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The Nissan Skyline Racing Pedigree Began Here

December 24, 2012 by Matt

As if any reminder were needed, this clip consolidates the case that the post-war racing heritage of Japanese automakers extends almost as far back as that of outfits more commonly renown for their competition pedigree, such as Porsche.

The misconception, of course, is that Japanese cars have no character, no soul; they’re relatively sterile both in their demeanor and in the amount of racing success they’ve given birth to. And yes, in the race featured in the clip the Skyline does lose to the sole foreign entrant, a Porsche 917—but the effect on Japan’s burgeoning racing culture of the fact that the Skyline held its own for a few laps cannot be overstated.

Via Tamerlane.

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Filed under: Media, Nissan, Racing

2 Comments

  1. Automobiliac says:

    Well, European and US companies have been racing since the turn of the 20th century, so that isn’t really true. But I appreciate your point: There was a time when Japanese companies raced in the 60s and 70s and they had some really stellar cars as well. But it’s not factually true that the racing history of any Japanese company extends nearly as far back as those of US or European makers. Mercedes, for example, had retired from racing for almost 15 years already when this video was made!

    • Matt says:

      True. I tend to be somewhat short-sighted by default when I think about racing history, thinking only about post-war achievements. And with respect to the clip posted, I subconsciously focused on Porsche, since the Skyline dueled with a 917 and the German automaker’s racing success truly began only in the late ’50s.

      Amended.

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