared arches look subtle in comparison to its successors' and the rear spoiler is almost dainty. The design has aged very well and yet, due to its relative rarity, it is the least likely to attract unwanted attention from cops or robbers.
The interior features one of the best driving positions there is, with comfortable, supportive seats, pedals perfectly positioned for heel-and-toeing and a chunky, precise but non-rushable gearchange. The shapely leather steering wheel at first feels a tad large compared with some more modern machinery, but soon feels natural. The only dated aspect is the pod-mounted windscreen wiper control that unfortunately required plenty of use of during the test.
Firing up the familiar, smooth yet strong 2.6-litre six, I had a sudden pang of trepidation; would this 276bhp(ish) un-tuned classic feel a bit Godzouki rather than Godzilla? After all, I hadn't owned a car with much less than 400 horsepower for the past seven years, and the last R32 I drove was Tim Milne's fearsome 600+bhp 2.8-litre beast (Track Shootout, evo 24).
The first squeeze of the throttle dispelled that thought immediately as a thrilling wave of mid-range torque pushed my back into the seat. What was even more surprising was that the thrust continued, in fact increased, right up to our self-imposed 7000rpm limit. This propensity to rev could be due partially to the freer-breathing Trust exhaust system, but the fact remains that this is still a seriously fast car.
On torrentially wet roads this Skyline had no problem breaking traction, both from rest and all the way around corners. In most other cars that might have been a worry, but in a GT-R it's merely the cue to keep your toe in and have fun.
On entering a bend, the Super-HICAS four-wheel-steer system resists understeer by steering the rear wheels initially in the opposite direction to the fronts, then latterly in parallel to help stabilise the car when it's settled into the corner. But the ATTESSA electronic torque split only diverts power to the front wheels when the rears slip, hence the need to keep power applied so the fronts can help to pull the car out of the slide.
This is the point where sceptics say, 'where's the fun if the car does it all for you?' Answer is, it doesn't. You still have to apply the right amount of opposite lock at the right time and wind it off at the correct rate too, as well as re-learning how to use the throttle as described.
But forget how the R32 GT-R does what it does; how does it feel when it's doing it? In a word, fan-bloody-tastic! There's never been a better power-assisted steering system for feel and feedback than this one. Every nuance of grip and road surface is conveyed subtly and accurately through the rim and the slight initial understeer is telegraphed clearly, telling you that lateral grip limits have been exceeded. Provided the exit to the corner is clear, a slight squeeze of the throttle sends the tail out in classic front-engined rear-drive fashion, but the way to gather it in is to counter-steer and give the throttle even more pressure. This transforms powerslides from silly, speed-wasting indulgence to, within reason, the fastest way to accelerate out of a corner.
The R32 does all this with the highest level of involvement; you are totally unaware of the technology, apart from the fact you are grinning from ear to ear and accelerating away from corners that would be a sweat-soaked nightmare in lesser vehicles. It just feels like a perfectly balanced rear-wheel-drive car with uncanny traction. Unlikely as it sounds, this car feels pure. In fact the only R32 weakspot is the brakes. By modern standards they're appalling.
On to the R33. This one, like my late lamented Godzilla, is a V-spec ('V' is for victory, originally seen on a special-edition R32 celebrating three years of continuous victories in Group A racing), which means it features a computer-controlled active rear LSD that can apportion torque side-to-side to further control the cornering attitude of the car. R33 V-specs also have firmer, lower suspension than their vanilla GT-R brethren.
Matt Osborne's dark metallic grey example has done more than the average mileage for a 1997 model but, like Dave's 13-year-old R32, still feels tight and rattle-free. Although still strong in absolute terms, this totally standard car felt noticeably less gutsy than the R32, particularly toward the top end. This could be due partly to the older car's sports exhaust, but probably has more to do with the extra weight the 33 carries.
With wider tyres (245 section, 17in items versus the 225, 16in covers on the 32) the R33 has loads more grip on the drenched tarmac. Full throttle in first gear fails to excite the rear tyres in a straight line and stability through standing water is exceptional. On a tight and twisty B-road, a well-driven Evo VI might be slightly faster, but nothing can match the serene way in which this car copes with wet conditions.
You're kept very well informed about what is going on, both through the seat and the wheel, but with better tyres, a longer wheelbase and the extra layer of electronics, it's always under control. Even the tightest second-gear bends don't allow sideways shenanigans, at least not on public roads. This car is staggeringly competent, but surprisingly different from its predecessor.
Finally it's time to try Cem Kocu's Bayside Blue R34 GT-R V-spec. On the R34, V-spec not only means stiffer suspension and the active rear LSD, but also a deeper front spoiler and carbon rear diffuser as well as more functions on the wonderful Multi Function Display that replaces some of the earlier models' dials.
Biggest initial differences are that the steering is heavier, despite having the same width tyres (on 18in rims), and that there are now six gears. The engine feels stronger than the R33, although again, Cem's car has a sports exhaust, in this case a factory-fitted Nismo system.
The suspension is noticeably harder than the R33 V-spec's and introduces an element of 'hopping' over small bumps and undulations that simply isn't there in the other two cars. This bounciness, coupled with fairly severe tramlining means that, unlike the earlier cars, punting the 34 at speed along wet B-roads requires a firm grip on the wheel and maximum concentration.
The second-gear corner that was delirious, drifting fun in the 32 and completely safe in the 33, allows a small amount of tail-out action in the 34, but at much higher speed than in the 32.
On smoother A-roads, the R34 is devastatingly effective with extremely direct steering, excellent brakes, rifle-bolt action close-ratio gearbox and a characterful, zesty engine that is noticeably more powerful at the top end. For track use, this would definitely be the most effective weapon of the three.
But for the road, which one would I have? Judging purely on fun factor, it would have to be the R32. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Dave paid a mere £10,000 for his car, only a few months ago. Sometimes, the original is best.
Thanks to Dave Redpath, Matt Osborne, Cem Kocu and the GT-R Register for their help with this feature