Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R

After a sixteen-year silence, the GT-R came roaring back in 1989, and it returned as a monster. The R32 is the car that earned the badge its immortal nickname: an Australian magazine watched it demolish the local touring car series, dubbed it "Godzilla," and the name (which is possible the greatest car nickname of all time) has stuck to every GT-R since. It dominated Group A racing so thoroughly that it essentially broke the championship.

The hardware explains why. The RB26DETT, a 2.6-liter twin-turbo inline-six, was officially rated at 276 horsepower under Japan's gentleman's agreement, though the real figure sat comfortably north of 300. More important was how it put that power down, through the clever ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system that fed torque to the front wheels only when needed, backed by Super HICAS four-wheel steering. That blend of muscle and traction became the template every later GT-R has followed.

The R32 is now the most accessible way into genuine Godzilla ownership, and as the first of the modern cars to clear the 25-year import barrier, it is the one that introduced a whole generation of overseas enthusiasts to the legend. My only advice is to double check its oil pump has been sorted. Buy a clean one, own the car that kicked off the modern myth.