Everyone knows the R32. The R34 gets the magazine covers and the million-dollar auction results. But the car that started everything — the car that gave the GT-R name its meaning and established the template for everything that followed — is the one most people have never seen in person. The Hakosuka. The KPGC10 Skyline GT-R. The original Godzilla before Godzilla was a nickname anyone used.

Hakosuka is Japanese slang: 'hako' means box (describing the boxy body shape), 'suka' is short for Skyline. It's an affectionate nickname that came later. In 1969 when Prince Motor Company, now part of Nissan, launched it, the GT-R was simply the most serious racing homologation car Japan had ever produced, built for one purpose — to dominate the Japanese Touring Car Championship.

The S20 Engine: Hand-Built Racing Unit

The heart of the KPGC10 GT-R is the S20 engine — a 1,989cc inline-six with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. In 1969, a twin-cam four-valve engine in a production car was remarkable engineering. The S20 was derived directly from the Prince R380 racing car engine that had competed at Japan's Grand Prix events in 1966.

Factory output was listed at 160 PS at 7,000 rpm — a healthy specific output of 80 PS per litre from a naturally aspirated engine of that era. The three Mikuni carburettors, the high-compression head, and the careful hand assembly meant each S20 was as much craftsmanship as engineering. These engines were assembled by skilled builders who inspected and hand-fitted every component.

The S20's sound is part of its legend. At full chat approaching the 7,500 rpm red line, it produces a mechanical howl that no turbocharged engine can replicate. People who have driven Hakosuka GT-Rs consistently mention the engine note as something unforgettable. It's a genuinely special piece of engineering from a completely different era of performance cars.

The Racing Domination

The KPGC10 GT-R entered the Japanese Touring Car Championship in 1969 and what followed was one of the most dominant runs in Japanese motorsport history. The GT-R won 50 consecutive races from 1969 to 1972. Fifty straight wins. Against everything the Japanese domestic market could throw at it, the Hakosuka was simply unbeatable.

The victories came from the complete package: the S20's power advantage, the chassis tuning that allowed the car to be driven at its limits by skilled drivers, and Nissan's commitment to developing the car throughout its racing programme. The GT-R badge on that car meant something because it had been earned on track, win by win, for four years straight.

When the BNR32 returned the GT-R name in 1989 after a 16-year absence, it was building on this legacy. The 50 consecutive race wins of the Hakosuka are why the GT-R badge carries the weight it does today.

Production Numbers and Variants

The Skyline GT-R was produced in two body configurations. The PGC10 was a four-door saloon — unusual for a performance car, chosen to maximise the homologation numbers Nissan needed to qualify for touring car racing. The KPGC10 was the two-door coupe that arrived in 1970 and is the more desirable collector's car today.

Total production was approximately 1,945 GT-Rs across both body styles — 1,945 cars built over three years. Of these, the KPGC10 coupe accounts for around 1,197 examples. Every surviving example is a significant collector's piece. The Japanese classic car market has driven values to extraordinary levels — concours-condition Hakosuka GT-Rs have sold for over $400,000 USD at recent auctions, and the trajectory is upward.

Owning and Maintaining a Hakosuka

If you're fortunate enough to own or are considering buying a Hakosuka GT-R, the S20 engine is the primary concern. Parts are genuinely scarce — there are specialist suppliers in Japan who have accumulated new-old-stock and reproduction components, but availability is limited and prices reflect scarcity.

The carburettor setup requires knowledgeable tuning and regular attention. The twin-cam head benefits from periodic valve clearance checks. Body panels for the KPGC10 are difficult to source — rust repair requires either finding decent secondhand parts or custom fabrication.

Specialists who work specifically on classic Skylines exist in Japan and in small numbers internationally. Before attempting any significant work on a Hakosuka, find someone who knows the S20 specifically. These engines respond badly to incorrect tuning and the scarcity of parts means mistakes are expensive.

The Hakosuka GT-R is where everything started. It's the reason the badge on every R32, R33, R34, and R35 means what it means. If you have the opportunity to see one, watch it carefully. You're looking at the origin of one of motorsport's great legends.