R32 GTR
Engine : RB26DETT
2.6ltr, 6cyl, twin turbo
Output : 208kw@6800rpm (276hp)
368Nm@4400rpm
CC : 2568
0-60mph: 4.7 seconds
1/4mile: 13.0 seconds
Puntiki:..The R32 GT-R uses the RB26DETT engine, a DOHC inline-6 with 24-valves and a six-throttle inlet manifold. A bore of 86mm in connection with a stroke of 73.7mm make for an overall displacement of 2568cc. A compression ratio of 8.5:1, twin T28 Garrett turbochargers and a large front-mounted intercooler help the RB26DETT produce 280hp at 6800rpm and 360Nm (260lb-ft) of torque at 4400rpm. It is possible to get over 550hp out of these engines without changing internal parts. This is a very under rated engine.
The GTR is four wheel drive and was named "Godzilla" by the Australian press as it kicked everyone and everything in the 1990 Bathurst race. It was banned the following year as the Ozzy made cars were not able to keep up, and the Australians had sour grapes.
Now it is clearly outdated, but so is the 348 Ferrari. The GTR is an amazing peice of machinery... it could keep up with Porche's and Ferrari's and out manouver most of them with it's advanced ATTESSA 4wd system, it was a top race car and it is one of the most revered vehicles to ever come from Japan. It has a cult following.
Pablo A technical tour-de-force, and a nasty wakeup call for European car manufacturers. But as impressive as the car is on paper and the track, it seems strangely soulless to me. Here's the analogy I would use - would you rather be an owner of a 1989 Godzilla, or a 1989 Porsche 911? The Nissan might be a better car to drive, but is it a better car to own?
I wish I could get excited, but it just doesn't do it for me. I know that I have a bias towards European cars, but still, the Nissan, for all its grunt and power it is still just a Nissan. I guess if I was going to choose a Japanese rocketship, I would probably lean towards the Subaru Impreza or Legacy (STI version). The Subaru seems to come with a build quality and aura that pleases the owner as well as the driver.
5 comments:
Each to their own. The GTR is rather rare. You may be thinking of the GTS or something like that.
The skyline of course gained massive popularity through the Gran Turismo playstation series. Which reminds me, where did I put that playstation??
Friend of mine would dearly love one, problem is that the wife doesn't think a middle-aged IT guy should have a bogon car. Looks like he will have to go the Audi 1.8T quattro, and the chip change to liberate the extra horses....
Grand Turismo is simply the best car game out threre. I used to play test drive on the commodore 64 and Amiga whan I was a youngster, which in turn led to the GT on the playstation. Problem is that is is soo fun that I can spend days playing the game without doing any work....
"Technological Tour-de-Force" aptly describes the Skyline. Mechanically, I have to admit it is superb. To each his own, I suppose, but the body style just isn't quite me. I'm not particularly fond of the origami school of exterior styling. If not for its engine, it would have ended up just another generic Japanese import car like, say, a Toyota Cresta or a Mazda Persona.
I hear you on being Euro-biased, Pablo. But what I reckon is this -- a brilliant package of the right styling plus the mechanical excellence is what's needed. In showbiz terms, "the big break."
For example, Subaru in the '70s and '80s used to be a maker of quirky cars, the Jap equivalent of a Citroen perhaps. Odd styling, odd mechanicals. Then the Legacy came out in the late '80s. It was a good-looking, well-proportioned car. Better yet, it had comfortable seats, it was a very solid car, its steering was not granny-woolly. It was so totally different, and since then, all iterations of the Legacy have been held in higher esteem than the old oddballs. By the way, the first Legacy was a Giugiaro design, the subsequent ones were all European, the current one being designed by a Frenchman. Subaru is like the Japanese equivalent of a European car, and is seen as being sporty, regardless of the model. Oh, and the doors are pretty solid, something I always pick up on.
VW was nothing but an economy car, the Golf Mk 1 was a puny little city hatch. Until the GTI came in '74 and wrote the book on pocket rockets. Suddenly fuel injection was not the sole preserve of sports cars like a Porsche, or luxury cars like the Mercedes.
Audi was the same. Merely a family car maker. You bought a Ford, then perhaps try an Opel next time, or go for a Renault sedan. Or, why not an Audi, you know the one with the rings on the grille. Then came the quattro (properly spellt with a lower-case "q"). The capability, combined with the body styling (I later found out to be Italian -- I kid you not), left its mark and finally gave Audi its big break. No more a mundane sedan for the Lederhosen crowd. And with that break, they have carved their niche, starting with the flush-glass galvanised-body 100 of 1983.
Nissan's styling, in general, has been progressive of late, due to no small part to Renault. The Primera was a design which admittedly only went into production because Renault was manning the company. The old fogeys who'd rather they only make Laurels, would never have signed it off. I like the styling, very fresh and modern, and not in your typical Japanese generic sedan mold, but I just don't like the dashboard. The new Teana/Maxima has a nice general shape, but detailing could be better (rear lights and a nicer front would make it better). Hey, at least when you drive a Nissan these days, they don't feel like Nissans of ten or twelve years ago. Toyota still manages to do so.
Wow! very useful articles. I write the things I'd like to read about. If anyone else likes it,that's a nice bonus.
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