Nissan Skyline HR31 GTS-R: The Unsung Hero of Nissan’s First ATCC Victory

Images thanks to www.autopics.com.au

As much as it pains me to say, racing’s not really about building the absolute fastest, most manic car on the grid. It’s about building the car that’s going to be leading the field a couple hours, or even days, after the starting gun goes off. And that’s what Nissan’s Skyline HR31 GTS-R was.

“The HR31 didn’t have the biggest horsepower, it didn’t have anything special really, but it was just incredibly consistent. Whatever we qualified at and whatever time the car would do on the first lap it would do on the last lap and that’s where the HR31 was a real hero act. When the other cars, particularly the Ford Sierras, started to destroy their rear tyres and fall away, our cars just kept hanging in there.” – Fred Gibson

Following on from the competitive DR30, the HR31 GTS-R launched in August of ’87 as a homologation special to qualify for Group A racing. It started to show promise in ’89, after a troubled ’88 season, with some considerable driving talent at the wheel in the form of Jim Richards, George Fury and Mark Skaife.

Then, finally, at a wild and wet race in Winton, George Fury would show us the full potential of the Skyline.

You can read the story of Nissan’s Skyline HR31 GTS-R and find out what made it the unsung hero of Nissan’s first ATCC victory over at the Shannons Club.

Via the Shannons Club

Images thanks to www.autopics.com.au