Back in 1989 there were really only two supercars worth talking about: The Ferrari F40 and the Porsche 959. So it caused quite a stir when a car most of us Americans had never heard of, the Nissan Skyline GT-R, beat the all-wheel-drive Porsche 959's track time in the rain at Germany's famously demanding Nurburgring proving grounds.

Nowadays the Skyline is well-known among street racers worldwide, and in one of the Fast and Furious movies the protagonist even scores a coveted right-hand-drive version built for the Japanese market. (It is reportedly actor Paul Walker's own personal car.) But what many may not realize is that the now aggressive-looking Skyline started out as a rather humble, boxy vehicle. Check out these unintentionally amusing Skyline commercials, and peep the styling evolution, from the 1960s onwards: