Rezz

ok enough about the looks, I've edited to first post with more info about the VVEL

It's to go up against the BMW 335i Convertible... I keep spelling convertible wrong

**I would've posted this in the Next Skyline section but I thought it was too special. At the New York Show it was revealed that a V36 Skyline Coupe Convertable is on the cards for a 2009 release, at the very least as an Infiniti in the US, with a domestic Japan release as yet undecided. Not since the Prince Skyline Sports of 1961 has there been a Skyline Convertable of any sort: Yes it's just CG but it gives a good idea of what to expect. The convertable will obviously be based on the V36 Skyline Coupe, but with updated running gear as the Series II V36 will be scheduled for sale by then. One other ineteresting thing is the engine, a VQ37*VHR* from the Coupe, with a new VVEL 'electric motor driven camshaft switching' valvegear... more on this later when I get a chance to fully translate the article. The new engine is more efficient, produce less emissions, still have the high response of the current VQ35HR, and have higher capacity and torque to boot. I don't know, but this seems like the last hurrah of the conventional petrol engine for some reason...? Theres ALOT of technology going into it and theres not a turbocharger in sight... more later. *Edit: The VQ37VHR is even more environmentally friendly than the current engine, but with even more response and torque right throughout the rev range. Reduced 'pumping loss' and reduced total exhaust emissions, with CO2 reduced by 10% aswell make this a very green enigine but still producing 330HP. Internal friction is another area which has had even more attention paid to, resulting in even higher response and acceleration which is sensitive to even minor throttle input. these points were touched on but not divulged completely, so more and more information about these improvements will be cleared up later in the year. **Edit: VVEL DC motor controlled camshaft profile prounced 'Vee-Vell' A DC motor is connected via threaded shaft to a 'control shaft' with a rocker arm attached, which then, via a link (shaped much like a conrod) moves another driveshaft which is positioned side by side to the previous mentioned 'control shaft'. The driveshaft had cam lobes positioned along the driveshaft, but are able to spin around freely on it, their profile is governed by the position of the driveshaft in relation to the control shaft; either being positoned closer or further away from it. What this essentially means is that the 'cam profile' is infinitely variable... there is no cam switching here, nor is there a 'switching point' or limits to the the camshaft profile (within reason). Variable Valve Event and Lift system or VVEL. My translation wasn't so good so... Check (if you live in usa): Publix Weekly Ad, or Big W toy catalogue. Link to Nissan's VVEL explanation The VVEL diagram A better pic of the VVEL mechanism. The VVEL page... sorry the flash covered the diagram with the electric motor mechanism and cams.

yep, did it to me in the second post of the thread, which is why 32whore asked for the jpeg in the first place... definately something strange going on

Yes that hiragana does actually say 'Freedom of Life' like in English when read, but it sounds as if a Japanese person is saying it obviously But I think the problem here is that, if a Japanese were to read that, there would be a good chance that they'd not know what it was supposed to mean, firstly because it's not the 'hiragana version' of Freedom of Life as translated directly from spoken Japanese... it's the hiragana spelling of an English phrase... and secondly, the Japanese reader would have to have some command of English to even understand what it's true meaning is (ie: the possiblility that that phrase means something deeper to the tattoo wearer) let alone the three words by themselves as a basic sentence. Aesthetics aside, I would steer clear of the hiragana when dealing with English phrases, and go with Katakana (you might remember I did a reflex action and typed katakana and not hiragana in the second post hence the edit) at the very least, or go with the proper kanji characters that have an *almost* similar meaning. Either way, you going to have very few English speakers being able to read at all and very few japanese people being able to understand the meaning properly (hiragana), very few English speakers being able to read and alot of 'lol why did that guy get that phrase written in katakana' Japanese speakers being able to read but possibly not understand (katakana), or practically no English speakers even knowing if it's supposed to be text or not, and all Japanese speakers being able to read and understand it with the reader maybe thinking it's a decent tattoo (kanji)...

It's a hard one to translate... all the suggestions I've been given by japanese people have been kinda '95% there'...

1994 TRD 3000GT Widebody JGTC Replica The TRD 3000GT was first shown at the 1994 Tokyo Auto Salon much to the delight of Toyota fans and tuning car fans in general. The JZA80 Toyota Supra was already well recieved, and for TRD to bring out such extreme parts for it was sensational at the time. The TRD 3000GT body kit extended the guards by 50mm changing much of the entire exterior of the car, leading some people to belive it were a low production vehicle along the lines of RUF Automobile GmbH (Porsche). The JGTC Supra wore the 3000GT aero parts in the final race of the '94 season and showed exceptional speed, which would lead TRD to further hone the aero parts to gain the best performance possible, as shown in the two types of rear wing were available from TRD, although the 'Type R' rear wing is no longer produced. Actually, all TRD 3000GT parts are still available according to TRDs website, although the actual stock availabilty isn't known. The TRD 3000GT was never actually sold as a complete car, although cars were sold with the full catalogue installed. For many though, this was a very expensive option so it's possible to find JZA80 Supras with various genuine parts installed to make a car which is built according to their budgets. The TRD 3000GT bonnet, for example, is one part which although costing 210,000yen was a popular addition amongst Supra owners. A complete TRD 3000GT which had it's parts installed by Toyota, while not impossible to find, are still one of the most sought after JZA80s. The Type S rear wing. The Type R rear wing. (No longer produced) As is typical amongst the Japanese 'Works Tuners' (TRD, Nismo, Mugen, STi, Mazdaspeed, Ralliart etc), the engine of the TRD 3000GT at the time of it's release was left close to standard, but with a full exhaust system and suspension modifcations added to give a reasonable upgrade in performance over the already powerful base car. Later, engine packages were available which were released in stages going from mild street performance to 'hard tuned' packages illegal for street use. The original 1994 debut car though was all about properly functioning aerodynamics as opposed to outright speed, with Toyota investing alot more financially into the TRD 3000GTs body kit form than previous attempts, using wind tunnel testing and 3D simulations to gain the best compromise between functionality and appearance. The engine was completely stock at the time of the TRD 3000GTs announcement, but later upgrades were developed for big increases in horsepower. Nicely designed TRD airbag steering wheel one of few interior upgrades that match the exterior. The complete wide body TRD 3000GT kit including front fenders, rear fenders, side skirts and front and rear bumpers weighed in at 971,250yen (A$9,946!!), with the addition of the aero bonnet (210,000yen) and the rear wing (140,000yen) brings the total body kit package price to 1,321,250yen (A$13,540)... not including installation...

True (same for Nissan), but as regards the similarities between NSX and MID4 II final prototypes as shown at Motor Shows, Honda would've seen the Nissan stand at the Chicago Motor Show and could've differentiated the design more than they did, but didn't... I think that was what Biasa was getting at. At any rate, the MID4 II was heading to market in August 1989 (it was planned) so if that had happened, it would've still beaten the NSXs debut, and the obvious 'copy cat' name calling would've been directed at Honda regardless of who started their project first. That said, I really don't think the NSX looks like the MID4 II anyway... Biasa started it! Yes I am Christian Working hard to get 7Tune up and running again too. Much, MUCH better this time...

Biasa: You might want to check this link: NSX design articles from 1990

Well I know that the NS-X Prototype was first shown in 1989, and the MID4 II was from 1987 so... not saying Honda copied anyone, but they would've been well aware of the MID4 around the time they were designing the prototype. It's funny I always thought the SW20 Toyota MR2 looked very similar to the MID4 II.

Yeah, the the MID4 II is 3 years older than the NSX but still looks more modern

^^^ Right, so when you take into exchange rate at the time, competitors prices and japanese prices AND what people would be prepared to pay for such a car at the time, Nissan AU would probably charge a tad under $60,000 when new. It wouldv've come in for about $63 - 65,000 drive away depending on what the dealer could get away with.

Some magazines like 'Xa Car' here in Japan are saying 'V36 GT-R' now, but who knows... V36 would imply it's a Skyline of some sort. As for the price in Australia... I wouldn't be suprised if the pleasant people at Nissan Australia had the GT-R debut date set in 2011 or sometime after the 'V37' GT-R is announced. If by some miracle the GT-R does get sold in AU as a regular lineup model, I reckon at least $150,000... that should make even the most expensive HSV tank still seem like a bargain.

Can you try testing a fibre connection from where you are just to do a comparison? I'm not at all worried about this, it's costing me less than $40/month for the net and phone together, the speed is brilliant, no 'capping' or any of that stuff you get in AU... it's just that I thought fibre would be *alot* better than (ADSL and) what I'm getting atm from a capability point of view.