Yes, there is a Prince Skyline. But no, he’s not part of any royal family. It’s not even a person. The Skyline is actually a luxury sedan that was launched by Prince Motor Company when it was still in existence. Although it would later be changed to the Nissan Skyline after Nissan merged with Prince in 1966, during its release, this sedan became one of the most popular cars in the Land of the Rising Sun. One of its version that made it big when it first came out was the second generation Prince Skyline.

The second generation Prince Skyline came in three types: the S50, the S54, and the S57. The S50 has earned the distinction of being one of the most desirable Skylines ever produced. It came in a sedan and wagon body styles. It’s powered by a G-1 engine that allowed it to produce 70 horsepower. The vehicle also sported another 1862 cc engine option that enabled the car to produce 91 horsepower at every outing. After its release, the S50 encountered various design changes. It was restyled and converted to the S21S series in 1962. It again underwent changes in 1963, this time sporting an A150 designation. Its last would be in 1966 when Nissan merged with Prince. This prompted the Skyline to sport Nissan’s badge.

The second version called the S54 paved the way for a racing version based on it to be released in 1964. Dubbed the GT Skyline, the car was equipped with a large six cylinder G-7 engine. Because it used a large engine, the car was given an 8” extension to help accommodate it. After its release, the car competed in the 2nd Japanese Grand prix and managed to win second behind a Porsche 904. Due to its success in the race track, the GT Skyline spawned two more generations. The first was the S54A which carried a 1988 cc G-7 single-carb I6 engine that allowed it to hit 105 horsepower. The second was the S54B which had a 1988 cc G-7 triple-carb I6 that enabled it to produce 125 horsepower. Unlike the S54A, the S54B sported a limited slip differential, power brakes, and a five-speed manual transmission.

The third version, which was christened the S57 was released in 1967. Under the Nissan brand, the sedan was equipped with a 1.5-liter G15 Nissan engine. This enabled the car to produce 88 horsepower. This engine is considered to be the most powerful engine under Japan’s 1500 cc engine class.

Thanks to the unique features that the S50 Prince Skyline and its predecessors had, Prince was able to sell a total of 114,238 units from 1963 to 1968. That helped cement its reputation of being one of the most popular cars built in Japan. So if you ever happen to spot one, let’s say, in an auction house or a used car sales shop, don’t think twice. Make sure you grab it at once. Not only will you be the talk-of-the-town in the West, you’ll also be really popular in the East as well.

Source: Wikipedia