Re: Nissan GT-R Officially Revealed
sIFR_callback_0_DoFSCommand(info, args);Nissan's GT-R is a real stormer
Bravo ... 197mph GT-R beats my Evo
By EMMA PARKER BOWLES
Published: 06 Dec 2007
I’M just back from Japan, where I enjoyed an exclusive first drive of the Nissan GT-R.
Jealous? You should be.
The GT-R is the coolest, most exciting new car in the world. One awesome mean machine.
Which is why one royal family in the Middle East ordered 40.
Just one would do me - and if you drove the GT-R, I promise you’d sell your kidneys to own one. Just look at it. Have you ever seen anything so delicious? It looks so incredibly aggressive, hard and rude, like a Japanese Vinnie Jones. It’s so sexy it makes you want to rip your clothes off and scream: “Take me now, Big Boy.”
But you’ll have to wait. This Nissan doesn’t go on sale until late 2008, when it will cost an estimated £55,000 to £60,000.
It’s better than motors that cost twice that, though.
Let’s rewind to my first date with the Nissan GT-R.
Eat my dust ... this is the view most will see
“Excited” doesn’t cover it. I am a big fan of the old Skyline GT-Rs and ever since Nissan announced they were building a new GT-R I got a funny feeling in my pants.
But the new GT-R loses the Skyline name because it’s all new. The GT-R’s designer told me he was inspired by the B2 stealth jet - and this 15ft two-door coupé, on 20in alloy wheels with run-flat tyres, is aero-dynamictastic and has big, brawny shotputter’s shoulders.
I love the fact the design isn’t a rip-off of European cars - the GT-R is pure Japanese. You see bits of the Skyline but it looks like it has travelled back from the future. It’s like a Playstation road-racing game come to life. I didn't expect I would be breaking any records on the Sendai race circuit but finally, it was showtime, and I was dressed up in my race-suit looking like a little Nismo driver - NISMO-BITCH.
The interior is a sensation - it feels top quality and is beautifully put together with gorgeous hand-stitched leather.
And the multi-function display designed by Kazunori Yamuachi is a digital gamer’s dream.
It has 11 screens, four of which you set yourself, and you can choose to see everything from engine oil temperature and turbo-boost through to brake and steering inputs.
But I have saved the best until last. Driving this beast.
Flat out ... Emma gives it large
When I first fired it up, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting a sound so loud and rude it would knock God out of heaven and make the angels cry. Don’t get me wrong, it sounded good, grumbly and growly but it could do with being way louder. Just wait until those naughty tuners get their hands on it.
But the let-down was fleeting as I engaged first gear.
Unfortunately, instead of dainty racing booties I was wearing biker boots. Consequently, I stomped on the accelerator and, with a squeal of tyres, the GT-R lunged forward, pinning me back in my seat.
Luckily, thanks to its four- wheel drive, it just grips and goes, and it wasn’t long before I was in fourth gear and so blinded by its savage acceleration that I didn’t register I was approaching the first corner until almost too late.
Sweet baby Jesus, this car is fast - 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds, and 473 galloping horses.
Awesome ... new GT-R styling is seriously cool
I had planned to take it easy for a few laps but the GT-R is just impossible to drive slowly.
The gearbox is so smooth and quick, you can barely feel it changing gear and it instantly inspires confidence.
Too much, in fact, and I had a few “Oh s**t, I’m going to die!” moments taking corners too fast. But the clever electronic systems saved my bacon and the car just righted itself. Amazing. It’s a big, heavy car at 1740kg, but feels so light and nimble. The steering feels lovely and meaty and the car turns with the precision of a ninja.
Even at 160mph it feels stable and planted to the road. It will do 197mph but I ran out of track and skill.
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It was then time to hit the open road. The ride is on the hard side, even with the adjustable Bilstein dampers in their comfort setting. Which is fine by me because that’s the way I like it. But when I jumped into the back to see what it was like for a passenger, my head kept hitting the roof.
That, coupled with DVT-inducing legroom and a massive BOSE speaker in the middle of the seats, could make life in the back seat rather intense.
I could bang on for hours about the Nissan GT-R.
But I can honestly say that I have not found a car that would tempt me out of my Mitsubishi Evo. Until now.