Otto Explains — Iconic Cars
10 Iconic Cars From Nissan
Short Answer
Otto’s ten iconic Nissans are the Fairlady 2000, the Prince Skyline GT, the Prince R380, the R32 Skyline GT-R, the S13 Silvia, the Z32 300ZX, the PAO, the Y61 Patrol, the R390 GT1 and the R35 GT-R. They run from a 1960s roadster and a Japan Grand Prix winner to a Le Mans racer, a retro city car and the long-lived Y61 Patrol, and each is remembered for something specific.
How did Otto choose these ten cars?
Each is a model in its own right with a defining fact taken from Nissan’s own records, and together they cover sports cars, racing cars, a design icon and the Patrol, from 1965 to 2007. Cars that changed Nissan as a company, such as the Datsun 14, the first Patrol, the Sunny, the Bluebird 510, the first Fairlady Z, the Skyline 2000GT-R of 1969, the LEAF and the Qashqai, are covered in Otto’s article on the legendary Nissans. The order below is roughly chronological, not a ranking.
Why is the Fairlady 2000 remembered?
The Datsun Fairlady line began as an export roadster: full-scale shipments of the SPL212 to North America started in January 1960. Its 1967 high point, the Fairlady 2000 (SR311), had a 1,982 cc U20 engine with 145 PS and a five-speed gearbox, and is known as the first Japanese car to break 200 km/h, with a top speed of 205 km/h. It raced in the 1967 Japan Grand Prix and the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally before the Fairlady Z replaced it in 1969.
What made the Prince Skyline GT special?
It grew out of racing. For the second Japan Grand Prix, Prince engineer Shinichiro Sakurai lengthened the S50 Skyline’s chassis by 200 mm so that it could take the bigger six-cylinder engine from the Gloria. The road version, the Prince Skyline GT, appeared in February 1965.
Why does the Prince R380 matter?
Prince built the R380, its first post-war prototype racing car, to beat Porsche after the German car won the second Japan Grand Prix of 1964. Designed under Shinichiro Sakurai, it carried the GR8, a 1,996 cc four-valve DOHC straight six mounted behind the driver. It won the third Japan Grand Prix in May 1966, Prince’s last race before the merger with Nissan, and on 8 October 1967 the R380A-II set seven international speed records.
Why is the R32 Skyline GT-R a legend?
Rolled out in May 1989, the R32 brought the GT-R name back after 16 years with the RB26DETT, a 2,568 cc twin-turbo straight six of 280 PS, and ATTESA E-TS, an electronically controlled torque-split four-wheel drive. It won every Japanese Touring Car Championship race from 1990 to 1993, 29 in all, took the Spa 24 Hours in 1991 and won the Bathurst 1000 in 1991 and 1992, where Australian media named it Godzilla. Almost 50,000 were built.
What made the S13 Silvia a favourite?
Launched in May 1988, the fifth-generation Silvia was a light coupé with its engine at the front and drive to the rear wheels, which made it popular with young drivers. It won the Good Design Award and Car of the Year Japan, and Nissan says it was the first mass-produced car with a head-up display. It started with 1.8-litre CA18 engines, with or without a turbo, and moved to the 2.0-litre SR20 in 1991.
Why is the Z32 300ZX remembered?
The fourth Z, launched in July 1989, was a technical showcase. Nissan says it introduced the world’s first four-wheel multi-link suspension, and it added Super HICAS four-wheel steering and a 3.0-litre V6 with 230 PS, or 280 PS with twin turbochargers. The 300ZX Turbo was Motor Trend’s Import Car of the Year for 1990, and the car stayed on sale until August 2000. Otto explains how turbochargers work.
Why is the PAO on the list?
Because its retro design became a big hit. Following the Be-1 of 1987, the PAO was the second of Nissan’s ‘Pike Cars’, playful models built in limited numbers. Launched in January 1989 with a deliberately retro design and named after a Mongolian portable dwelling, it sold well, with more than 30,000 built.
Why is the Y61 Patrol on the list?
Because few Patrols lasted as long. The Y61, launched in October 1997, stayed in production for many years. In Australia, where it was called the GU, it was sold until 2016 and gained a 3.0-litre ZD30 turbo-diesel and a 4.8-litre petrol six. In the Middle East Nissan revived it in 2016 as the Patrol Super Safari, sold only in the region. Otto explains every Patrol generation in his guide to the Nissan model lineup.
What was the R390 GT1?
Nissan’s purpose-built Le Mans car of the late 1990s, powered by the VRH35L, a 3,495 cc V8. Three cars raced at Le Mans in 1997, when car 23 finished 12th, and in 1998 an R390 GT1 finished third. Otto explains how a V8 and other engine layouts differ.
Why is the R35 GT-R on the list?
Released in 2007 as the ‘NISSAN GT-R’, without the Skyline name, the R35 introduced what Nissan calls the world’s first independent transaxle four-wheel drive. Its VR38DETT twin-turbo V6 was hand-assembled by takumi master craftsmen and grew from 480 PS at launch to 600 PS in NISMO form. It won Japan’s Super GT title in 2011, 2012 and 2015, and the last of about 48,000 cars was built on 26 August 2025. AutoTronix PERFORMANCE supports the GT-R, including performance maintenance and track preparation.
Common Questions
- Why aren’t the first Fairlady Z and the 1969 GT-R on this list? Because Otto covers them in the article on the cars that changed Nissan. The first Fairlady Z sold more than 520,000 cars worldwide, and the Skyline 2000GT-R of 1969 gave Nissan its performance identity after the Prince merger.
- Which GT-R was nicknamed Godzilla? The R32 Skyline GT-R. Australian media gave it the name after it won the Bathurst 1000 in 1991 and 1992.
- Is the Nissan GT-R still being made? Not at the moment. The last R35 GT-R was built on 26 August 2025, but Nissan’s CEO said the company’s goal is for the GT-R nameplate to return one day.
- What are Nissan’s Pike Cars? A small series of playful, retro-styled models built in limited numbers, starting with the Be-1 of 1987 and followed by the PAO in 1989.
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