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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11The R32 Skyline GT-R’s “Godzilla” nickname was proposed in a Wheels magazine editorial conversation in 1989, before the car’s Australian racing victories made it famous. Journalist Angus MacKenzie later recalled that editor Phil Scott suggested the comparison after hearing the Japanese word for “monster.”
Where did the R32’s “Godzilla” nickname come from?
In a 2021 retrospective, journalist Angus MacKenzie traced the name to Wheels magazine’s July 1989 cover story about Nissan’s new Skyline GT-R. The story included a line by Japanese correspondent Peter Nunn: “The Japanese call it Obakemono – the monster.” MacKenzie recalled telling editor Phil Scott that the word meant “monster.” Scott replied, “What, like Godzilla?” (MacKenzie’s account in WhichCar.)
This is a later recollection of the naming exchange, not a contemporaneous transcript. Nissan’s histories also attribute the nickname to Australian media, but they do not reproduce the specific conversation. The available accounts therefore distinguish the reported editorial origin from the broader media association.
Why was the R32 compared to a monster?
The comparison fit a car arriving with serious performance credentials. Nissan dates R32 GT-R production to August 21, 1989, and describes a 2.6-liter twin-turbo engine and an all-wheel-drive concept developed by Nismo. Its heritage materials identify the engine as the RB26DETT and the system as ATTESA E-TS (Nissan Heritage Collection; Nissan’s R32 heritage information).
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“Godzilla” was a vivid press nickname, not Nissan’s model designation. The word connected the car’s Japanese origin and formidable reputation to the well-known movie monster; the R32’s competition results would soon give the comparison a wider audience.
How racing made “Godzilla” famous
The naming story began in 1989; the victories that cemented the label came afterward. Nissan’s Nismo history says R32 GT-Rs won 29 consecutive domestic races from 29 starts and dominated Australian touring-car competition from 1990 to 1993. It credits a local journalist with christening the car “Godzilla” (Nismo heritage history).
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Australian Touring Car Championship
Nissan Australia’s 2024 retrospective cites the Australian Motor Racing Yearbook 1991 for the R32’s first Australian Touring Car Championship season: Nissans won seven of nine races, recorded six 1–2 finishes and led 337 of 425 laps. These figures help explain why the car’s fearsome image travelled beyond the original magazine story (Nissan Australia’s Bathurst history).
Bathurst 1000
The GT-R also won the Bathurst 1000 in consecutive years, 1991 and 1992, with Jim Richards and Mark Skaife. The 1992 race was stopped by red flag in dangerous rain, and officials determined the result using standings from before the stoppage. Those wins became a defining part of the R32’s Australian reputation (Nissan Australia).
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- Has opening hood and trunk
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The short version: a name first, a legend afterward
The best-supported timeline is straightforward: Phil Scott’s “Godzilla” suggestion is recalled as part of the July 1989 Wheels cover-story discussion; the R32’s subsequent dominance on Australian circuits made the nickname stick. The name was not coined by a Bathurst win, even though those wins helped turn it into shorthand for the car’s racing power.
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- Plastic model kit-assembly required
- Glue and paint sold separately
- Manufacturer item #: 24258
Rank #4
- Brand new box
- Real rubber tires.
- Detailed interior, exterior.
- Die-cast metal body and chassis,
- Dimensions approximately L-2.75 inches long.
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