Ask any car enthusiast, and they’ll say the most satisfying sound is the roar of a supercar engine.
Now imagine over 70 Nissan GT-Rs roaring together in one place. That’s exactly what happened at the Malaysia GT-R Festival 2025 on Aug 2.
Back for its second consecutive year, this year’s GT-R Festival is the precursor to the Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur (TASKL) 2025 event, kicking-off on Aug 8.
In the weekend event, GT-R owners from across Malaysia rolled into the Gamuda Cove Experience Gallery in Dengkil to celebrate Japan’s most iconic supercar.
It was a rare sight: a stream of cars arriving, creating a lineup of GT-Rs spanning from vintage classics to tuned modern models.
The Hakosuka, the first-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R produced in 1969, turned heads at the event and even took home an award – you’ll have to keep reading to find out which one.
Widely regarded as one of Japan’s greatest racing cars, the Hakosuka earned numerous victories on the track in its early years. With only 1,945 units ever produced, it remains a coveted prize among collectors.
Other models present were the Skyline R32 GT-R, famously nicknamed “Godzilla”, followed by the equally iconic R33 and R34 models.
And of course, plenty of current-generation R35s were on display. Fun fact: the R35’s production ends with 2025 as its final model year, but Nissan has yet to confirm whether a next-generation GT-R will follow.
Despite the presence of all these cars, stealing the spotlight was none other than automotive legend Hiroshi Tamura, globally hailed as the father of the modern GT-R.
The 63-year-old couldn’t contain his excitement at seeing “his babies”. FMT Lifestyle had the opportunity to speak with Tamura himself about his legacy.
“When I was 10 years old, I saw the ‘Hako’ Skyline GT-R. That left a big imprint on me, and someday I wanted to be in Nissan. I wanted to create a skyline GT-R,” he said.
Tamura did begin his career at Nissan in 1984 while in his early 20s, working across various departments before being promoted to the product development team during the R33 era.
Reflecting upon his career, Tamura shared: “For some people, a dream is a dream, a job is a job. But I couldn’t separate them. That’s why I asked Nissan, ‘Please give me a chance to create a Skyline GT-R.’ Then, my dream came true in 1997.”
Over the years, Tamura has had a hand in cars like the R33 and R34 Skyline GT-Rs, the R35 GT-R, 370Z Nismo, and now the new Z.
And Tamura’s pride in the GT-R remains strong.
During the Q&A session with fans and car owners, Tamura was asked how this Japanese supercar compares to European race cars. His answer was simple: “GT-R’s competitor is, and was, GT-R.”
He also shared that his personal car to this day is his 36-year-old R32 Skyline GT-R.
During the event, Tamura mingled with fans, signed autographs, and posed for photos with car owners. He also personally selected three cars worthy of awards: Best Design, Best Tuning, and Tamura’s Choice of GT-R.
Unsurprisingly, the Millennium Jade first-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R, owned by Nur Azam Shah Mohd Aziz, won the award for Tamura’s Choice of GT-R – the car bore a colour he said he had never seen before on this model.
This being Tamura’s second visit to the country, he shared: “Malaysia is one of my favourite countries because of the good atmosphere I feel here.”
Tamura also highlighted how Tokyo Auto Salon and Nissan share a long history, going back to the first show in Japan in 1983.
“About 40 years ago, when the Tokyo Auto Salon first started, there was already a strong presence of Skyline GT-Rs and Nissan Fairlady Zs on the scene,” he recalled.
Naturally, he’s especially excited to be part of the upcoming show in KL, taking place at MITEC from Aug 8-10.
This year’s edition promises to be even bigger and better, featuring six Japanese automotive icons, the arrival of several iconic builds from Japan, and a showcase of Malaysia’s best tuners.
Purchase your tickets to Tokyo Auto Salon Kuala Lumpur here, and follow the event on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
