1972 NISSAN SKYLINE 2000GT-R FUJI 300KM WINNER

f you were an American automotive enthusiast back in the early ‘70s and saw the Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R you couldn’t be blamed for being a bit perplexed. Sure, it’s nice enough looking, if a little boxy. “Hako,” your Japanese counterpart would translate. But it’s certainly (Skyline) he would confirm—with reverence. “Hako-suka!” A car nicknamed “Boxy Skyline” is supposed to be cooler than a Z? What’s the big deal? The big deal is 50 wins in the Japanese touring car championship. Fifty—in less than three seasons, including a mind-boggling 29 in a row! The car you see here is AUTOart’s replica of the one that took that historic 50th win. It happened in March of 1972 at the first round of the Fuji Grand Champion series. Kunimitsu Takahashi (who would later be regarded by many as “the father of drifting”) slithered around the fast and dangerous Fuji Speedway in a torrential downpour to claim that 50th win and cemented the legend of the GT-R in Japan, and soon the world.