There are some old cars out there that do not really draw a
lot of attention to themselves, because they blend in, rather properly. It cars
that require you to look twice, unless you know the little tell-tale signs that
make it unique. One such oldie is the 1986 Nissan Skyline 2.8 GTX.
It is long, flat, not particularly rounded, and makes a
sound second to none, oh, and it breaks your neck doing so. It is one of those
old gems who every so often makes a boy racer run home and cry to his daddy,
because his new age factory pocket rocket was humiliated by grandpa, and by a
few car lengths just to add salt to the wounds.
Looking at the figures on paper it does leave a question
mark, because its fast, but not that fast comparing what we can buy in today’s
day and age. Boasting with a modest 105kw
@ 5000 rpm and 209nm torque @ 3000 rpm, some figures don’t add up.
Standard there was no turbo, or multivalve system, it had 2
valves per cylinder, sporting an inline 2.8 straight 6, with a five speed
gearbox. Top speed was 192 km/h. It was stylish though, with those circle brake
lights, vinyl interior and sloping bonnet, high back end and coupe like roof line almost
copying a fast back, it did stand out from the average car from that era, and
still does. My love is not for the Nissan Skyline brand, but for this one, the
2.8 GTX, and the latter Skyline 3.0 SGLi.
It was a performance car, without hindrance from any
electronic gizmo's. It was built to drive, slow or fast, uphill or down, while at the same time not shaking your innards to such an extend that could be fed to a lion as a smoothie. It
speaks to you, tells you what the wheels are doing, it makes a good sound which just
enhances the driving experience. It is comfortable, although the two doors is
huge and takes getting used too, and most of all, this is an old Nissan,
reliable to the end, not like these new milk bottle micro machines they try to
pass as Nissans.
The figures don’t add up because this car was engineered by
people with a passion. The way it puts the power down, how it uses what its got
without thinking about it, how it elegantly just drops it backside when pulling
off. It’s a dramatic showpiece of engineering, pioneering, innovation, and
everything done right.
Sunday I talked about the craving for the open road, and
now, in all honestly, I think this is the car I would use. There is no fuss, no
interference, and a little voice in your head that tells you if you go to fast
in that corner, you will end up at the bottom of that cliff.
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