Prince Skyline Sensation

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In April 2006, the Prince Skyline Register of Australia held their Nationals in Bathurst, New South Wales (Australia). As any racing fanatic will know, Bathurst is home to Mount Panorama – undeniably Australia’s most famous racetrack. 2006 marked the 40th anniversary of the Prince Skyline’s first appearance on the famous Bathurst race track—so what better venue than this!

It took a lot of effort from the organisers to get the event happening, and dedication from members who came from everywhere in Australia and even a couple from New Zealand! Sixteen Prince Skylines of various spec were in attendance, along with two C10 “GT-R replica” Skylines and me in my “modern” (!) C110 GT-R replica.

We also had several visitors who couldn’t bring their car, including a couple from New Zealand who came over here specifically for the event. Some cars drove over 1000km for the meeting. There are very few Prince Skylines left in Australia, but the owners of the remaining cars are dedicated enthusiasts with a passion for these cars. The dedication of the owners shows through with their absolutely immaculate cars. Most of the cars in attendance were in showroom condition, with a couple of beautifully restored cars that have had no expense spared.

Back to Bathurst Back to Bathurst

The members met on Saturday to catch up, discuss cars and make new friends. Some went for small drives around the town, while others talked in the car park and inside the hotel, eagerly discussing various components, catching up on “Prince news” and exchanging stories. We had a great dinner party on Saturday night where some lucky members won prizes including hats, “GT-R” watches, brake equipment and other nicities!

On Sunday, the attendees woke up early for the “drive day”. In a large convoy, we drove through the beautiful Australian countryside and stopped for lunch in Milford, before heading back to Bathurst for a drive on the legendary Mt. Panorama race course. The track is a public road all through the year, except when the races are on. This is a fantastic race course with some very steep inclines and declines, but as it is a public road the speed limit of 60 km/h was enforced. It was still a wonderful experience for the members, some of whom had never been there before.

Back to Bathurst Back to Bathurst Back to Bathurst

It was Monday morning already, and our meeting was almost over. The members packed up all of their belongings and head out for one more short drive before their return home. We visited the National Motor Racing Museum in Bathurst where there were a number of classic racing cars and motorcycles that raced on the track in past years.

Back to Bathurst Back to Bathurst

By afternoon, we had to head off back home. It was a truly breath-taking weekend, but like all good car meetings it was far too short! We had a great turnout of cars though, and everybody had a great time. Many new friends were made and it was a breath-taking event that will be sure to last in the memories of our members for a long time. I took as many pictures as I could, as this was not only the first time I had seen a Prince up close and personal but a C10 Skyline too! Please click below to see the full gallery.

Back to Bathurst ’06 Gallery

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This post is filed under: events, nissan, prince.

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