When most people hear the words ‘Nissan’ and ‘GT-R’- they immediately think r35, r34, r33, and r32. However, the GT-R legacy began a lot earlier than 1989. It began in the early 70’s with the legendary (and expensive) KPGC-10 GT-R- a car that became famous for it’s simplicity and racing pedigree.
After the KPGC10, things went a bit quiet in terms of GT-R popularity, and this is a real shame because it was at a time when Nissan released an amazing successor to the original GT-R.
‘Cleverly’ named the KPGC110, this GT-R was considered the black sheep of the Nissan family. In Australia, all we got was the crappy Datsun 240K, which was just a very detuned and lame version of this most magnificent machine. Using a 160hp, 2.0 litre straight 6, the little coupe was a worthy son to the original GT-R and obtained a cult following all of its own.
Affectionately nicknamed ‘Kenmari’, very few of the originals have survived the test of time- and as a result they can fetch up to $120,000 AUD at auction. Still, a few dedicated wealthy businessmen and car enthusiasts have endeavoured to make sure that the legacy of this strange little beast continues.
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