INFO GUIDE: 1988 Nissan Skyline R31 Silhouette GTS1 (SVD)

• Cloth Scheel front seats (Australian made and hand stitched - customised by SVD).⁸ The seats had the standard Scheel logos fitted in the centre of the back rest.
• A two-tone grey cloth with red stripe was applied to all the seats and door card insert panels. The trim fabric type was also available on the non-SVD Silhouette model, however, the seat trim on the SVD cars was customized with the stripes running diagonally with additional seams. All cars were fitted with a loop pile grey carpet and grey headlining (trim code: K).
• Dashboard plastics in the GTS1 were the same as in the Silhouette model, being a two-tone dark grey over light grey, with silver central panel surround.
• A leather bound 4-spoke Momo steering wheel was originally fitted. The majority of wheels have an exposed centre boss and black metal spokes, with a small "Nissan" badge on a white background fitted. From several cars and initial articles sighted, however, a centre/spoke padded leather cover was available, embossed with "Nissan SVD". Examples with and without the centre pad are provided in the images. On the rear side of one spoke you will see several stamping marks including: “Momo”, "Made in Italy", "Type M38", and a 4-digit month and year of build (which should be 1987), and the part number "KBA 70056".
• A security coded Eurovox sound system was fitted standard, as was a security alarm system.⁹ The original sound system had “Nissan Special Vehicles Division” printed on the tape entry flap.
• A comprehensive digital trip computer was fitted standard, as carried over from the Silhouette model.
• A uniquely numbered SVD build badge was applied to the glovebox lid.
• Wind-up windows were applied to all GTS1 vehicles, and no central locking was applied (both in an effort to reduce weight and cost).
• A unique owner's manual supplement was provided with the cars, as shown in the images.

Model number:

As the GTS1 was based on the Silhouette series 2 Skyline, a model number of CJR31FSE was applied to all vehicles. We note that the 6th digit "F" referred to the manual transmission fitted to all GTS1s.

Chassis number:

The GTS1 is allocated a standard HR31 chassis number from the factory, as the cars essentially started off as Silhouette models before being sent off for modification by Nissan's SVD. The chassis number will begin with "V", followed by a 5-digit unique number. The chassis number is located in several positions:

1. Stamped on the vehicle’s Nissan build plate (mounted on the passenger side upper-bulkhead next to the SVD build plate).

2. Stamped into the upper-central bulkhead in the engine bay (next to the Australian compliance plate).

3. Embossed on the vehicle’s compliance plate (mounted on the driver’s side bulkhead in the engine bay).

4. Stamped into the vehicle’s SVD build plate (mounted on the passenger side upper bulkhead next to the Nissan build plate).

Naturally, it is important to confirm that the chassis number noted on the SVD build plate is the same as that located in positions 1-3 as described above.

SVD build number:

The SVD build number will appear in two locations:

1. On the SVD build plate (mounted on the passenger side upper bulkhead next to the Nissan build plate).

2. On the badge fitted to the glovebox lid

Observations with respect to build numbers and build dates. 

Build dates will appear on both the Nissan chassis plate and the SVD plate as demonstrated in the images. We have undertaken a small sample analysis of Nissan chassis plates and SVD plates on the GTS1 vehicles, and note that there is generally a 1 - 2 month gap between the Nissan build date, and the SVD build date, which makes sense in terms of build-delivery-rebuild time. From the small sample data we have, we also noted that several GTS1s had the same SVD build date, but there are gaps in the SVD build numbers between these cars of up to 24 units. For example, SVD car number 165 and car number 189 were both built on September 16, 1988. This, along with several other shared build dates with smaller gaps between the build numbers, suggests the vehicles would have been built in a number of batches (in some cases possibly quite large batches) throughout the production period. This is, however, only an observation based on assumptions with limited data. Anyone with further information on the production process is encouraged to contact us or comment below.

The GTS1 was fitted with the RB30E engine, which was essentially the same engine block as applied to the standard Silhouette model. Naturally, a number of modifications were made to the GTS1 engines and ancillaries to ensure a substantial power increase occurred. See the mechanical features section of this guide for specific details.

Engine number format:

The RB30E engine will have a number in the format: 1#####A

With the RB30 engines allocated to vehicles at Nissan between April 1988 and December 1988, the engine numbers applied to the GTS1 will generally be between 140000A and 170000A.¹⁰

Engine number location:

The engine number on the RB30E is provided in two locations:

1. Stamped into a small flat area on the inlet side (driver's side) of the engine block. This small flat area is located toward the front of the block, slightly lower and forward of the oil filter. Below the engine number, "RB30" will be cast into the engine block.

2. The engine number is also embossed on the vehicle's Nissan data plate on the engine bay bulkhead.

Engine specifications:¹¹

The GTS1 was based on the standard RB30E 3.0l (2962cc) fuel injected SOHC engine (as used in many other Australian R31 skylines), however, several modifications were made to the engine accessories to increase power. These modifications included 2.25 inch stainless steel extractors / exhaust system, a stage 1 re-profiled camshaft (developed by Wade Engineering in Melbourne)¹¹ and an oil cooler. Nismo Australia reportedly also assisted with the design and development of the engine improvements.¹² The car's compression ratio was revised to 9.0:1, resulting in a 14% power increase on the standard RB30E engine. The GTS1 produced 130kw at 5,500rpm, and 255Nm of torque at 3,500rpm. ​This provided for a 0 – 100 sprint in 9.2 seconds (results vary depending on source), and a top speed of 220km/h.¹³

Other mechanical specifications and enhancements:¹⁴

• Returned springs, Bilstein gas dampers, 27mm front sway bar (vs 25mm on the standard car). The Fred Gibsom Racing Team (Gibson Motorsport) was involved in the suspension setup development.¹⁵
• Speed-sensitive power assisted steering.
• Goodyear Eagle 215/55 VR tyres mounted on white 16 x 7 inch 11-spoke alloy wheels.¹⁶
• Larger front disc brakes than the standard car, and upgraded pads all-round. The GTS1 received the GTS-R disc brake package (discs / rotors and callipers) at the front (274mm x 22mm rotors).  Rear discs are 260mm x 10mm. The GTS1 also had a revised master cylinder design (split point).¹⁷
• 5-speed manual transmission (no automatic available on the GTS1).
• A limited slip differential was fitted standard. The final drive ratio is 3.7:1.¹⁸
• Inbuilt alarm system and comprehensive digital trip computer was a standard feature.
• Central locking, power windows and cruise control were deleted from the GTS1 to keep costs and weight down.¹⁹