The PGC10 was released in February 1969 and at first only came in sedan form, until two years later, in March 1971 the coupe (KPGC10) followed.

The PGC10 was designed with the perspective of being used in racing and cost double the price of the GC10. For its time it was revolutionary quick and powerful and with its many victories laid the foundation for the “Skyline-GT-R-legend” as we know it today.

Most important for the race-track success of the GT-R was its engine, the S20. The S20 was a 1989cc DOHC 24-valve inline-6 with 160hp, taken from Prince’s race-car R380, and delivered its power to the rear-wheels via a five-speed gearbox. When introduced, the engine used three Weber 40DCOE carburetors, which were replaced by a Lucas Mechanical Fuel Injection System from October 1969 on. Furthermore, a strut suspension in front and a semi-trailing arm independent suspension in the rear made sure this power could also be exploited on the road.

Exterior changes, on the other hand, were very subtle in comparison to the standard GC10. The GT-R keeps the twin headlights and the square twin-taillights. Overall, there is little to hint at the dynamic potential of this car, apart from extended wheel-housings, which were new for 1970 to host wider racing tires. Due to these changes, the GT-R lost the GC10's “surfline”. Concerning the front and rear, the GT-R can only be distinguished from the standard versions by its red GT-R badges, which replace the blue GT badges of the GC10.

On March 7th, 1971, the KPGC10 named 2-door version of the GT-R made its debut. For this car the wheel-base was shortened from 2640mm to 2570mm and the weight was reduced by 20kg.

Due to aerodynamic matters, the car got a wider body and optionally a rear-wing, as well as a lower wind screen. Handling over the four-door was further improved by larger tires, which were hosted by even wider wheel-housings on the KPGC10.

Concerning the dynamic side, the four-door version was dominated by strong understeer, which originated from its long wheelbase and low-grip tires. In order to drive quickly, the drivers had to brake hard into the corners to make the tail come out, and then drift the car through them. Of course, this looked very spectacular, which is why the Skyline became so popular with the fans. Now, drifting may look very spectacular, but it was also very exhausting for the drivers, and, more importantly, it was not very quick.

So Nissan introduced the KPGC10, which was supposed to cure all these faults with its wider track and shorter wheelbase. And indeed, this car was even faster than the PGC10 and added several more victories to the GT-R's account. But it was not only an improved version of the PGC10. Even today, the Coupe is considered by famous drivers like Mr. Hasemi (Unisia Xanavi Skyline) to be the best balanced Skyline GT-R ever.

Better than the R32 and R34. This is the real-legend after all.