Oh, the skyline. A Japanese sports car that went through more revisions in its life than titles used by Prince, which were quite a few.
Most people will agree that the 8th to 10th generation with the familiar headlight design, the rear with quad lights and the slim coupé shape are the quickest to recognize for the everyday observer.
After the tenth generation, Nissan forged a design for the successor that some may have considered controversial – the angles and the masculine, blocky front section were gone.
Gone were the inline-six and GT-R versions, which meant the last one was the R34 if you could find an imported one. The 11th generation was the first Skyline to be officially imported into the United States. from 2001 to 2002.
A car with many talents, also a mainstay of the Gran Turismo range; This Japanese car was one of the big names of the ’90s JDM greats – Supra, 3000GT, RX-7 and many more. Around the same time, in 2001, the 6-cylinder engine of the top-of-the-range Skyline GT-R was to have another life: in a new Japanese carbon fiber sports car.
Everything you need to know about Tommykaira
via Leberblog
This lightweight supercar was designed and presented in time for the Tokyo Auto Show in 2002, along with a host of other JDM machines, including many, many tuned versions of existing machines. Behind the new car was a tuning company little known outside of Japan and tuning fan circles; Tommykaira – a name you may only have heard of if you’ve played the Gran Turismo video game.
After the Mercedes sedans of the late 80s were initially “tuning”, it switched to JDM cars including skylines. In mid-1996, the company was already building its own, completely original car, just 10 years after the company was founded.
Called the ZZ, the first All-Tommykaira car was unique in its design with a 2-liter Nissan engine with double overhead camshafts and electronic injection assisted by a turbo to reach 190 hp.
This car, which weighed 650 kg, could do 60 mph and 250 mph in 4 seconds, good values for the day. Acceleration alone would have left most supercars from the era behind (with the exception of the McLaren F1, of course).
The second coming
Via: drivetribe
For the concept model at the Tokyo Auto Show, shortly after the ZZ stopped production, a completely new carbon fiber body was designed, the styling of which is not at all reminiscent of the outgoing Tommykaira sports car. Instead, with modern, clean lines and supercar-like proportions, the ZZ II promised speed and handling skills from the start, with an ethos more reminiscent of Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini than the Lotus Elise-like presence of its 90s sibling.
Under the hood, the engine was less Ferrari-like, and instead the engine bay housed a Nissan engine – the RB26DETT. If you’re not familiar with engine codes and names, this was an in-line (straight) 6 cylinder engine that ran in the Nissan Skyline GT-R from the early 90s through 2002 and has horsepower somewhere in the gentleman’s agreement range of 276 horsepower.
This 2.6-liter twin-turbo engine with two overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder developed 320 hp instead of 276 hp. This became more apparent later in the engine’s life, when the agreement between the big Japanese companies waned a bit and must have surprised the owners during the performance tests on Rolling Road.
A great idea with no drawbacks
via autoweek.nl
This design, which exudes a premium, almost Pininfarina feel, looks a bit rough in places, but overall feels inspired by the Ferrari F430, right down to the fact that the engine is mounted in the middle. Unlike the Ferrari, however, the ZZ II had all-wheel drive, although both cars had a 6-speed manual transmission (there was an automated manual option with the F1 paddles for the F430). With an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber body, the Tommykaira should reach more than 200 mph and overtake 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds – thanks to the slightly enlarged Skyline engine, which is now about 550 horsepower, and of the car, which weighs a sensible 2,400 pounds.
By comparison, the basic Ferrari F430 with its 4.3-liter Ferrari V8 – and 50% more than the Japanese supercar – would go 60 mph in just over 3.5 seconds to its top speed of 195 mph Skip an hour or so.
The ZZ II’s performance data were therefore impressive, the car came a few years earlier than the F430, and the 40% smaller Skyline turbo engine was also lighter than the Ferrari’s V8.
end of the street
via: Pinterest
Although it never went into production, the ZZ II could have been an interesting alternative to other supercars for those who had the means to pay for it. It may have been a makeshift unit, but the relatively inexpensive Skyline powerplant with its tunability and simple origins could have been the answer to the question – is there another way to have a nice racing car with an engine that doesn’t cost the world would? .
Since then, the Nissan GT-R has replaced the top-of-the-line Skyline GT-Rs as its own sub-brand, with supercar performance, a sporty look that is definitely different from that of the ZZ II, and everything that is even remotely Italian. Tommykaira, although bought by Autobacs after the ZZ II was not released in 2001, has been producing and selling a second generation ZZ with the same name since 2014 but with an electric drivetrain instead of the 190hp 2-liter engine from earlier.
As for the ZZ II, Autobacs designed the Garaiya under the ASL branch of its business. After this ZZ replacement was developed but not produced, it started with the more powerful ZZ II version – which was to be called the Garaiya RS01. Unfortunately, at the moment it looks like the idea of a relatively accessible Japanese supercar with a beautifully designed body will remain a concept, although there are some attractive modern supercars from the land of the rising sun like the Honda / Acura NSX.
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About the author
David O’Callaghan
(50 articles published)
Dave is from the UK, home of MG and Aston Martin, and is no stranger to sports cars. Or a little rain. When he’s not busy with his job or writing songs and pretending to be a musician; Dave indulges his obsession with cars by diligently writing and researching so he can make other people aware of the dark side and convert them.
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