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FEATURE
The mighty Hakosuka and the start of the Skyline GTR story
Published Sun, Aug 8, 2021 9:00 AM
The Nissan Skyline needs no introduction. Thanks to the Fast & Furious franchise, it’s become synonymous with huge power, massive body kits, and graphics that look like they were designed to attract low-flying aircraft. But the original Skyline, the snappily titled KPGC10, is loved for its pureness and simplicity. Allan Arp’s is one of the finest examples we’ve ever seen…
WHO?
Allan Arp is something of a Japanese car nut. Hailing from Denmark, a country not known for its car scene, Allan’s love of the Land of The Rising Sun all kicked off in 2006, after watching the first Fast & Furious movie. At the time he was riding motorbikes, but following the famous ‘10-second car’ scene, he fell instantly in love with the orange MkIV Supra and decided he had to have one. He wanted to keep his bike, so the budget was limited, and his only option was a non-turbo car, located right here in good ol’ England. So he flew over, drove it home, and that was the end, right? Well not so much, actually.
Because Allan quickly realised that NA-power wasn’t going to cut it, so 6-months later, having sold his bike and Supra, he was back on the plane to the UK (because we have all the Supras, apparently), and heading home with an 800bhp example! As you can imagine, this still wasn’t enough, so in 2009 he picked up his first Skyline, an R33 with an R34 front (R33.5?).
But, come 2012, Allan couldn’t hold off anymore and was in the position to buy his dream car.
WHAT?
The KGC10 Skyline, known colloquially as the Hakosuka, is widely regarded as the purest incarnation of the Skyline family. It was introduced in 1969 and based around the 4-door Nissan Skyline, which had been introduced as the Prince Skyline GT in 1964. The GTR is, as you’d expect, was the top of the tree, with its 2.0 straight-6 powerplant producing 160bhp, pushed to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual and limited-slip diff.
Allan’s car isn’t a GTR, but it might as well be. He found it on Yahoo Auctions, and it wasn’t in the greatest condition when it was delivered to him, but he had a KGC10, so that didn’t matter. It had been used as a race car over in Japan, and came with all the associated issues that racing entailed; it was a bit battered, with some crusty panels, and the engine wouldn’t idle properly. No matter though, as Allan planned on restoring her properly.
He was adamant that he didn’t want a show pony GTR though. He wanted as he put it “a good streetcar”, though he knew it would end up on some track days at some point. So, loving the look of it, he kept the various bits and bobs that the car came with, including the ultra-cool Victory 50 fender flares and genuine GTR rear spoiler, and set about getting that bodywork right.
Colour-wise, as a Supra aficionado, he’d already decided that he was going to liberally coat his newest toy in 1A1, or Anthracite to the rest of us, an official MkIV Supra colour. During the extensive rebuild of what isn’t exactly a common car (in fact, Allan’s is the only example in Denmark), he ended up heading over to Japan to find some bits for himself. In Osaka, Allan headed straight for Rubber Soul and literally filled his suitcases with as many cool bits as he possibly could.
The spec list is way too long for us to delve into here, so take a look at the bottom of the feature to get more deets. Suffice to say, it back 240-normally-aspirated-horsepower, has wheels worth the GDP of a small country and it gets driven properly! Oh, and it shares a garage with Allan’s other love, his heavily modified R34 GTR. Not that we’re jealous.
WHAT?
The KGC10 Skyline, known colloquially as the Hakosuka, is widely regarded as the purest incarnation of the Skyline family. It was introduced in 1969 and based around the 4-door Nissan Skyline, which had been introduced as the Prince Skyline GT in 1964. The GTR is, as you’d expect, was the top of the tree, with its 2.0 straight-6 powerplant producing 160bhp, pushed to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual and limited-slip diff.
Allan’s car isn’t a GTR, but it might as well be. He found it on Yahoo Auctions, and it wasn’t in the greatest condition when it was delivered to him, but he had a KGC10, so that didn’t matter. It had been used as a race car over in Japan, and came with all the associated issues that racing entailed; it was a bit battered, with some crusty panels, and the engine wouldn’t idle properly. No matter though, as Allan planned on restoring her properly.
He was adamant that he didn’t want a show pony GTR though. He wanted as he put it “a good streetcar”, though he knew it would end up on some track days at some point. So, loving the look of it, he kept the various bits and bobs that the car came with, including the ultra-cool Victory 50 fender flares and genuine GTR rear spoiler, and set about getting that bodywork right.
Colour-wise, as a Supra aficionado, he’d already decided that he was going to liberally coat his newest toy in 1A1, or Anthracite to the rest of us, an official MkIV Supra colour. During the extensive rebuild of what isn’t exactly a common car (in fact, Allan’s is the only example in Denmark), he ended up heading over to Japan to find some bits for himself. In Osaka, Allan headed straight for Rubber Soul and literally filled his suitcases with as many cool bits as he possibly could.
The spec list is way too long for us to delve into here, so take a look at the bottom of the feature to get more deets. Suffice to say, it back 240-normally-aspirated-horsepower, has wheels worth the GDP of a small country and it gets driven properly! Oh, and it shares a garage with Allan’s other love, his heavily modified R34 GTR. Not that we’re jealous.
HOW?
If you want a GTR, you’re going to have to dig deep. They only ever made 1,945 of the shape, with just over 1,000 being GTRs, and they’re a highly sought-after piece of history nowadays. Strangely, modified examples are worth considerably less than unmolested examples, with a nicely toyed with example setting you back around £100k imported. If you want the best, there’s currently a completely original 1970 GTR up for grabs in the UK. The price? £175k.
WHERE?
Allan’s car was shot by Mike Crawat -one of Europe’s foremost photographers of incredible cars. You can check out his work over at www.mikecrawat.com
SPECS
Manufacturer: Nissan
Model: Skyline KGC10
Engine: 12-valve straight-six L28 engine stroked to 3.1-liter; VO740 crankshaft; JE pistons; aftermarket connecting rods; Rebello 47mm custom valves; Kameari valve springs, race head gasket, race chain, chain tensioner, crank pulley, water pump, adjustable pulley; ARP bolt set; Mikuni 44mm carburettors; oil catch can; black aramid hoses and fittings; high capacity fuel pump; upgraded radiator.
Drivetrain: five-speed manual transmission; Exedy clutch
Chassis: custom valved dampers, lowering springs; Whiteline bushing set; Techno Toy Tuning adjustable tension rods
Brakes: Endless pads; Project Mu rear shoes
Wheels: 15x10” -31 front, 15x12” -53 rear Work Meister CR01 wheels in matte gunmetal; 195/50R15 front, 235/50R15 rear Toyo Proxes R888 tires
Exterior: Victory 50 fender flares; aftermarket GT-R-style front spoiler, FRP hood, FRP trunk; OEM GT-R rear spoiler
Interior: Bride seats; Takata harnesses; Nardi steering wheel; restored headliner and door panels; Speedhut gauges; Pioneer speakers
