Gtr To Come Back To "v8sc"

[djr81]

Not exactly fair criticism IMO. The R32 GT-R was probably the largest volume seller of any Group A model in the world (ie versions with the same engine as the race car).

The RS500 Sierra was also built to exploit the rules as much as they could. And if you want to talk boring, that car all but turned Group A into a one make race series. Everyone had them - even Brock. Nissan were about the only ones who genuinely challenged them with the R30 and 31 Skylines before they got serious and revived the GT-R brand with a lot of innovative thinking for the time. It could just as easily have bitten them in the arse if they didn't get it right - more complicated things tend to be less reliable, as a rule. So it was a big gamble by Nissan to build the GT-R. Ford only built 5,500 Sierras with the Cosworth motor in total. Nissan, by comparison, built about 44,000 RB26 engined GT-Rs!!!

GT-R only cost twice as much as a Commodore here because Nissan only brought in 100 of the damn things, not confident of being able to sell them here. The price in Japan was 4,450,000Y - roughly equivalent to $44,500 at 1990 exchange rates. VL Walkinshaws sold for $47,000. How many countries did they sell them in? lol They could barely sell their homologation runs in time here. And how many countries did they sell those 5,500 Sierra's in??? And how much would one of them have cost to buy here!!!

For what it is worth the did make/sell more than the 500 cars necessary for the VL Walkinshaw. I say "sell" but they were stinking up the forecourts for long after they were made. Also they only ever made 300 of the VN Group A Commodores.

There were 500 of the evolution Sierras made after the initial 5000 for the homologation although the earlier version ran in 1987 (even 1896 in a different version) before they did the evolution of it (not including the Sapphires for rallying) - bit like there were there were only 800(?) R31 GTS-R's and 560 Nismo GT-R's which were the homologation model. Depends on how pedantic you want to be with what constitutes the base model and the homologation version. The Rovers and Jaguars were nothing special and for that matter the VK Commodore was in the over 5 litre category on debut because they hadn't sold enough of the slightly smaller displacement 304 V8's yet.

Bit pointless criticising the manufacturers for using the rules the way they were intended. If you want volume you need to look at the rally cars built under group A. Nissan Micra March Super Turbo anyone?

But for what it is worth I reckon the figures quoted at the time by Freddie Gibson about costs were mostly bullshit.

Edited June 16, 2015 by djr81

[Duncan]

.....look at the rally cars built under group A. Nissan Micra March Super Turbo anyone?

hey, they aren't that unusual...I've got one

[djr81]

Wasn't suggesting they were unusual, just the opposite - your Micra at one point had 9,999 brethren.

Happy to call them unbelievably awesome and say MA09ERT>RB26.DETT.

Just out of interest I assume which charger feeds which?

[Duncan]

supercharger first, then a bypass valve opens for the it when the turbo takes over.....interesting little thing....I think there were some heavy drugs done in Nissan engineering dept in the mid to late 80s.

BTW, do you think Gibson spent more or less than they said? It was without a doubt the best engineered car on the grid, even the 31s were very impressive for their base

[djr81]

Less. I sort of suspect they rolled all the sums for R&D into the costs for the engines etc. So you get a phone number for an RB26 and think well it is a, say, 600hp motor and uses standard rods and standard exhaust manifold etc etc. Even today it is hard to figure out why it would cost so much.

Having said that their electronic gear would have been ruinously expensive and they had the best of everything. But a Hollinger costs what a hollinger costs and the cars did without alot of things. Didnt even have in car adjustable sway bars.

Their standards were high but no higher than the best of the Sierras or Frank Gardners cars. Would have hated to be the bloke signing cheques for Bob Forbes team.