Thursday, August 8, 2019

Prince Skyline Museum, Part 1 - Exterior, Gift Store, Model Cars and History

Friends, in an earlier post I promised photos from my trip to the Prince Skyline Museum in Nagano Prefecture. Here in Part 1, I'm uploading all the photos I took that aren't of the actual cars themselves - that will come in Part 2.

Enjoy!

The museum itself is located in Toriidaira Yamabiko Park.
The entrance to the Toriidaira Yamabiko Park - right above the parking lot.
Halfway up the stairs, looking back. You can see my blue Lexus in the lot.
As you crest the hill, this is what you see.
Close up.
Here is the main entrance on the side.
A closer shot. Not sure about the wooden deer but...
Immediately inside, after buying the admissions ticket there are two glass cabinet rows of Skyline paraphernalia

So this is right behind the entrance counter.
Of course I focused on this. Contemplated getting it but...
BNR32 and Hakosuka dishes...the "P&S" logo by the way of course, stands for Prince & Skyline
I wasn't impressed with the R33 plate so I passed on buying it...
Yes, chopsticks.
These are cool. 
Some ink drawings. Some better than others.
For the true diehards, start your day with coffee/tea in your Skyline mug cup...
and finish off your day with a cold one in your Skyline beer glass
If you're eating rice then of course with matching rice bowl...
I've met this guy...
This guy I have not, unfortunately. And since he's no longer with us... true Skyline fans know who he is.
Not bad. Gold frame? Maybe...not sure how I would frame it.
Finally about to enter the museum where the cars are but...
First some more non-car stuff. If you are a 33/34 fan, you have this man to thank.
Never seen so many Skyline Tomica in one location before. Probably most aren't available now commercially.
Recognize these engines?
Yep the FJ!
The brochure that came with the UK spec R33 GT-R.
Nissan UK Brochure for the R34 GT-R.
I didn't care for the wheels but was focused on the carbon drive shafts.
Lovely model of the road going LeMans R33
And some racecars
Backed up to focus on the ones in front.
These were interesting - they came attached to canned coffee drinks.
I would love to have a poster like this in my office!
So Prince Motors had its origins after the war, when all of sudden Japan had all of these unemployed military aircraft engineers. The same who designed and built the engines that powered the Hayabusa and the Zero, as well as other military aircraft...ever hear of Nakajima Aircraft or Tachikawa Aircraft?
This is the Type 21 engine these engineers built, that powered the Zero.
Nakajima Ki-84, aka the Hayate
I took a short video of this impressive scale model of the Murayama Factory that was tucked away in the corner, right after  - this is where all Skylines were built until production ended in March 2001. All GT-Rs built after that were built elsewhere but you'd have to ask a 34 fan on where (just kidding I know it was the Tochigi Factory). Note the test track!


1 comment:

Jason said...

nice post. please upload part 2!