A sports car made by Japanese car company Nissan, the Skyline is one of the most popular Japanese sports imports (also known as rice rockets) besides the Toyota Supra.

History:

Production of the Skyline started all the way back in 1955 with the Nissan Skyline ALSI-1, which was built by the Prince Motor Company. The R3X series (the modern Skylines people recognise today) started with the R30 which was first released in 5 variants in 1981. After that, the Skyline started becoming less sporty in order to cater to the then-more popular luxury market.

After declining sales, Nissan went back to basics in May 1986 with the two-door R31 GTS (as well as the GTS-X and race-designed GTS-R) that was the first to feature Nissan's HICAS (HIgh-Capacity Active Steering) all-wheel steering system. The R32 followed in 1989, of which the GT-R is regarded by enthusiasts as the best Skyline ever with ATTESA-ETS (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All) and Super-HICAS to further improve its handling. This was followed by the R33 in 1995, which carried improvements to the engine such as a broader torque band and improvements to ATTESA-ETS and Super-HICAS.

The current model Skyline (R34) is available in rear-wheel or all-wheel drive and in five variants - the 140hp R34GT, the 193hp R34 GT-V, the R34 25GT and 25GT-X which came with optional all-wheel drive (AWD) and finally the flagship 280hp GT-R.

The Skyline is also very mod-able with many companies producing sports mods for it. Autech, for example, produce a four-door model of the R33 Skyline GT-R called the Autech GT-R. Nissan's motorsports division, Nissan Motorsports or NISMO, also modified the Autech GT-R to produce a 380hp version. Another company is Tommykaira, who produce a powerful modification called the Tommykaira Rz which is the most powerful car available in Japan. The Skyline has appeared in modified form in The Fast And The Furious as the car driven by Vince (Matt Schulze).

1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34

Specifications:

Cost: US$89,500 (base price)
Engine: Water-cooled RB26DETT 2568cc inline-6
Power: 205.8kW (276bhp) @ 6800rpm
Torque: 293nm (216.1ft-lbs) @ 4400rpm
Drive: AWD1
Transmission: Getrag 6-speed manual
Body: 2-door sedan
Size (LWH): 4600/1785/1360mm (181.1/70.3/53.5in)
Curb Weight: 1666kg (3676lbs)

Performance:

Acceleration: 0-60mph in 5.2s, 0-100mph in 13s
1/4 Mile: 13.7s
Top Speed: 294.4kph (155mph)

Sources:
nissanskyline.info - http://www.nissanskyline.info
Google
Supercars.net - http://www.supercars.net

1. Originally, I had "Full Time AWD" written under "Drive", but the Skyline is not actually full-time AWD. AWD in the Skyline is provided by the ATTESA-ETS system, which does not provide AWD all the time and hence doesn't qualify as "Full-Time". Thanks, SailorDR.