3rd Generation Skyline: C10 (1968~72)
From NAGTROC
| C10 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Production | 1968-1972 310,447 units sold |
| Body style | 4-door sedan 5-door station wagon 2-door coupe |
| Engine | 1.5 L G15 I4 1.8 L G18 I4 2.0 L L20 I6 (2000GT) 2.0 L S20 I6 (GT-R) |
The C10 series of 1968, probably developed by Prince, got Nissan badging. There was no Prince equivalent on the market. It used Nissan's 1.5 L OHC G15 I4 like the S57. A 1.8 L G18 version was also available.
A station wagon variant was offered in this generation. A hardtop coupé was introduced in 1970.
2000GT
The following year, the GC10 2000GT received a 2.0 L (1998 cc) L20 I6 engine. The chassis was already designed to receive a straight six, to avoid the S54 extension problem. 105 hp (78 kW) was available from this new engine.
GT-R
The first GT-R Skyline appeared in February 1969. Called the PGC-10 (KPGC-10 for later coupé version) internally and Hakosuka (ハコスカ) by fans. Hako (ハコ) means Box in Japanese, and suka（スカ） is short for Skyline (スカイライン; Sukairain). It used the 2.0 L (1998 cc) S20 I6. This new DOHC engine produced 160 hp (118 kW, 180 Nm), equal to the best sports cars of the time, and was similar to the GR8 engine used in the Nissan R380 racing car.
The GT-R began as a sedan, but a 2-door coupé 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 coupé stretched this to 50 through 1972.
The C10 raced against many cars including Toyota 1600 GT5, Isuzu Bellett GTR, Mazda Familia (R100) & Capella (RX-2) - even Porsche. In late 1971 the new Mazda RX-3 became the GT-R's main rival. The GT-R managed a few more victories before the RX-3 ended the GT-R's 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.Template:Fact One such driver who is famous for this was Kunimitsu Takahashi.
Models:
- 1500 - 1.5 L G15 I4, 95 hp (71 kW, 128 Nm)
- 1800 - 1.8 L G18 I4, 105 hp (78 kW, 150 Nm)
- 2000GT - 2.0 L L20 I6, 120 hp (90 kW, 167 Nm)
- 2000GT-R - 2.0 L S20 I6, 160 hp (118 kW, 180 Nm)
..