- "Nissan GT-R GT500 '99" redirects here. For other 1999 GT500-spec R34 GT-R models appearing in previous games, see the "See also" section.
The Nissan PENNZOIL Nismo GT-R '99 (known in Gran Turismo 7 as Nissan GT-R GT500 '99) is a race car produced by Nissan. It first appeared in Gran Turismo 2 and has been featured in all subsequent mainline games except Gran Turismo Sport.
The car appears to be the #1 driven by Érik Comas and Satoshi Motoyama, the former of whom would later go on to win the GT500 Driver's Championship of the 1999 JGTC season, with the latter finishing in 3rd place overall (due to Motoyama skipping the season's second round at Fuji in order to take part in pre-qualifying for that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans). Swedish driver Anders Olofsson would be Comas' co-driver at round 2 (Fuji) in place of Motoyama.
In-game description[]
"This Super GT race car was made faster by shortening its wheelbase and lowering its center of gravity."
Nissan originally conceived the Skyline GT-R R32 as a Group A race car, but when Group A racing went defunct, Nissan found a new series for its prized car, the Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC). The GT-R later underwent a full redesign as the R33, and performance of this new car on the track was impressive to say the least. However, as Nissan's main rivals, Toyota, started contesting with a faster version of the Supra, and Honda added more heat when it joined the series in 1997, the GT-R was losing its grasp on JGTC dominance.
Although Nissan took both the Driver's Championship and Constructor's Title in 1998, the company switched to the new R34 in 1999 as the foundation for its race car. The new GT-R rode on a 55-mm shorter wheelbase than the R33, making it more agile than its predecessor. Also a shallower oil pan and the fuel tank relocated inside the cabin accounted for better weight distribution.
The new revived GT-R found itself in far fiercer competition than anticipated, and didn't score its first win until the fourth race of the season. The GT-R was unable to log a second win that year, but collected enough points on the strength of its reliability to give Erik Comas, driving the Pennzoil NISMO GT-R, the Driver's Championship for the second year in a row before the final race was even run.
Legend Cars (GT7)[]
The Nissan Skyline GT-R has a storied racing history. It established a tradition that has continued with these second generation GT-Rs. The 1999 Pennzoil Nismo GT-R was powered by an inline 6-cylinder RB26DETT engine... And won the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship. Showing rock-solid performance over the years, it has proved itself to be a natural winner. While the R34 GT-R took the title victory again in 2003, its final year... The battle-tested GT-R engine under its bonnet had already been changed to the new V6. This means that this 1999 Pennzoil was the last GT-R to win the series title with the iconic inline 6 engine. There's just something special about this inline 6 model. For me, its achievements are nothing short of legendary.
Café (GT7)[]
Chris[]
This is a truly historic car... and an extremely valuable one. Erik Comas became Driver Champion behind the wheel of a GT-R at the 1999 All Japan GT Championships. In fact, the Pennzoil car finished in a point position in every race that season... And claimed 4 podium finishes out of 7 that year. It was also the last GT-R powered by an RB26DETT engine to claim a title victory in the GT Championships.
Shiro Nakamura[]
This is a good looking car. I think it's one of the more popular cars in Gran Turismo. The R34 Skyline... It was a car created with a clear intent by the developers, to make a sports sedan as the base for the GT-R. In the late 1990s, it wasn't normal to think about making a 4 door sedan that only had limited rear cabin space. But as a result, the R34 became a GT-R that really stands out even in the history of GT-Rs. That's why it's[1] even more popular now. Even when turned into a race car like this, it still feels very much like an R34.
Jeremy[]
Ah, Car No. 1! I know this one! It's the Pennzoil Nismo GT-R that competed in the 1999 All-Japan GT Championships! Erik Comas drove the No.23 Pennzoil car to victory... and secured the precious No. 1 for this car. Oh yeah, I've got another piece of trivia, if you're interested! A lot of Nissan GT race cars are numbered 23, right? Well, guess what the first car to use that number was... That's right—it was actually the Pennzoil in 1998![2]
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 2 | Nissan Special Showroom | 1,000,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | Nissan Dealership | 785,000 | Win the Professional All-Japan GT Championship. |
| Gran Turismo Concept | --- | --- | Complete Course License #3 with Bronze or better.[3] |
| Gran Turismo 4 | Nissan Dealership | 1,350,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo PSP | Nissan Dealership | 1,000,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 5 | Used Car Dealership (Lv. 18+) | 733,073 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Nissan Dealership | 750,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 7 | Legend Cars | 2,700,000[4] | --- |
Trivia[]
- This car appeared with fictional exaggerated specs as a 702BHP 4WD race car in Gran Turismo 2. In later games it was changed to more accurately reflect the real-life race car.
- There is a typo in the car's internal name used from GT3 onwards, which is "penzoil_gtr_99" (note that there's only one "n" in "penzoil").
- In real life, the car's chassis was later repainted into the #2 Castrol Nismo car (teammate to the #1 Loctite/Zexel car) the following season and then was written off during qualifying for first round of that season's Twin Ring Motegi race. As a result, the car that Nissan exhibits in real life is actually the chassis that was formerly the Nissan Calsonic Skyline GT-R GT (JGTC) '99; the repainted car features the newer non-painted mirrors, the early 1999 spec hood and no canards.
- It appears that the car in GT7 is a recreation of the original destroyed chassis, as it features the original painted mirrors, the late 1999 spec hood and a pair of front canards.
- In GT7, GT Auto offers an option to install the GT-R emblem on the car's front grille. Additionally, if the prompt to remove the car's default livery is answered in the Livery Editor, the lower black paint will not disappear until the car is repainted.
Pictures[]
.png "Pennzoil Skyline Interior (GT7).png (409 KB)")
Videos[]
See also[]
- Other GT500 R34 GT-Rs from the 1999 season: