MUSCLE machine the Nissan Skyline has been named the Most Iconic Japanese Car Ever by fans of Japfest, the biggest celebration of Japanese cars and culture in Europe.

Organisers of the show, this year at the Silverstone circuit, ran a survey among its social media followers to see which performance car would come out on top.

And leading the way was the Skyline, a model that first came to prominence in the UK in 1997 as the star of the Gran Turismo console game.

Runner-up was the Toyota Supra, with the Subaru Impreza WRX in third spot.

Japfest manager Katherine Chappell said: "The Nissan Skyline is one of the cars that really kicked off the Japanese tuning craze in the UK, so it's no surprise to see that it's been named as the most iconic Japanese performance car of all time.

"Japfest is a real celebration of the culture that it, in part, created, and we look forward to celebrating its success this year among the event's festival atmosphere."

The show has moved to Silverstone after reaching capacity at its previous venue with more than 16,000 spectators and 3,500 cars on display or on the circuit.

Its sister event Japfest Rock! - the new name for Japfest 2 - returns to Rockingham Motor Speedway on June 26 while a third event, Japfest Motorsport Heroes, has also been added to the calendar.

The latter, at Hop Farm near Paddock Wood, Kent, on September 11, will celebrate some of the most significant Japanese cars from motor sport, along with their road going equivalents.

Full details of the show and cars from the website . Discounted early bird tickets are also still available via the website, saving £5 on the gate price.