The Top Secret shop’s “Skyline Japan R” was Smoky Nagata’s “what if” GT-R-inspired experiment.
If you’re at all familiar with the over-the-top greatness that Kazuhiko “Smoky” Nagata has birthed from Top Secret, his tuning shop established in the early ’90s, then this 1977 Skyline doesn’t really fit into his resume. It’s a much older chassis than what he’s usually tied to, and it doesn’t belt out huge power numbers, though his signature burnouts are still no more than a clutch dump away.
The Unexpected
The fifth-generation Skyline probably isn’t on your list of must-haves and doesn’t have the sort of sex appeal to take the place of the Hakosuka, R32, 33, or 34 that are likely near the top of your dream garage list. Though they’re uncommon and not highly sought after by the enthusiast community, decent condition models do demand a shocking premium. This Top Secret version serves as a restomod demo vehicle and the attention to detail is exactly what you’d expect from one of Japan’s most respected tuning firms.
If you’ve seen this car on the web somewhere, it’s probably referred to as a C210 GT-R and as you probably already know, there was no GT-R model available for the 5th generation Skyline seeing as how Nissan dropped the badge from the lineup for well over a decade, until the R32 was later introduced. Smoky’s vision revolved around creating his own high-performance model that would maintain the aura of the Skyline of the late ’70s while including a significant bump in power and some choice GT-R-inspired additions. The car was named the Skyline Japan R, and it’s finished in Top Secret’s masterfully detail-oriented manner, though curiously not given their signature gold treatment.
Friends In High Places
Purchased as a shell from Star Road (another well respected, high-level Japanese tuner) in 2019, Smoky and his shop wasted no time in getting the project underway in a dash to display it at the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon where it would go on to earn an excellence award. On the exterior, the Kenmeri GT-R’s influence can be seen on the custom flares that are color matched and flow with the car’s body lines perfectly.
There’s no wing tacked onto the rear, and under the factory front end is a sharp lip that extends beyond the factory bumper. That bumper, along with its rear counterpart, is refinished in gloss black and matched to the fender mirrors. Rolling stock consists of 15-inch Star Road Glow Star wheels with a two-tone treatment and Potenza RE-01 rubber. The look is incredibly clean and done so well that it would certainly trick those not familiar with the chassis into believing it’s some sort of a GT-R variant.
Like any Top Secret creation, the changes under the hood are the most eagerly anticipated. For this build, a big shiny turbo was left out of the equation, which is unlike the legendary tuning firm but Smoky desired a naturally aspirated layout and wasn’t about to milk the factory engine for all its worth. Instead, an Australian market RB30 was sourced and stuffed with HKS rods and pistons, and attached to a RB26 head fitted with HKS cams, custom individual throttle bodies, and a one-off header. A 5-speed manual transmission borrowed from an R32 GTS-T puts the power down, and an HKS F-Con V Pro calls the shots with around 280 horsepower on tap.
In Plain Sight
Scan the engine bay and it’s not a tucked and shaved “hide everything” affair; in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Fully functional and incorporating the essentials, including an operational air conditioner, the shop’s world class workmanship is on full display. The open-element ITBs and curvy header in place of a long plenum manifold, turbo, and accoutrements keep the inline-6 and its custom blue valve cover treatment the main focus, along with Smoky’s autograph splashed on the core support.
Rather than reinventing the interior layout, the same OEM-plus approach was taken with suede Bride seats brought in and a Nardi deep corn steering wheel that replaces the blue and black Momo wheel the build debuted with at TAS. The fighter jet-style factory gauge cluster remains untouched and like a true race-inspired project, the radio and speakers were pulled and the console void filled with a carbon fiber block-off plate.
The reason you might’ve seen this car popping up lately is because Kaiser Kars, the group that specializes in purchasing rare and high-level vehicles from private collectors and enthusiasts, have added this one-of-kind Skyline to their growing collection. You might recall their limited edition Nismo 270R, which we featured back in December. Yeah, they’ve got a knack for finding and purchasing some absolute gems.
Top Secret has sold other cars out of the stable in the past, but being at the right place at the right time, with the right amount of funds is not an easy task. Fortunately, Kaiser had an inside line on this build. “We were informed by a friend that this vehicle was going up for sale,” they tell us. “A deal was worked out from that for sale listing and this vehicle will stay part of the collection.” That’s not to say that the right amount of money couldn’t separate Kaiser Kars from Smoky’s one-of-one Skyline Japan GT-R, but at the current moment, the group is enjoying driving and displaying the car in the U.S.
1977 Nissan Skyline
Owner Kaiser Kars
Instagram @kaiserkars
Engine RB30 block; RB26 head; HKS rods, pistons, cams; custom engine mounts, individual throttle bodies, header, valve cover
Suspension custom suspension; Cusco pillow ball mounts
Drivetrain R32 GTS-t 5-speed transmission
Wheels and Tires 15-inch Star Road Glow Road wheels; 225/50 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01
Exterior Top Secret fender flares, front lip; blacked out front/rear bumpers, fender mirrors
Interior custom Bride seats; Nardi Deep Corn steering wheel; Grex shit knob; center console block-off plate; Top Secret floor mats
