The first Japanese Supercar, Skyline GTR R32, had earth-shattering performance and some unique characteristics. It was only offered for sale in Japan and Britain, yet had a worldwide reputation because of the Gran Turismo computer game. This DVD looks at the original R32, drives it back-to-back with the latest R35, and examines the GT-R that's winning races in the FIA GT1 World Championship. Plus, Gran Turismo creator and gaming legend Kazanori Yamauchi explains why the GT-R won such a special place in the affection of gamers, drifters and street-racers and how his GT Academy is bringing virtual racers into the real world of racetrack competition.
Explore a legend and discover the latest chapter in the history-making story of a ground-breaking car.
More than four decades ago, the Skyline legend was born; 20 years later the seventh generation emerged and changed everything. This was the Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, a massively powerful and technologically advanced machine which amazed with its speed, handling and cutting-edge electronics. Initially a cause for excitement only among specialists, the arrival of the Sony PlayStation game Gran Turismo – a simulator offering an incredibly realistic driving experience – brought the GT-R to the mainstream and helped establish the legend. Now, another two decades later, there is a new chapter in this legend – the arrival of the mouth-watering R35. Gone is the Skyline name – the new breed is purely and simply a GT-R.
This absorbing programme traces the story of the GT-R right through to the R35, combining breathtaking track and road action with lingering close-ups, interviews and fact-filled commentary.
We ride in-car at the famous race circuits of Spa and the Nurburgring, travel to Tokyo to see possibly the world’s fastest GT-R, a 1200bhp, 200mph street-legal monster, being pushed to the limit and watch the R35 on the speed limit-free roads of the Isle of Man. The DVD also includes a stunning comparison between the Gran Turismo experience of driving a GT-R on the streets of London and the real-life thrill of an R35 on the roads of the English capital.
The programme includes interviews with Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Andy Middlehurst, four-times a saloon car champion with Nissan and now a specialist dealer, as they reveal what makes the GT-R such an exceptional driving experience.
We also study the transition of the R35 to the racetrack, following Sumo Power GT Team as it takes on the new-look FIA GT1 World Championship. Team boss Nigel Stepney and drivers Peter Dumbreck and Michael Krumm explain the challenges of transforming the GT-R to the championship’s regulations, as well as the sheer delight of being able to take to the track in the ultimate coupling of power and technology. Plus, you share the experience in a on-board lap of Silverstone filmed from inside the Sumo Power GT machine.
"It's nearly 40 years since Nissan unleashed its original Skyline GT-R, and this DVD charts the supercar's history way back to 1972's PGC10 model. But its main focus is on the late 1980s R32 and modern GT-R R35. There's road and track footage, interviews with drivers and experts, plus informed commentary. It does linger on the custom modifications and video game tie-in, yet fans of the monster car will love this. four stars" Auto Express
"There's no lack of depth to this offering from automotive DVD specialist Duke. After a brief history lesson on the birth of the Japanese car industry, the film goes on to explore the development of the Skyline from a sedate saloon into the modern-day GT-R 'Godzilla' that we all know and love. Production values aren't the highest, but the true aficionado will find plenty here to like, including interesting onboard and behind-the-scenes footage of Sumo Racing's GT1-spec GT-R being prepared and tested" Evo