Post by
cyphatic »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/cyphatic-u53542.html
Fri Jan 05, 2007 12:14 pm
I am of the gamer generation. The first generation where it was apparently cool to be a geek, though that's something I didn't discover until I moved to the bay area at age 16. As much as a console gaming, anime watching, J-rock enjoying guy I am, I've never really fell into that whole infatuation thing a lot of my peers did about wanting to be Japanese. I'm happy being a tall white goofy gaijin. While I feel closer to my German/Arabic family and parents than my American birthright, I still love this country and many of the people in it.
However, there's a few things I've learned about cars living in the Bay Area. The first is that there's a lot of amazingly fantastic and expensive cars here with owners that know nothing about them, let alone how to drive them. Secondly, some of the best drivers I know drive cars that they have a connection with. Their vehicle defines a piece of their personality. Whether it be a Civic, a 535i, a Grand National, an S13... they love their cars just like they love driving.
There are many great Japanese cars. I was always a huge fan of the earlier Lancer Evolutions, something inline with my passion for rally cross. I discovered the Skyline as another AWD saloon from Japan. It's funny that I read much of the history and heritage before I even saw a picture. I understood how the R34 GT-R was the last Skyline GT-R, since all prospects of the not yet released V35 series having a GT-R were pretty non-existent. It was the last of the 90's style Japanese cars, sort of a change. Then I did a search for a gallery, and found one with some high resolution shots of a gray thirty four V-spec.
As a huge fan of many facets of design (digital, film, print, architectural, interior, and of course auto), every inanimate object in the world has its own personality. This car really grabbed me. It was the combination of that nose, a bit more serious than the Evo's, and those big flared rear quarter panel fenders. This thing looked mean and ugly but refined all the same, reminded me of the gentle giant look of the GTO and Grand National. For a car that was still having models produced at the time, its look reminded me of my father for some reason. An old world image of strength, intelligence, and rebellious spirit.
Godzilla? Damn right. 30 years of the GT-R's existance shows a pedigree as deep as its century-pushing competitors. Its strong potential from empirical heritage, directed by a people who really had something to prove, and they did. My german bimmer-gearheaded family knows the GT-R, they know the mark it left on the 'Ring.
I wanted a GT-R. Back then it would have been my first car. Being a fantastic research as I am, it took me all of about 2 days to discovered the huge wall of that notion, as I splatted into it. This was back when people had just started placing orders with the now defunct Motorex. So I starting going back to my original plans of just getting a classic American car that I appreciated as much. There was the Volvo PV, the 57 Cadillac, the 67 jaguar, alot of near purchases. All great cars, none of which really called out to me.
I then started looking at classic Japanese cars. The 25 year rule meant lots of possibilities. About 2 years ago was when I really took up interest in the Classic GT-R's. I had seen an Australian Datsun 240K at a local car show a while back, its style of muscle really appealed to me. I only put together how similar the 240k’s were to the C110’s not long ago, the size threw me off. I then dug out Gran Turismo 2, cause I remember an old GT-R being in it. This was of course the KPGC10. Picked up GT4 and unlocked the 1970 2000GT-R. Started fishing the net for pictures, videos, info everything. It become my greatest infatuation, but got put on the shelf when employment circumstances sort of slashed all hopes of owning such a car. Now that upcoming employment will afford me the importing of a C10 GT-X by this summer, I started digging around the net, and ended up here, of course. I’ve noticed another forum member with similar plans, plus the fact that there are a few of these beautiful cars already in the States. The current plan is either restoring a GT-X with the original L20 block, or commit the crime of finding a down and out GT, and doing a cherry restoration and conversion to a GT-R, if I can find a S20.
I’ll try to research things as much as possible before asking any noob questions, but either way, I’m glad to finally have a reason to be a member of this great little corner of the net ^^.