JustinStrife wrote:
Don't get butt-hurt Greg.

No butt-hurt involved, brotha.

We all know you own a 'vette. We hear about it a lot.

Incidentally, I spent some time on the track with a C6 2 weekends ago. Not impressed. Neither was the owner, who couldn't shake me (relative amateur) through the twisties.

But this isn't a thread about GTR (which will be here sooner than you think) vs Vette (which is still plagued with QC issues).

If it was, I'd have mentioned the disparity in build quality, power-to-weight ratio, F/R balance, antiquated leaf spring suspension, and the superiority of AWD.

But we're buds, and I'd never do such a thing...

MattB wrote:Awesome engine specs. I still don't understand why it's being badged as a Nissan though.

Why would it not be? I don't see any Infiniti Skyline GT-R's in Japan, so I think it's only fitting that the GT-R carry the Nissan badge. The only other franchise name to have a Skyline was Prince Motor Company, and guess who bought them out? Nissan.

The GT-R, since the first Hakosuka 4 door in 1969, has always been a Nissan.

What I don't understand is, why drop the Skyline name from the GT-R. From it's inception, it has always been a Nissan Skyline GT-R. But, I guess this is ol' Carlos' bag of tater chips, so it's his call.

And Justin, man, dude, seriously, stop with all the "the Corvette is the most superior car ever built" routine. Yeah, for the price, the Vette is pretty bad ***, but it's not the end all/be all of the sports cars. I hear that this other car called a Viper is pretty shibby, too.

I mean, hey, aren't we here to praise cars in general? I understand that everyone is opinionated, but you don't have to shove yours down our throats. Ease up a tad man.

Hopefully these will actually sell in the US though, I can't wait to meet an unsuspecting owner armed with more knowledge about his car then he has!

Well I honestly have more fun driving my RB then the C6 stockers, I think mainly because hp is not considered when driving the dang vette just plain sucked to me, akward as heck. Anyway, the new Z06's are indeed a blast and def very fast, but I prefer some higher revs, and again, a very akward car to drive, i.e. backing up etc. I love the ls combined with the CTS-V though, freakin blast to cruise in, yet not the fastest thing ever even with that amazing 400 freakin hp <---Sarcasm! Yes I have driven LS1/2/3/7 cars, immpresive but certainly beatable, and my contribution to this thread has been made worthless by clogging it with GM jargon... I feel ashamed... GTR's rule!

Twin turbo 3.8 V6 pushing nearly 500 horsepower with a redline of nearly 8000 and a torque curve of a train. Oh wow, I think I need a new pair of pants.

I would let these guys PIIMB for this car.

ishkabibble wrote:Looking forward to a Top Gear episode about the GT-R.

It will be interesting, seeing how Clarkson loathed the 350Z, and generally has nothing good to say about the rest of Nissan's lineup (and rightfully so).

Vette eh, yawn, don't need it, my pen15 is impressive enough. GT-R, meh, it's fugly, I don't care what it has or what it can do. Kind of like Jenna Jameson with Rodney Dangerfield face.

C33LaurelRacer wrote:I hear that this other car called a Viper is pretty shibby, too.

Vipers are teh sechs.

Loki wrote:That'd be a lot of modifications, and absurdly expensive. I just don't think it's worth it on a 240. Maybe a Z32, but JUST barely. Vette engines seem to be comparable, so it's like, why not just go with that?

yea i see what yall mean i realize it would be too much work/time/money than its worth, and unpractical when the money could be put into a different swap or modification that would yield just as good if not better numbers. the idea behind what i was tring to say is that it would be nice to enjoy such a nice powerband in a 240.

Where is this info from? Sounds positively sweet!

SEV6 wrote:Does anyone know what the sticker on that badass is gonna be?

I've heard $58k for the base model, which would be a serious bargain for what is essentially a bonafide 997 911TT competitor, if not an outright superior vehicle.

In regards to bashing the base C6, it lapped VIR faster than the R8 and 997TT in Car & Driver's recent test, and so it is undeniably a very fast car on twisty roads, any fault is the driver's.

That does NOT mean that it is somehow superior to a car that isn't even on the market yet. The GTR is a very different animal from a Corvette, and it's impossibly silly to try and compare them and declare one or the other the victor.

Some people have a definite preference for AWD vs RWD or NA vs FI, etc... It's like comparing a Ford GT to a 997TT. You know you're either going to buy one or the other, few people who actually intend to DRIVE the car hard are going to cross-shop very intently.

Both cars will represent the two greatest performance bargains on the market, if not EVER.

^ Well-said.

AZhitman wrote:Incidentally, I spent some time on the track with a C6 2 weekends ago. Not impressed. Neither was the owner, who couldn't shake me (relative amateur) through the twisties.

Many questions I've been pondering today. What year and model C6 did the owner have? Auto or Manual? What suspension package did he have? What mods? What mods do you have on your G35? If he had a base suspension setup, I could see you hanging with him, but if he had the Z51 package, then your driving abilities were superior to his. What tires were you both running? Lots of info missing here.

AZhitman wrote:If it was, I'd have mentioned the disparity in build quality, power-to-weight ratio, F/R balance, antiquated leaf spring suspension, and the superiority of AWD.

Power to weight Ratio, the Corvette wins. At least the 08+, or Z06. F/R Balance, I'm sure both cars are close, as C5 and C6's have the transmission mounted in the back to keep weight relatively balanced. Antiquated leaf spring suspension? That's up for debate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvette_leaf_springs

I see 'modern' suspensions, and the suspension used in newer corvettes as both having their strengths and weaknesses.

I really like what Nissan is doing with this engine. When I say competition, what I really meant was, competition between the big guns that are out there, for my next project(which I am building to beat up on GT-R's, Z06's, Vipers, and Porsches, while looking good and being a Street Car in the process). It won't be a Corvette either. My C5 has been assigned Daily Driver duty, and I have another car lined up that will become my Frankenstein/experiment.

I love the performance wars that are going on right now, as it will cause all of the car companies that are involved, to be competitive and get better with their designs and the technology used. I can't wait for the GT-R, the Blue Devil, the new Hyndai Tiburon RWD, a possible return of the S-Chassis, and AE86 model, and others that will be joining the fray. It is a good time to be a car enthusiast again.

Keep me updated Greg.

To the guy bashing me about my opinion on Corvettes, you obviously don't know me that well. I've never said the Corvette is the best car ever made end of story. I'm saying, it's very comparable, and has set some baselines this decade, for other cars to follow. It's a great platform to work on, and has one of the best engine systems ever made(that you can't argue with). You have to have a baseline, to compare other cars to, or where do you stand?

And if I was going to build the most badass Street/Track car ever, it wouldn't be a Corvette. Too big and heavy. I want something that's less than 3,000lbs, and a bit smaller in width and length. And no, it's not a 240sx either.

JustinStrife wrote:
Many questions I've been pondering today. What year and model C6 did the owner have? Auto or Manual? What suspension package did he have? WhatPower to weight Ratio, the Corvette wins. At least the 08+, or Z06. F/R Balance, mods? What mods do you have on your G35? If he had a base suspension setup, I could see you hanging with him, but if he had the Z51 package, then your driving abilities were superior to his. What tires were you both running? Lots of info missing here.

A year old, manual, Toyo T1-R's and no mods on the vette.... Supposedly has OEM adjustable shocks? (pics in the thread) He's not a "great" driver, nor am I - G35C 6MT, some suspension bracing, Toyo Proxes RA-1, headers / catback.

I was just really surprised I could hang with him in the twisties and he really didn't pull much on the straights - He said later that he was surprised as well, thought I was running FI. I kept a straight face and went "WOO HOO" after I walked away.

JustinStrife wrote:I love the performance wars that are going on right now, as it will cause all of the car companies that are involved, to be competitive and get better with their designs and the technology used. I can't wait for the GT-R, the Blue Devil, the new Hyndai Tiburon RWD, a possible return of the S-Chassis, and AE86 model, and others that will be joining the fray. It is a good time to be a car enthusiast again.

Damn straight!!!!

p.s. You're 100% on another point - The 'vette is kinda the "yardstick" that most measure against. If the powerplant wasn't amazing, we wouldn't be scarfing them up to put in an S-chassis.

AZhitman wrote:p.s. You're 100% on another point - The 'vette is kinda the "yardstick" that most measure against. If the powerplant wasn't amazing, we wouldn't be scarfing them up to put in an S-chassis.

One of these days I'll drop by your house and show off my project once I get it going. I think you'll like it.

I'm having a brain-dead moment Greg. Is the GT-R coming out in 09'? The Blue Devil is 'rumored' for an 09' release. Though you know how that can be with car manufacturers. It's almost depressing how fast these factory cars are getting. Need more mods!!!

JustinStrife wrote:One of these days I'll drop by your house and show off my project once I get it going. I think you'll like it.

I'm having a brain-dead moment Greg. Is the GT-R coming out in 09'? The Blue Devil is 'rumored' for an 09' release. Though you know how that can be with car manufacturers. It's almost depressing how fast these factory cars are getting. Need more mods!!!

If I remember right, Japan is getting theirs by the end of this year and we get ours by spring or summer of next. Wouldn't be much of an 08 GTR if it was released right near/during 09 would it?

My dream cars: z06, 911 turbo, skyline gtr.

I can't wait to test drive this.. but man itll make me dream of it every night and of course i cant afford it just as i cant afford a z06 vette lol.

Such an amazing car...

I wonder what the specs/equipment is going to be like on a Nismo GT-R. *drool*

Why does that Blue Devil look soooo very little updated? Why don't they just completely redesign the vette, change the look completely? Those original owners surely are going to be dead very soon and they wont be in the market for another vette. So why keep running with that same styling so long, best thing they ever did was to rid the car of the pop up lights but that is still too little of a change. For a car that hits 2009 it's too toned down on the cosmetic changes, I was hoping for something more. That rear end is still soooo damn huge.

C33LaurelRacer wrote:
Why would it not be? I don't see any Infiniti Skyline GT-R's in Japan, so I think it's only fitting that the GT-R carry the Nissan badge. The only other franchise name to have a Skyline was Prince Motor Company, and guess who bought them out? Nissan.

The GT-R, since the first Hakosuka 4 door in 1969, has always been a Nissan.

What I don't understand is, why drop the Skyline name from the GT-R. From it's inception, it has always been a Nissan Skyline GT-R. But, I guess this is ol' Carlos' bag of tater chips, so it's his call.

The Skyline name was dropped because it is now used on the overseas equivalent of the Infiniti G35.

As for why it shouldn't be badged as a Nissan, tradition or history shouldn't come in to play for the US market. There's never been a Nissan Skyline GT-R officially sold here, and apart from the enthusiast community most Americans have never heard of it. I don't see how Nissan thinks people considering a Porsche 911 or Corvette are going to walk into a Nissan dealership. Yes, Corvette owners go to Chevy dealers but "Corvette" is an established nameplate. "GT-R" is not. And like it or not a lot of Americans care about badge status. The level of service provided to Nissan dealers is also not intended for >$50K cars. The Infiniti nameplate is more prestigious, and its dealers provide better service.

Not to mention that 95% of the American public has no clue about the true origins of Acura, Infinity and Lexus.

thekage wrote:Why would it possibly not be badged Nissan?

I dunno why the hell they said that but it confuses the hell out of me. It better not be badged as an Infiniti, that's for certain (which we already know it's not). Infiniti builds luxury cars, not sports cars. Anyways the Z06 is a hard car to beat for it's price and to a certain point I feel FR > AWD. But at 500whp I'd rather have to fight with understeer than over in the rain

MattB wrote:
The Skyline name was dropped because it is now used on the overseas equivalent of the Infiniti G35.

As for why it shouldn't be badged as a Nissan, tradition or history shouldn't come in to play for the US market. There's never been a Nissan Skyline GT-R officially sold here, and apart from the enthusiast community most Americans have never heard of it. I don't see how Nissan thinks people considering a Porsche 911 or Corvette are going to walk into a Nissan dealership. Yes, Corvette owners go to Chevy dealers but "Corvette" is an established nameplate. "GT-R" is not. And like it or not a lot of Americans care about badge status. The level of service provided to Nissan dealers is also not intended for >$50K cars. The Infiniti nameplate is more prestigious, and its dealers provide better service.

OK...I see your point....to an extent. Yes, the GT-R was never marketed for a non-Japanese sale, but that's what makes this so good. You take the GT-R and market it for Nissan, and put Nissan USA into the sports car market full on. Infiniti sells luxury cars and the G35 (U.S. version of the Skyline coupe and sedan) but the GT-R is not a luxury car. It's a sports car with a history of being brutal. Nissan builds real world sports cars, Infiniti builds luxury sedans and luxury sports cars.

You are going to have your Nissan and Infiniti pureists slamming each other both ways over this, but in my opinion, the GT-R should stay with the Nissan badge.

The Skyline GT-R is a cult car. 99% of car enthusiasts here in the states know what it is. As a matter of fact, R32's R33's and especially R34 GT-R's are just as desireable because they were never sold here.

As far as having the general public consider the GT-R against the 911 turbo or Corvette, it's called GOOD MARKETING.

The GT-R has a rich heritage like the vette and 911. That would be a good place to start.

who do i have to sleep with to get one of these. rosie o donnell? roseanne barr? i could care less

The 'vette guys can ignore it...

They can keep going to the Chevy dealership....

...and then they can get pwned by one at the track or on the street.

All of a sudden, the styling and "cachet" of the 'vette will look dated and tired. Just watch....

AZhitman wrote:The 'vette guys can ignore it...

They can keep going to the Chevy dealership....

...and then they can get pwned by one at the track or on the street.

All of a sudden, the styling and "cachet" of the 'vette will look dated and tired. Just watch....

Who's ignoring it?

Hell it's not even out yet.

MattB wrote:The level of service provided to Nissan dealers is also not intended for >$50K cars. The Infiniti nameplate is more prestigious, and its dealers provide better service.

Actually, new nissans like all-options 350z roadsters, Titans and Armadas can easily top $50,000. I also wouldn't be surprised to see a gt-r based Infiniti in the future. Maybe not a strait up re-badge, but something based on the same drive train and architecture (like the relationship between the 350z and G35).

AZhitman wrote:The 'vette guys can ignore it...

They can keep going to the Chevy dealership....

...and then they can get pwned by one at the track or on the street.

All of a sudden, the styling and "cachet" of the 'vette will look dated and tired. Just watch....

If that were true then it would have happened when the 911 turbo or e46 m3 came out but people are still buying vettes

S14SRPilot wrote:
If that were true then it would have happened when the 911 turbo or e46 m3 came out but people are still buying vettes

Also on the corvetteforum in the off-topic section the GTR IS being talked about. There's all sorts of opinions on it, some love it, some hate it, some are neutral. It's not being ignored. You'd be stupid to ignore a 480hp AWD TT system.

Every car has it's niche/cult following, and respectable markets.