The first GT-R Skyline appeared in February 1969. Called the PGC-10 (KPGC-10 for later coupe version) internally and Hakosuka (ハコスカ) by fans. Hako (ハコ) means Box in Japanese, and suka(スカ) means Skyline (スカイライン; Sukairain).
The GT-R began as a sedan, but a 2-door coupe version was introduced in March of 1971. The cars were stripped of unnecessary equipment to be as light as possible for racing, and the cars performed well at the track. The sedan racked up 33 victories in less than two years, and the coupe stretched this to 50 through 1972.
The KPGC-10’s main circuit rival was the Mazda RX-3. By mid-1972 the RX-3 had surpassed the GT-R, ending the winning streak. The GT-R was also a favorite of reckless street racers who roamed the streets at night at that time.
It is claimed that the art of drifting began among Japanese racers when they purposely engaged their emergency brakes as a way to counter understeer on their GT-Rs. One such driver who was known for this was the Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya.
To enable racing with it's AC Legends competitors, this version of the Skyline 2000 is equiped with a turbo engine delivering 417Nm @ 4000 rpm @ 1 bar of boost pressure. Maximum power is 452hp at 8000rpm.