INFO GUIDE: 1989 - 1990 Nissan Skyline R31 Silhouette GTS2 (SVD)

This guide has been written for the Nissan Skyline Silhouette GTS Sedan, produced in limited numbers by Nissan Australia’s "Special Vehicles Division" (SVD) in 1989 and 1990. Although officially known as the Silhouette "GTS", enthusiasts and the media have attributed the "GTS2" name to this vehicle to distinguish it from the previous SVD GTS released in 1988. For clarity, we have referred to the car throughout this guide as the GTS2. Built in very low numbers, these Skylines have a strong following and are recognised as a unique piece of Nissan Australia’s history. Classic Register currently hosts a number of GTS2 vehicles on the Register - please feel free to upload your car's details so we can document as many of these rare skylines as possible.

The SVD GTS2 has a number of unique features when compared to its standard counterparts, and was built to provide an exclusive and high performance option for Skyline customers during the period when the R31 GTS-R skyline was competing in the Australian Touring Car Championship. The idea of a higher performance Australian built skyline was initially teased to the public as a concept car (known as the Super Silhouette Turbo) at the 1987 Sydney International Motor Show.¹ This concept car had a similar appearance to the final GTS1 design release in 1988. An intercooled turbo sedan developed by SVD went on to be used as a pace car in several high profile Australian motorsport events including the 1988 Australian Grand Prix, further promoting the SVD brand.² Following a successful production run of 200 GTS1 vehicles in 1988, the GTS2 was launched. Six GTS2 vehicles were also purchased by the Tasmanian police for traffic and pursuit work in 1990, reflecting a similar order made for the GTS1 in 1988.³ On release, the GTS1 cost $35,490 (AUD) with the manual transmission, and $37,090 (AUD) for the automatic.⁴

Production numbers:

200 units were produced by SVD, each individually numbered with a plaque on the dash, and unique vehicle identification plate. This included 96 manuals, and 104 automatics. Unlike the GTS1 which was based on the Silhouette model, The GTS2 started out as a GXE model, and was built with certain accessories stripped or altered before being sent to the SVD factory for modification.⁵ In addition to the 200 civilian GTS vehicles produced, 6 additional GTS2 vehicles were produced for the Tasmanian police in 1990. Further information on these police vehicles and other service vehicles with SVD involvement are summarised on section 6 of this guide.

Period of manufacture:

The majority of GTS2 vehicles were built between August 1989 and December 1990. However, several orders are believed to have extended production through to as late as April 1991.⁶

Please note, this guide has been written based on a variety of period magazine articles, online sources and enthusiast input. You should not rely on this guide to make any purchasing decision and we make no representation that all information is accurate. You should always seek independent professional advice when looking to purchase a unique car. If you have additional information, photographs or corrections you believe could improve this guide, please contact us so we can improve this page for everyone's benefit.