Which car would you like to see a true NISMO version of?

I will start - and some of you may laugh at me, but I think it could be a hit:

The Maxima.

Nissan's premium sedan deserves the NISMO makeover. Throw in a 6MT? Mega hit. A car that is supposed to have "4 door sports car" roots could finally see a return to form. With a new bodystyle on the horizon, Nissan could afford to distance this vehicle as far from the Altima as absolutely possible, and cap it off with this trim. Put some neat seats in it and an AWD option and I feel you have a recipe for success.

What say the rest of you?

A G37 or M35/37 (or whatever Q stupid number series its called now) with the Nismo treatment would be cool to have. That IPL line or whatever that s*** is certainly doesn't do anything remarkable for the car. Reminds me of Toyota/Lexus.

Thinking about it- I really, really like the new IS250, but goddammit; what other 38k luxury cars come with only 200 horses these days? Even worse, there isn't even a manual option! At least they got the drive wheels right, but man, thats just silly. The IS250 F Sport is only a grill/seats/appearance package. No bump in horse, makes a slight mention of a better suspension setup, but I'm betting that an Altima is more of a hoot to drive- even in automatic.

I started checking out the new RC coupe, too. 300 horses? A little low for the segment, but cool. Decent suspension on the F Sport? Ehhhhhh, a back to back drive would determine its value. An 8 speed auto with flappy paddles only? WHAT. THE. FLYING. f***. Even the ISF is an automatic only car! The flagship performance coupe- the RCF- doesn't have a manual option either.

Those new commercials Lexus has out are nothing more than wet dream d!ck teases. They promise performance & driver oriented vehicles, but all you get in reality is some watered down vehicle with performance numbers that were barely the standard 8 years ago. Its like farmersonly.com- sure, theres a preachers daughter or two on there, but all you're really going to get is a fat chick with 3 kids and a methadone problem.

Funny you mention IPL, as it looks like Infiniti is ditching it entirely for 2015.

Regarding Lexus - I have to tell you, if there was a three pedal option for the IS350 F Sport I wouldn't be driving a Nissan anymore.

As far as the performance numbers piece of the pie, you gotta leave the RCF out of that argument. A few preliminary drive videos have it knocking out M3 numbers on the track. I think they've done a fantastic job with that car save one thing - a three pedal option.

From the consumer side, I have a feeling a lot of emphasis will go into the new engine family featured in the Q80 concept. 3l turbo DI V6 with 450hp in the concept (more with the hybrid setup). Supposedly, it is part of a new engine family which would evidently replace the VQ.

On the racing side, I hope there is more emphasis placed on the construction of the ZEOD's engine. Personally, with ultra-low weight and a unitized block and head, I think it is one of the most exciting engines to come out in a long time. Maybe join two top ends at the crankcase for a 3l V6 in the new LMP1 car. Hopefully we can also see some technology transfer to street cars here...