Nissan’s greatest hits

01 Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R

Launched in 1969, this was the very first Skyline to wear the GT-R badge. Only available as a four-door for the first two years of its life, it was conceived to keep Nissan competitive in Japanese touring car racing.

02 R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R

After a 16-year hiatus, the GT-R returned for a third generation in 1989. The R32’s highly tuneable 2.6-litre twin-turbo straight-six engine and complex four-wheeldrive system made it a proper giant-killer in Group A racing. The original Godzilla.

03 R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R

The last of the true Skyline GT-Rs, the R34 inspired a generation of tuners with four-figure power outputs perfectly achievable. An icon for all of those who were brought up on a diet of Gran Turismo and Fast and Furious.

04 R35 Nissan GT-R

Sorry, we know Nissan does make cars that aren’t just different generations of the GT-R, but how could we ignore the hugely popular R35? Despite being unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, the R35 has only just been taken off sale in Europe.

05 Nissan Qashqai

OK, so we might not be the biggest crossover fans here at TopGear, but there is absolutely no denying the impact that the original Qashqai had on the entire motoring world. A huge British built success story.

06 Nissan S15 Silvia

Back to the Nissan we love. The S15 Silvia was only sold new in Japan, Australia and New Zealand, but thanks to the world of drifting it has now gained international acclaim. Bet you’ve never seen a standard one.

07 Nissan R390 GT1

The Ian Callum-designed, Tom Walkinshaw Racing-developed R390 might not have been as successful at Le Mans as Nissan would have hoped, but the short-lived project did mean one 3.5-litre twin-turbo V8-engined road car was built for homologation purposes.

08 Nissan Cube

It’s well known that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that. Introduced in 2002, the second-generation Cube was a brilliant piece of boxy design that earned it a cult following worldwide. Even the designer Sebastian Conran is a fan.

09 Nissan Fairlady Z

Known as the Datsun 240Z on our shores, the original Z car did wonders for Datsun’s reputation in Great Britain. Who knew 150bhp rear-wheel-drive sports cars could be reliable? Not Brits until this came along.