[R4R]

it happened today!

i got face to face with the new Nissan Skyline R35 GT-R. I was only allowed to sit in the passanger seat and generally see it ti

fitted the car.

i was allowed to (amongst other things):
lift the bonnett
look in the boot
sit in the driver / passamger seat
rev the engine at stanstill (it limits it self at standtill to 4500rpm)
open and close the doors
move the seat
and generally screw about inside and outside of the car.

realistically i am taking the pi$$ but it was everything one normaly does with the exception of being able to drive the car.

i was advised that they could not get insurance at short notice...... this is supposed to be the black JDM car that has doen all

of the jurno / track time within the UK. it had 22,000 kilometers on the clock. i imagine that most of this has been HARD track

and road miles. you couldn't tell as the car was perfectly behaved. only negative point is that the rear dampers had been replaced

and for what ever reason they had not been connected to the cars electronics so i was unable to sence the different suspension

settings.

this car was fitted with normal Pirelli P Zero nero tyres (i think they were cheaper than the stock dunlop RFT). Given that they

were getting through a set of tyres per car per day at the recent Silverstone academy day. they said that these tyres were

selected to provide some safe understeer to the car!!

so what impressed me? well losts of thigs really. most impressive was the way it accelerated from rest 3 adults up it was nothing

short of staggering. on paper its faster than my Radical SR3 and i have no reason to suspect anything different. the traction is

just awesone. brakes were very good as well when i asked for a heavy stop at 60 mph. (t was an emergency stop on damp roads). the

car came to an almost controlled stop with a little wandering, but as the car came to rest it selected 1st gear and was ready to

go again.

now i have not been in a car fitted with a dual clutch system (except for a golf and that was ok, but you could fool the box

sometimes) but thsi box was nothing stort of fantastic! i would have perceived it to be a slush box had i not know it to be a

propper box.

overall (with the exclusion of driving it) i am short of suplervative by which to describe the overall package.

if I ordered now one can have it for July (without the £1900 sat nav option). its about £54K all up taking advantage of the

government reduction of VAT.

what's the down side..... with a crash helmet on and the seat where i like it the helmet rubs the roof lining. it can be made

better by reclining the seat back slightly. this is still a minor problem for me as the roof line slopes from just behind the

driver head. moving the steering wheel (adjustable for reach and rake) is a compromise to some degree.
one other fantastic feature is the reach and rake system does something i have longed for in any car i have owned. the instrument

binical is fixed to the column not the dashboard. so move the wheel and the instruments are always in view and not obscured by the

wheel rim. well done to nissan for that alone.

would i buy one. yes so long as the euro spec cars (with different seats allow me to get in with a driving helmet on and not rub

against the head liner. hopefully i will get to sit and drive a euro spec car very soon (early Jan).

i have added some video and pics.

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it was very dirty


nice instrument cluster - moved with column a first ?








Carrie fitted (step 1)




our sales specialist had a broken foot so his mates GT-R'ed up his wheel chair LOL


Dario

[booforty]

Great write-up Dario! A thoroughly enjoyable read

[M3-FAST]

That car looks sooooooo good!! - Love it

[marriedblonde]

Is that the one that was rear ended during one of the road tests? I think EVO borrowed it for thier car of the year test last month...

[R4R]

Originally Posted by marriedblonde

Is that the one that was rear ended during one of the road tests? I think EVO borrowed it for thier car of the year test last month...

i don't know. whilst i was looking around the car i did have need to look in the boot. by the way it is one huge boot 240 ltrs deep with a very high sill,

i lifted the sound deadning material (which is so so thin) and saw no sign of repair work. i suppose that if they did their job right you would not expect it to be perceptable.

Dario

[marriedblonde]

Ok it wasn't then because EVO commented on it looking a little worse for wear. But it also had non run flats fitted to it...

[dxb335d]

So has it been banged before? and who took you for a drive in it? salesmen? surely it was insured then. I hate it when people call it a skyline, such a gay name. No wonder Nissan dropped it for this GT-R.

[misterS3]

Great write up.

I've driven one round Silverstone, and you won't be disappointed. The UK car is now up on power a bit, had the Dunlops fitted as standard, slightly bigger fuel tank and a few other details.

The hardest part is choosing the spec!!

What have you gone for?

[R4R]

I've had to bail out of this now.

i managed to get hold of the euro spec car to try the seats for height / comfort with my helmet on and guess what..... no joy! the seats were just the same as the JDM spec car.

anyway i also have grave reservations regarding maintenance. trying to get a straight answer for the dealer was neigh on impossible!

stories on the GTROC forum about oil change of the gearrbox / diff unit after 1600km on track with costs of £500 + and no idea what service costs are going to be!

the statement "dont expect costs comparable with servicing a Micra, but more in line with a super car" scare me a little.

now don't get me wrong maintenance charges don't bother me too much as my Radical cost to run and repair about £15K in the last 2 years but that was then and this is now and i want a break from forking out money even if it was just fantastic.

I started looking at the R26R which is a good deal at £20,200 on the road. 3 years warranty on road and track....... now that is a bargain!

thrash the tits of a car on track and somebody underwrites the fun bargain!

Dario

[BoBBoB]

http://tribes.cartribe.co.uk/_Megane...8127/7276.html

at 20k for a new r26r your looking at a major bargain, especially if the warranty covers track time as well :-)

[R4R]

Originally Posted by BoBBoB

http://tribes.cartribe.co.uk/_Megane...8127/7276.html

at 20k for a new r26r your looking at a major bargain, especially if the warranty covers track time as well :-)

i have to say that when a manufacturer puts a roll cage and track spec sticky tyres on a car, to me that screams track car.... oh i forgot to mention strip out the interior, remove the front and back seats, fit 6 point harnes's and plastic windows.... i'd like to see them deny any warrenty claim that was not just abuse!

Dario

[Hoops]

There are only 2 things that put me off the R26R - and thats "Renault" and "Megane" !!

[mikem]

Originally Posted by bmwbailey

There are only 2 things that put me off the R26R - and thats "Renault" and "Megane" !!

You forgot "FWD" and "French"

[misterS3]

If you get the Performance Car from last month (the one i posted about before Christmas)

You can read about the 335i v 335d. But also R26.

For the money, if i was looking for a track car, it would be very close, if not top, of the list!

GTR for the win for me though still (Shame it doesn't fit you Dario)

[R4R]

Originally Posted by misterS3

If you get the Performance Car from last month (the one i posted about before Christmas)

You can read about the 335i v 335d. But also R26.

For the money, if i was looking for a track car, it would be very close, if not top, of the list!

GTR for the win for me though still (Shame it doesn't fit you Dario)

thats the whole point. a fun / not super expensive road and track car to run.

i've done the extreme end of track cars now with the Radical SR3, great fun if you master it noting much quicker for the money.

but its time to move on. the GT-R was top of the list but i don't fit so move on quickly. i don't have to move on from the radical, but just fancy a change in the style of car.

when it rains or is cold the Radical is not one jot of fun (no heater, no wipers and sometimes scarey)

i understand what the other say regarding French and Megane etc but cheap frills are hard to come by in motorcars.

i still may choose another by the 3 year warrenty is a big draw for me.
Drivers republic highly rated it as did EVO magazine.

we will see

Dario