500 Horsepower 2001 Nissan Skyline GT-R N1 to Make Speed World Challenge Debut
By Igor Sushko
Mar 12, 2005, 01:00
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We have been anxious to make this announcement for a few months now, and finally here it is!

Detailed Photographs of the 2001 Nissan Skyline GT-R N1
The AF 350Z Project had in its initial plans participation in the SCCA Speed World Challenge GT Class, and everything was progressing by the schedule. However, back in December of 2004, we spotted and quickly acquired a 2001 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 N1 Super Taikyu Race Car (Visit the Gallery of the Car). It has an extensive winning history, which comes from its technology and quality - as the car was built by Nissan Motorsports International (NISMO) in Japan. In 2001, our car, then #23, ran by Totomu Fujitsubo racing team, missed overall series championship by 1 mere point to the Falken GT-R (Visit the Gallery of the #23 (pronounced Ni-San in Japanese) Fujitsubo GT-R)
AutomotiveForums.com's Skyline GT-R history includes a successful racing career under the Fujistsubo banner in Japan

We like to see this as a continuation of the AF 350Z Project in spirit, as we are remaining loyal to Nissan and our fans around the world.

The reason for such drastic change in plans?
As incredible as the 350Z would have been as a race car, we do not believe that it could have ever matched the performance of this factory-built GT-R endurance race car. Of course anything is possible with money, but injecting that much capital into the 350Z would have been simply inappropriate and irresponsible, considering an opportunity of acquiring this GT-R arose.

Why SCCA Speed World Challenge?
We believe that this series provides incredible excitement for the audience, featuring amazing and diverse race cars. The series consists of 10 50-minute sprint races around the best tracks in the nation. Our competition will include Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Saleen Cobra, Pontiac GTO, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Porshce 911 Turbo, Cadillac CTS-V, Audi RS6, and Volvo S60R.

The Nissan Skyline GT-R has NEVER competed in a full season of professional road racing series in North America!

AutomotiveForums.com will be the first to pass this milestone, with many future opportunities arising with the next-generation R35 (or R36) Nissan Skyline GT-R introduction in 2007.

The GT-R has an incredible racing history - some of its accomplishements include:
In Group A racing series, the GT-R won every single race, winning 29 races in 4 years of the series' life.
In JGTC, the R32 GT-R dominated the series until the regulations were modified prohibiting all-wheel-drive systems (when the GT-R was the only 4wd competitior in the series), forcing NISMO to convert the JGTC GT-R race cars to rear-wheel-drive only. Even then, the GT-R continued to collect victories, with the last one being the overall series champion in JGTC GT500 2004 - the last year of its competition. In the same year, in GT300, the 350Z took home the victory, showing just how dedicated Nissan is to racing in Japan. The GT-R and the Z have always been and always will be sister cars, especially with the next GT-R featuring a VQ engine.Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 N1 at the Streets of Willow

The uniqueness of the present situation cannot be overstated - this is the opportunity for the GT-R to shine in a series where not a single Japanese vehicle has succeeded and the manufacturers (namely Cadillac, Audi, and Volvo) dump countless millions of dollars into the development of their race program.

We have assembled a race team and have already concluded our first shakedown test of the car, which went beyond expectations. (Testing of the '01 Nissan Skyline GT-R N1 Race Car at Streets of Willow)

Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 N1 at Hot Import NightsWe made the public debut at the Hot Import Nights in Los Angeles, California, on March 5th. There is a large gap between the automotive enthusiast culture and the racing world, and one of our goals in this motorsport endeavor is to close this gap by the intoroduction of the Skyline GT-R, an icon and a legend, in racing, where it will shine more than at any car show. (View Pictures of the GT-R N1 stealing the show at Hot Import Nights)

We will need your support every step of the way. Please spread the word about our plans at your local car club meets, your friends in general, and where ever else you feel appropriate.

We are currently throwing around some ideas of an official AutomotiveForums.com Event that would feature this car and provide some of the members rides on a race track.

As with the 350Z Project, we will soon launch a website dedicated to the coverage of this motorsports effort, ensuring that the AF members are always informed and the first to know of any developments.