Nissan Skyline GT/R
 

Anyone following this car's soon to be arrival in the good ole U.S.A. ?

Todd SmileWavy

There are quite a few here already, there is a guy on a Florida forum I frequent that has a RHD one he somehow got over here and registered.

Sweet cars. I see them in the Bahamas and I freak out.

Its sort of like when the Evo finally made it over here a few years back.

They've dropped the "Skyline" part of the name for the 2009 model year. When it goes on sale in the US, it will just be the "GTR".

I don't like it.

See if you can follow this:

It is front-engined, rear-transaxle, AWD.

Do you see what is wrong?

It has two driveshafts: one that goes from the engine to the rear transaxle, and one that goes from the rear transaxle to the front differential.

It is also heavy. Close to 4,000 lbs.

The reported performance stats on the car are pretty unbelievable, and they come at a great price. Unfortunately, it looks terrible.

It would be a great car if you wanted to impress 15 year old boys.

Catholic priests are lining up now in showrooms.

I just read Car and Driver's preview. 3.5 seconds to 60, 11 something in the quarter mile for a mere 70 large? The quote in the artice went something like "betters the performance of the 911 turbo at just over half the cost". I'm thinking that in a couple of years it will be well over $100,000 to get into a new one and the used cars will not depreciate much.

Look how much the latest 911 turbo is lately...

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/supercars/nissan-gt-r-dyno-475hp-at-the-hubs/

http://www.motorauthority.com/wp-con...tr_main_03.jpg

Same can be said of the Z06, which is faster around the N-ring by several seconds, but they are depreciating just fine.

Very nice car with a history that not many Americans know anything about.

It will appeal to a different performance car owner than the typical Porsche owner - especially the owner of an older 911 Porsche. Not many on this forum will appreciate it.

As for its looks - it has a drag coefficient of .27 which took some effort to achieve. I think its a great looking car.

Just my .02 opinion.

From Nissan
This new package enables the use of the world's first application of an independent transaxle 4WD system. The transaxle's layout places the dual-clutch transmission, transfer case and final drive at the rear of the vehicle (instead of the usual front location), which enables vehicle weight to be evenly distributed throughout the car. This gives the Nissan GT-R a superb front-to-rear weight balance, while enhancing leg and foot space and allowing for an optimal pedal layout.

But the Z06 is a Chevy Corvette.

And wasn't it Nissan who in the past claimed this, that and the other of their Skyline. The only part they left out was that it wasn't the same boost or cams that would in the road car.
Have any been independently tested yet off the showroom floor. I bet the numbers will be nothing near Nissan's claims.
At the end of the day we'll seem them split in two from tree impacts etc.

Just a bit off the subject. The last time I was stationed on Okinawa I had one but a 90s model. Lots of fun and if it had been reasonably doable to bring it back I would have. Lots of performance parts over there and used ones were cheap, as in about 4K for a moderately modded mid 90s in good shape.

FOG

I have a passion for GTR's, in Canada we can import them after they are 15 years old, so there are quite a few R32 GTR's around. My father-in-law in Tokyo has owned them as long as they have been around, his last was a white R34 GTR, and he is to get (already received?) one of the first 20 production GTR's. They are fantastic machines, and every bit as capable as the hype suggests. Remember, the GTR was the first production car to break the 8 minute mark around the Nordshliefe.

Sadly, I am not sure the GTR will do well in NA. The GTR started getting a following in NA because of games like GranTurisimo 4, and I am not sure the demographic matches that of guys willing to part with $70k for one. Having said that, Nissan is only bringing 1500 cars for 08, so it might do ok. Such a shame, because in most respects, it is a superior car to the 997TT that sells for so much more.

I was disappointed that it weighs in a 3858 lbs, but even more disappointing to me is that only comes with a flappy paddle gearbox. I know they are faster, but buying a car like this should be about fun, and I'm sorry, anything without a clutch pedal is just not as much fun. The real reason manufacturers are going to these semi-auto boxes is because the computer controls the driveline and therefore they can reduce warranty claims.

I have my fingers crossed that the 2009 V-spec model will have a proper manual gearbox. It is said to save 300lbs of weight, which would be pretty astonishing.

2008 GTR
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197732866.jpg

R34 GTR
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197732956.jpg

R33 GTR
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197733005.jpg

R32 GTR
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197733094.jpg

KPGC110
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197733151.jpg

KPGC10
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1197733201.jpg

Komenda,

My son is now 16 and he keeps saying things to the effect that I should have tried harder to bring it back. It was a grey 92 R32 that was solid with some seat wear.

The military can bring them back but it takes time and coordination, neither of which I had when I had to execute PCS orders. From my limited research the costs to get it registered would have exceeded the purchase costs.

FOG

I predict the car will sell in low numbers here in the US, but will meets the sales expectations of the Nissan.

Nissan have grossly underated them, a few of the US cars that were sold have been hitting 475at the wheels...which shows why they will run to 60mph in 3.5secs flat.

The Skyline has a VERY strong following here even though the car was never sold, it has a global legacy. The value is outstanding and you are getting alot of car for the $$$.

Toyota's new Supra rumored to be V-10 and possible twin turbocharged will be even more $$$. Its interesting times for us real car guys and I am very happy to see the car market getting interesting with real driver's cars and not the SUV crap people have been buying.

Yasin

Yasin - I would love to see that Supra, but its been ten years of rumours regarding a new Supra, and I have given up hope. It will probably happen one day, but...

FOG - totally different market in the US, because there are so few due to the importation restrictions. Motorex legally imported approximately 30 or 40 cars before shutting down. That 92 GTR (a fine year) you could probably sell for quite a bit of coin in the US. We have a lot of them here in the Toronto area, but we can't sell them to you guys. When the R32 first started showing up in Toronto, they were commanding +$20k prices, but now that the market has been satisfied, some nice examples can be found for closer to $12 - 15k.

Komenda,

The best numbers I could get were between 8-12K to get it legal. Being active duty there was a way to ship it but then safety updates, and engine back to stock (with extras in household goods) then getting it insured was a hassle to begin with.

I executed short notice orders and didn’t have a chance to even clear my own house and get the movers to get my stuff (had a friend be there for the pick-up)>

I was just going to dump the car for a slight loss (2k for 2 years of fun and basic no hassle transpo when I was on Oki) but a GySgt. who worked for me talked me out that COA. Basically I let him clean up the seats, touch the paint, and a few other odds and ends then sell the car. He made money and I rec’d $800.00 more than I paid for it.

Still would have been fun around here…

S/F, FOG

And the GTR is a Nissan. Your point is...