Big Rizza

Dammit! I can't beleive they caught me on tape!

Whether the turbo failure was his fault or not, the fact is he disobeyed forum rules, which was as much the reason for the flaming as anything else.

I took one GT-R driver for a ride (he refused to drive the car himself because he said that it would be impossible to safely slide it in urban conditions) and the car oversteered around every corner as usual. You know, boot it in second gear while heading through a "Turn Left at Any Time With Care", swing on the opposite lock as the tail came out and then hold it down the road. Flamboyant, slow and dangerous. "It's handling exactly as I would expect a GT-R to handle" the other GT-R owner said from the passenger seat. "You just need to feed the power in gradually as you are exiting corners. There is a lot of power there, you know." After the modified Subaru this was simply a bullshit statement - my old modified Subaru went just as hard as the standard GT-R and you could tromp it out of every corner without understeer or oversteer! I get really tired of GTR fanboys seeing no fault in the way great and mighty Godzilla drives. It's very clear some people are responding purely on emotion - if you were responding to Julian's comments objectively, there wouldn't be all this name calling! Fact: The GTR's standard AWD system did not put the power down as efficiently in low speed corners as his old Subaru Liberty RS. Fact: The ride and NVH of an R32 GTR is inferior to many many other cars on the road. For these reasons, he sold the car for an Audi S4, a car which has superior ride and NVH to the GTR, with the security of a constant AWD system, which is what he wanted all along. I don't see Julian's experience as detracting from the R32 GTR at all. The GTR is a purpose built driving machine. For me, ride and NVH are secondary concerns - the GTR is built to go fast, and go fast it does. And the whole point of ATTESA is that it DOESN'T handle like a constant AWD car, rather it behaves like a rear drive car with the AWD only coming in to assist when required. The GTR was not what Julian Edgar wanted from a motor vehicle. Just because it's EXACTLY what YOU want from a motor vehicle doesn't make him wrong. ... ... ... Now where did I put that flame proof suit...

Is that because everything behind you disappears over the horizon so quickly it's not even worth looking?

Clearly anyone having a less than perfect opinion of the GTR clearly doesn't know what they're talking about. And yes, it is obvious that someone wishing their GTR to handle with the security of constant 4WD should not modify their 4WD system to make it behave like a constant 4WD system, but they should instead change their shock absorbers. And clearly someone who has owned a 1973 Honda Z, a ’77 AlfaSud, a ’77 BMW 3.0si, a 1986 Holden VL Commodore Turbo, and a Liberty RS before owning their R32 GTR, has infact only owned front wheel drive and subaru all wheel drives before owning their R32 GTR. And contemporary magazine reviews have unanimously recorded cars like the AlfaSud, BMW 3.0si and Liberty RS to be amongst the worst handling cars of all time, so it's only fit that one would want to make future cars they own handle equaly as bad. I don't agree with everything Julian Edgar says, but don't let one persons less than perfect GTR ownership experience take anything away from the Godzilla legend. Saying "Nah he's a knob coz Thorpey said that GTR's are fully sick" doesn't make his opinion any less valid, and doesn't make his insight into GTR ownership any less valuable for a potential GTR buyer. ... ... ... Anyways, back on topic, Thorpey told me that GTRs are fully sick, so you should definitely get one!

We need a definitive fuel consumption thread that can be sticky'd...

Any reason you limited yourself to those two choices? If you're after a stylish nat-atmo coupe, what about: Mitsubishi FTO Mazda MX-5 Toyota Celica Honda Integra Toyota MR2 Toyota Soarer 3.0 litre Nissan Silvia S13 Q's Toyota Supra SZ Mazda RX-7 FC

This is a good article that highlights a few of the pros as well as the cons of GTR ownership, including the cons that eventually lead to the owner trading it in. I'd recommend an Autospeed subscription to anyone http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_0302/article.html Julian's New Car - Part 1 - Goodbye GT-R The steering wheel wriggles in my grasp as the front tyres follow every longitudinal mark in the urban bitumen; constant steering corrections are required to maintain anything like a straight line. The ride is noisy and uncomfortable: the aftermarket plastic bushes in the front A-arms squeak at every bump, and the car on its otherwise standard suspension jolts sharply upwards over every minor road imperfection. I peer into the rear vision mirror, trying to see the following traffic past the wing that almost completely obscures the other cars. My lower back hurts from the seat's lack of lumbar support, and the wind noise - even at just 60 km/h - whistles around the leading edge of the A pillars. The gearbox whines, and every on/off application of throttle is accompanied by the rear diff moan. This car is no fun; this is literally a pain.... A day later: The change from fourth to fifth occurs at 220 km/h, the road streaming towards me like a big screen TV with the VCR set on fast forward. I keep my boot planted, the car screaming along the country road. The bumps have grown as the road has shrunk in width; thank God I am in the only car that I have ever driven that aerodynamically becomes more stable the faster that you go. A glance flashed down at the speedo - 240 km/h - and then eyes go back to the road. I can hear the superb DOHC twin turbo six winding ever higher; this time the glance is darted down at the intake air temp gauge. The green LEDs show just 10 degrees above ambient: that fantastic Nissan intercooler! The needle keeps moving clockwise....250, 255, then 260! Two hundred and sixty kilometres an hour - 161 mph - in this glorious, glorious car.... My Nissan Skyline GT-R. The car that can be so rewarding to drive... and also so utterly underwhelming. The car that demands that you drive like a lunatic to enjoy its fabulous side, making you put up with its manifest disadvantages the 99 per cent of the time when sanity prevails. My Skyline GT-R... the car that yesterday I traded in on another car... The Getting of Wisdom When does the law of diminishing returns start to bear, when the expenditure of money no longer matches the rewards generated? That depends on the amount of money that you have available, what you term sufficient reward - and the car in which you gain it. After years of reading about how wonderful the Skyline GT-R was, I couldn't wait to get my bum into one. And I found probably the newest 1991 Australian-delivered R32 Skyline GT-R in the world - it had just 3500 kilometres on the clock. Sold by Nissan Australia for A$110,000 and 7 years later for sale at A$80,000. Leasing the car was j-u-s-t within my budget; well it was when I considered how fabulous the rewards would be! Basically, I was prepared to pull just about any financial sleight-of-hand necessary to get the car; so what if my house roof leaked a little, if the carpet needed renewing.... This was a Skyline GT-R... a car which I believed to be the best in the world.... My initial disappointment with the car's handling (and the brilliant fix that was developed) you can read about at "Godzilla Tamed", but what was the car like once that problem was overcome? Or, to put it another way, what was the car good for, exactly? After driving the car for two years and 50,000km I can tell you what it's good for. Not for normal daily use (can't leave it parked in a shopping centre/cinema/restaurant carpark - dings in the alloy front panels, stolen/vandalised probably within minutes); not for commuting (poor ride, tramlining, noisy gearbox/diff); not for a relaxing country drive (no cruise control, harsh ride, wind noise); not for driving fast at night (woeful headlights - and who's ever seen a GT-R with huge Hellas?); not for one of my recreational loves - camping (great joke, that - GT-R at an outback campsite) - er, what for then, exactly? Try: cruising the cappuccino strip (cheers, pointing people, dribbling wankers trying to talk through your closed windows - bit embarrassing, really); full-on traffic light drags (sad when you launch at the required five grand and the other person dawdles off, though); really fast country drives (like 150 km/h+ - pity about the cops); exiting roundabouts in a four wheel drift with a touch of oversteer dialled-in with the torque split controller (but remember that you're then driving hard enough that if someone cuts you off, you're rooted); posing (but the charm wears off in minutes, see above re wankers) - er, not much here either, is there? All of this could be forgiven if there was no other car that could touch its real-world performance for the price. No, I'm not talking the gospel according to performance magazines - where tiny increments in 0-100 and standing quarter times are apparently of earth-shattering importance - but in driving reality, where the difference between 0-100 in 6.5 and 5.5 seconds really counts for little: both are simply damn quick. In the real world, remember. What, don't believe me? Well, consider overtaking. That's a time when more power definitely equals better: where it really counts. But if you're running an overtaking manoeuvre where a few tenths of a second make a difference, you're doing a pretty risky passing move, aren't you? And no, it's not the same as saying "Well, in that case, a bog-stock VN Commodore is as safe when passing as a Skyline GT-R". Any car doing six-point-something 0-100's (with commensurate in-gears performance) is going to be safe on the open road. Or maybe you're talking a traffic light grands prix? Any good turbo rotary will be faster than the GT-R, as will any well-developed V8. Well then, maybe its driving performance on a tight, twisty road? I'd take the current 6-speed Mazda MX5 myself - and I've driven the MX5 extensively. After a while "But it's a GT-R" (said in a hushed and reverent tone) starts to wear pretty thin.... Of course the GT-R has some good points; fantastic ones, actually. That engine. Is there a Six anywhere in the world that has a wider spread of torque, a powerband that realistically extends from 1100 to 8000 rpm? Where the revs are achieved so smoothly that it takes months to realise that one key to the car's response is its low, low gearing? Another plus: the GT-R's ability to put high speed corners behind you with utter precision and sheer pace. Where you can be exiting a corner at 150 km/h with an ever-so-slight tail-out attitude that is just so bloody good that you feel goose pimples rise all over your arms. Where - with my car's adjustable on-dash torque split controller - you can have in low speed corners anything from dramatic understeer to dramatic oversteer to perfectly neutral, all at the turn of the knob. But how often can you enjoy all of those to the max? I made it a point to redline the car at least once every one of the 745 days that I drove the GT-R; but what do you do after that? The Finances A lease taken out over 4 years with a 40 per cent residual. So what's that mean in plain English? It means that you can drive a car that is more expensive than you can really afford! How so? Well, the GT-R lease was structured so that I paid $1217.74 every month for 4 years. At the end of the 4 years, a residual - final payment, if you like - of $30,000 would remain. Leases are calculated on the basis of average vehicle depreciation, with the residual supposed to match the car's value after that period - you sell the car to pay off the residual. And that's okay because prestige vehicles tend to hold their value pretty well. But not when direct Japanese imports are being sold at two-thirds the value of locally delivered cars!! Just two years into the lease, the availability of Japanese import cars had dropped the value of my car from a paid A$75,000 to A$40,000. That's a 47 per cent drop in 24 months. Factor-in sharply decreasing prices for the Japanese import cars (where a Pulsar GtiR has dropped from A$35,000 to A$20,000 in a few years) and realistically at the end of the lease (in another 2 years' time) a GT-R - even an Australian delivered car - will probably be worth fifteen or twenty thousand dollars. Sound ludicrous - it isn't. Even now, importers are able to get R32 GT-R's onto Australian soil - import duties, etc paid - for low twenties.... So that would leave me with a A$30,000 residual payment at the end of the lease - and a car worth maybe A$15,000. Even after selling the car, I'd still need to take out a loan for perhaps A$15,000 to pay for the car I would no longer have. Leases don't work well when the value of a car declines in an unexpected way! Incidentally, some people ask if I am bitter about the Japanese import car market - after all, it's personally cost me heaps. The answer is 'no', but I do think that importers should be forced through legislation to support their products for (say) ten years, with parts and service. That would weed out the backyarders PDQ. And if you think that I was pretty stupid paying A$75,000 for a car where direct Japanese imports were certain to dramatically reduce its value, consider the 2-door Subaru Impreza STi WRXs recently imported by Subaru Australia. Exactly the same situation exists with these cars - seen as collectors' items today and changing hands at well over the list price; tomorrow competing with the same cars imported by dealers directly from Japan and available for A$20,000 or A$25,000..... So every day that I kept the GT-R, I saw its value declining and the amount of money that I would need to find at the end of the lease period increasing. That, and my feelings on the usefulness of the car to normal day to day living, meant there was only going to be one outcome... Sidebar: GT-R Handling My coverage two years ago in magazine articles of my disappointment with the Skyline's handling still creates discussion today. Basically, the standard R32 GT-R behaves as a rear wheel drive car until massive tyre slippage is occurring, whereupon torque is fed to the front wheels. This makes the car handle like a RWD; power oversteer is available whenever you want. I don't think that a four wheel drive car should handle in that way - to me, it's being macho for the sake of bystanders and to the detriment of safety. In Australia (the only country outside of Japan where Nissan sold the car) contemporary magazine reviews praised the car's handling as being wonderful - it even won magazine comparisons aimed at finding the best-handling car in Australia. Obviously I don't agree, although with the fitment of a good torque split controller the low-speed handling becomes outstanding (it's brilliant at high speed, even in standard form). The most accurate review that I have ever read of the GT-R handling (this time of an R33 V-Spec) was in UK magazine Performance Car. They compared the GT-R with the Audi Quattro 20V, Ford Escort RS Cosworth, Lancia Delta Integrale Evo, and Subaru Impreza WRX. The comparison was made on real, mostly wet roads (as opposed to a racetrack), and said of the GT-R when comparing it with the WRX: "On unfamiliar, give and take roads, in wet weather, the Skyline can be unnerving, especially if you attempt to drive it as you would, say, the Impreza. In the Subaru, all your concentration is focused on judging the turn-in speed correctly. Once you know the front end has bitten, you can pretty much relax. In the Skyline, not only do you have to judge your turn-in speed, you also have to be careful applying power on the exit as it will readily snap into oversteer." After 50,000 kilometres of driving a GT-R, I think that sums it up beautifully - it is not a relaxing car to drive fast around corners; you have to be on top of it at all times. And that statement simply does not apply to some other cars that - on public roads - are just as quick as the GT-R through the twisties.... Julian Edgar

"The 6.0-litre V12 makes its debut in the Audi Q7, generating a stump-pulling 368kW of power (500bhp) and 1000Nm of torque and opens a new chapter in the diesel history books." Holy mother of god... Not only is that Ferrari F430 matching power, but (discounting the Bugatti Veyron) you're looking at the torquiest new car money can buy (equal with AMG V12s)!

Four wheel drives are for towing, off roading, enlarging egos and running over children in school carparks, and since I have no need for any of these functions I would feel I would just be wasting such a machine.

With all this Audi discussion, I wonder if Porsche is worried about it's upcoming Panamera stealing 911 sales? Or Cayenne sales for that matter? Especially with rumours of 420kw twin turbo V8 and 500kw V10 versions...

That's a bigger jump than Holden got when they supercharged the old Buick V6 . Having driven both a standard V6 and supercharged V6 commodore, I can honestly say the old superchaged commodores monstered the standard V6 in bottom end grunt. And I'd say that'd be the same story with the Toyota - the torque gains (and therefore average power gains) would be far greater than the 40kw peak power figure suggests. Having said that, I still don't want one (any of them) A big table? I would pull it. Put the big table on wheels? I would push it. So I guess when it comes to cars, I'm a rear drive person, but a front drive person in all other respects of life. A cardigan wearing bogan or something....

Your best bet would be to find comparisons of R32 GTS-T vs. R32 GTS4 - essentially identical cars, one with ATTESA and one without. Driving impressions from Autospeed.com If you've been behind the wheel of a rear-drive GTS-t, the presence of the GTS4's additional front-drive arrangement is apparent; driving over normal bumps, humps and corrugations, its nose feels heavier. That makes sense, because the extra weight of the GTS4 - just over 1400kg versus the GTS-t's 1320kg - comes purely from that front-end drivetrain. Despite this added weight, the early stage of turn-in feels very similar to the rear-drive brother. Steering is nicely weighted and the HICAS rear toe control obviously does its job well. Just like the R32 GT-R, however, it's a split-second after the initial turn-in motion that handling gets interesting. With the ATTESA system still sending 100 percent of engine torque rearward, the back-end will skew out whenever you're punting hard around a tight corner. Assuming you keep your foot on the loud pedal, the system will then apportion some of the available torque to the front wheels, which helps to pull the chassis straight and enables you to accelerate outa there. Note that this is a slide'n'save kind of system - it doesn't offer the ever-dependable chassis stability of a constant AWD. Based on our experiences, however, the GTS4 is a safer and lot more forgiving friend than a R32 GT-R. It won't get into such wild oversteer attitudes at such an early - and often unexpected - stage. Outright grip levels are not up to the standard of the GT-R, but this is hardly surprising considering the standard tyre size - 205/55 16s versus big 225/50 16s. When things are a bit less frantic, you'll appreciate the ride quality derived from the selected spring and damper rates - the GTS4 is genuinely liveable day-to-day transport. In terms of straight-line performance there's little separating GTS4 and GTS-t 5-speeders. A skilfully launched four-wheel-drive GTS4 will jump away from a GTS-t, but its extra beef slows it down slightly once traction is no longer an issue. Both vehicles are capable of 7-second 0 - 100s. Every GTS4 comes powered by a silver rocker cover version of the RB20DET - a 2-litre air-to-air intercooled turbo six producing 158kW at 6200 rpm and 263Nm of torque at 3200. Breathing is through a DOHC, 24-valve head with a single throttle body. During our previous test of the GTS-t, we mentioned its 2-litre engine struggles to haul the Skyline when off boost - well, as you'd expect this situation is slightly worsened by the GTS4's extra kilograms. Low rpm throttle response is quite dull - you really need to wait until 3500 rpm before things start winding up. Once on boost, however, it's a revy and sweet engine. In short, the GTS4 is everyday usable, quick (even in standard form) and the ATTESA four-wheel-drive is a valuable bonus. It helps you out of tight corners and makes the most of the available power when launching off the line. It also adds a heap of potential to the whole package.

Nissan Skyline GTS-4 produced from 1996 (january) GENERAL Body type Coupe Drive FULL 4WD Transmission 5 speed manual Displacement 2498cc Frame E-ENR33 Price of new car, thousands yen (Tokyo area) 3124 (~$26000) EXTERIOR Exterior dimensions (LxWxH) 4640 x 1720 x 1355 mm Interior dimensions (LxWxH) 1820 x 1415 x 1090 mm Wheel base 2720 mm Treads (F/R) 1460 / 1470 mm Ground clearance 145 mm Curb vehicle weight 1440 kg Seating capacity 5 Doors number 2 Min.turning radius 5.3m Fuel tank capacity 65 l ENGINE Displacement 2498 cc Engine model RB25DE Max.power (Net)190 ps (139.75 kw) @ 6400 rpm Max.torque(Net) 23.5 kg*m (230.46 N*m) @ 4800 rpm Power density 7.58 Engine type Water cooled 6 cylinder DOHC24 valve Fuel system NISSAN EGI [ ECCS ] electronic gasoline injection Turbocharger No Fuel type Unleaded premium gasoline LEV system (Low emission vehicle) No Compression ratio 10:1 Bore 86mm Stroke 71.7mm Fuel consumption at 10-15 modes 10.8 litres/100km CHASSIS / TRANSMISSION Power steering Yes Tires size front 205/60R15 91h Tires size rear 205/60R15 91h Braking system, front Ventilated disk Braking system, rear Ventilated disk Suspension system, front Independent suspension multiple link type Suspension system, rear Independent suspension multiple link type EXTERIOR EQUIPMENT Sunroof / Moonroof Optional Front fog lamp Standard Rear wiper Optional Front spoiler Optional Rear or roof spoiler Standard ABS (Antilock brake system) Standard LSD (Limited slip differential) Standard Alloy wheels Option INTERIOR EQUIPMENT Air conditioner Full automatic Power window Standard Steering wheel tilt Standard Leather steering wheel Standard Rear ELR3 point seat belt Standard Side impact bar Standard Airbag (Driver) Standard Airbag (Passenger) Standard Audio deck AM/FM radio equipped cassette player Car navigation system Optional COLOUR (Standard) Black White Dark grey pearl Sonic silver (M) Deep marine blue (P) COLOUR (Optional) Black (super fine hard coat) White (super fine hard coat) Dark grey pearl (super fine hard coat) Sonic silver (M)(super fine hard coat) Super clear red II (super fine hard coat) Deep marine blue (P) (super fine hard coat)

Taking the Mercedes example, Merc released the SL55 AMG with the supercharged 5.4 litre V8. Not long after, they released the E55 AMG with the same supercharged 5.4 litre V8. Do you think Mercedes were worried about the E55 AMG killing the SL55 AMG sales? No, one is a fully decked out (S-class based) two door roadster, the other is a beefed-up family sedan. Mercedes were more worried about the BMW M5 butchering E55 sales if they DIDN'T give it such an engine. Audi will be thinking the same way - the RS6 is out there to go one up on the BMW M5 (just like the previous 450hp RS6 did against the old 400hp BMW M5), they will not be worried about Lamborghini sales. Audi have already tested the waters with two Gallardo engined cars already on sale today (Audi S6 and Audi S8), so I am sure that Lamborghini won't even blink at the thought of a twin turbo V10 Audi RS6. But just to make sure, Lamborghini are rumoured to be developing a 5.5 litre version of the current 5.0 litre V10 making 600 horsepower to keep it ahead of the Ferrari F430, so there will be no worries what so ever about the RS6. Or Audi R8 for that matter.

MacGuyver welded a conrod back together with a makeshift welder made from something along the lines of a washer, a wrench and a power cord. You should try that, it'll be good as new.

I'd say he's got one of these. Maybe two (one for each eye). While looking for that pic, I stumbled across this... I thought it was pretty funny.

We all said that about the previous generation IS300, and just ended up disappointed when it arrived... I say we skip the IS350 and bring on the IS500!!! Taking on BMW’s up-coming M3 and Mercedes’ future C 63 AMG, the new IS 500 is certainly appreciated by sport-saloon fanatics. We haven't seen or heard much about it lately, but it appears as though the V8-powered Lexus IS 500 is still an ongoing project. This prototype spotted on the Nürburgring is clearly no ordinary IS 350 given its deep front air dam, extra large boot lid spoiler and two pairs of exhaust pipes. On top of that, we just heard a rumour that the new LS 460 will be the first Lexus with an electronic stability control system which can be deactivated. We can only hope this high-powered IS will be the next nanny-less Lexus headed our way http://www.worldcarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/...os-lexus-is-500

Just when I thought that the big Australian built family front drivers were putting too much torque through the front wheels, the Americans bring us EVEN MORE!!!

Any clues to who the "lucky" owner is?

Love the Lot... er... Lotus's...? Lotuses? Lotus....? Lotii...? Does "Lotus" even have a plural? The R8's looks are definitely improved over earlier versions, which is good because mechanically it should be brilliant! btw Ronin, your avatar is awesome. Without fail I laugh everytime I see it. I thought it would wear off after a few days, but no, it still makes me laugh.

Being such a hyped up and eagerly awaited model, it will be compared to pretty much everything under the sun by the world's motoring press: It will be compared to supercars from the same country: Next Gen Mazda RX-7 Next Gen Toyota Supra Next Gen Honda NSX That Lexus supercar that I can't remember the name of (LF-A or something...) Lancer Evo 10 Subaru STi It will be compared to sports cars in similar (+-$50k) price ranges BMW M3 Porsche 911 Noble M15 Aston Martin Vantage Jaguar XJR Audi RS4 BMW M6 Maserati GranSport It will be compared to the highest level performance cars of other countries: Porsche 911 Turbo Corvette ZO6 HSV GTS It will be compared to cheaper performance cars from within Nissan V36 Skyline Nissan 350Z It will be compared with track day weapons Lotus Exige S Porsche GT3/GT2 BMW M3 CSL It will be compared to exotic supercars - fighting above its weight division Lamborghini Gallardo Ferrari F430 It will be compared to expensive GT cars Bentley Continental GT Aston Martin DB9 Mercedes SL65 AMG(?) Audi R8 And so on... Since it straddles numerous different categories (track car, GT car, sports car, supercar, etc.) it's difficult to establish what it's direct rivals actually are...

Remembering that there's probably not many "stock" R32 GTR's anymore. Most will at least have at least a cat-back, pod, or intercooler. For me, 12.7 sounds too fast for a completely stock GTR.

Dunno about the rest of you guys, but I don't think my local coppers here in Perth wouldn't take too kindly to that number plate location... Nice ride though! Probably one of the nicest S12's I've seen. You need an RB26 to get away with badging it "GTR," however