Okay, okay. Before GT-R fans puke on the spot with the idea, take solace in the fact that this is just a relatively well-done Photoshop image (by Trung’d - Trung Nguyen Design) of the GT-R with its top cut off.

Unlike babes in the beach, some cars don’t just get much more appealing when their tops are taken off. I mean the GT-R as it is wouldn’t compare to an Aston. And again, case in point, the DB9 Volante cabrio didn’t look as good as the hardtop.

I wouldn’t get it why, after achieving a masterpiece, Nissan would do this at all. The GT-R is a performance demon. Making it into a soft top would mess with the weight and the structural integrity of the car affecting everything. But what if Nissan suddenly gets the idea and have the ball rolling on this one… Oh my.

Via: Autojunk

Nissan is really making the Nurburgring its proving grounds and is close to make it its home turf. I half expect Nissan cars to be pissing around the ‘Ring and claim territoriality as top dog around the course. The latest record it posted - the X-Trail fuel cell vehicle ran a lap in 11:58 making it the quickest FCV to lap around it.

Sure, the time is nowhere close to most performance postings (like the sub 7:30 time posted by the GT-R), but it seems to be respectable enough. Especially since the X-Trail is a CUV not really built for cornering. And the ‘Ring has a lot of tricky curves and hairpins.

The X-Rrail FCV is a zero-emission electric vehicle that uses a hydrogen fuel stack. The electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen produces the juice needed to power the engine and the only by-product is harmless water vapor. The vehicle can do a respectable (est.) 93 mph and a range of 310 miles.

Source: Nissan

If in last Sunday’s Top Gear episode, the Nissan GT-R damn (near?) broke Jeremy Clarkson’s head, TG’s print counterpart were gracious enough to return the GT-R the favor - by crashing one. And we thought only our friends in Asia were gracious enough to share with us some pictures of their wrecked brand-spanking new GT-Rs.

This here’s the same GT-R that the The Stig took around their test track and since the whole TG organization shares resources, the Magazine team took it out to the Isle of Man. Unfortunately for them, an Audi R8 failed to stop in time to avoid rear-ending the black GT-R.

The GT-R’s rear looks like it was plowed real good. Too bad no pictures of the R8. R8 plus a GT-R. Whanging either car is a mortal sin. So the guy responsible should at least be cast to hellfire or something. I wonder from whose paycheck that would come out of.

Source: GT-R UK Forums

Hello and welcome to our weekly Top Gear recap.

First up, answering the question, “Can a car ever be art?” And to answer that, they seamlessly tie-in their take on Alfa Romeos from last week’s show to this review of the Alfa Romeo 8c. I wonder how many times Clarkson has ever dubbed a car, “the best looking ever made.” But he does it here (again?). Typical Clarkson nitpicking for this one and yes, he concludes that this one is “fourteen feet of art.” And The Stig takes it around the track posting a 1:38.2 (very wet). Quite very slow.

For the news, there’s the typical skinny on Internet photos, the Fiat Panda Mamy, the now-lame Dacia Sandero quip. Oh and a guy complained that Jeremy clipped a double-white road line in last week’s episode. Geek! And a continuation of their war against signs.

Oh, and next up is the buck that stops all. Introducing it as the successor to the Datsun 120Y, Top Gear’s take on the Nissan GT-R! And not just a simple take - an epic race. Nissan GT-R versus Japan’s bullet train from Japan’s west coast to the east coast! As always the race is not without its twists and turns with a supposed intense finish with the GT-R weaving through a mountain pass. Very nice. But it was a drag that it ended up as a foot race.

Oh, I totally skipped the Stars in a Reasonably Priced car but they had Fiona Bruce and Kate Silverton (newscasters). Again, if you’re stateside and don’t get BBC 2, have the Intarwebs help you out.

It has been months since I wrote about our supposed project car here at AutoJab. I figured that once I’m able to put in a budget, I’d go about doing the mods to the car and the first item on the agenda was supposed to be an engine swap. The stock Sentra has a 1.6L GA16DE engine that has given me some problems due to failing electronics.

An option is to have it adapted to carb but that would be considered a downgrade since the car would lose a good amount of horses, not to mention that it would also consume a bit more gas and passing emissions would be a bitch.

I was supposed to have it swapped out with an naturally aspirated SR20DE (there’s also a turbocharged one - the SR20DET) - of the classic, mass produced Nissan engines that could give the B13 Sentra a lot of punch per pound, enough to supposedly give the Civic Si a run for its money on a straight line.

However, the problem is that the SR20DE is it guzzles gas just a tad more than what’s slapped on the ride right now from 22 mpg with the GA16DE (based on experience) to 18 MPG. With the gas prices sky-high, I’m putting it on hold until I get to decide which gets me the best buck-per-bang arrangement.

So what’s Nissan really up to? The Nissan GT-R has yet to hit American roads and yet buzz has started to shift to the upcoming 370Z. As far as what’s stated, the 370Z will get an engine displacement bump with it getting the 3.7L V6 from the Infiniti G37.

But now, reports say that Nissan is also gunning for a high-performance version of the 370Z with a V8 engine. No word yet if the engine will be taken from one of Nissan’s existing line (like the 4.5L) but Nissan has mention that it will most likely be a V8.

Nissan is targeting the end of the year for the 370Z to see daylight (or at least car show lights). In addition, the car will also be lighter by 220 pounds compared to the current 350Z. Choices of trannies to mate to the engine are a six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Now this is shaping up to be really interesting.

Nissan is just giving buyers more and more things to move towards getting their latest wonder. Nissan UK just launched its Race Academy program for customers who have placed their orders beforehand. Just a day before getting their shiny new GT-R, buyers would be treated to a one-on-one class around Silverstone or Nurburgring.

Now that’s an interesting treat, probably a way to prevent those WTF! moments with amateurs whanging their new GT-Rs while on the road. The soon-to-be owners will be treated to a 45 minute session in the GT-R and, as part of the treat, learn the art of drifting/powersliding inside a 350Z.

Vincent Wijnen, marketing director for Nissan GB said, “we want to share the excitement and the thrill of the GT-R with our customers. To do that, we will give those GT-R customers the chance to spend some quality time with the car before they take delivery of theirs.”

Source: Autocar

Watch out, folks! This is what many have been waiting for - the day when we can find Nissan GT-Rs on American soil. And not just some test unit sent over for motoring critics to drive but a lot that will soon see some action on American roads.

Just check out this Jacksonville, Florida lot that contains a whole fleet of Nissan GT-Rs still wrapped up with protective film and plastic. Mmm…

Just the site of GT-Rs filed up like a battalion of mean machines can send chills down your spine. Watch out, everyone! This is it!

Source: Autoblog

Looking at this blog’s archive it seemed that I can’t get enough of the Nissan GT-R. I won’t go as far as saying that I am a die-hard fan. I mean, I haven’t test-driven one yet but based on countless testimonies and by the sheer numbers alone, it just is a great car.

The fact that it burned records set by supercars around Nurburgring is enough to send chills down your spine especially if you take into consideration its $70000 price tag. Still not for the average Joe, but to think that a BMW that performs half as well costs $30k more, you start to think that this might just yet be the supercar that you can own.

So what’s so special about this newsbit? Well it’s because reports have it that the V-Spec (victory specification) GT-R will be unleashed late this year. And yes, if it means anything, that V-Spec label means that this will be one faster machine than the “plain old” GT-R.

Just the thought… Brrr…

Finally! I really have to admit that Jeremy Clarkson is my favorite motoring journalist. Sure he can be a real arse at time but his wit and humor always manages to hit points home. Many might disagree with his views about cars but paying attention to the things he like and don’t like about them does give you some thinking points, his witty metaphors included.

One car that I’ve been waiting for him to review is the Nissan GT-R. I’m not the type of person who can readily put his hands on a car like the GT-R or any other car priced as such, but Clarkson can. And whether he’d consider the car “rubbish” or something “absolutely phenomenal” is something to take note of. All the reviews that this car got is pretty much the same - that the GT-R is an engineering masterpiece. So did Clarkson find it as such?

So what did Clarkson have to say about the car? Probably that is best summed up by his bottom line:

I dare say that if Michael Schumacher were to find himself in the eye of an Arctic blizzard, escaping from an exploding volcano, he might discover 10% of this car’s abilities. But you? Me? Here? Forget it.

Nissan, then, has done something odd. It has built a car for a time and a place and a species that simply don’t exist.

Now if Top Gear would just air now…

Source: Times Online