Tokyo: Nissan steals the show
Posted by Bill Thomas at 2:15PM on Wednesday 24 October, 2007 6 Comments
It wasn't hard to grasp that the Nissan GT-R had stolen the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show: the Nissan stand had turned into something resembling a rock concert venue an hour before the official unveiling was due to start.
I was there early to see it, because I didn't want to miss the big event. Seemed like about a thousand other journalists, magazine and web photographers and film crews had had the same idea.
Talking to a Nissan spokesperson on the stand, seems like some people had been occupying a place at the front since 9 that morning. That's a level of hardcore I simply can't understand. Or maybe I canÂ…
Now, some four hours later, it began, with, almost inevitably, the Nurburgring, and an in-car shot of the GT-R doing its hot lap of the North Loop, a 7:38. Evocative stuff and rightly so, the GT-R has contributed a great deal to the legend of this track.
Then Nissan/Renault boss Carlos Ghosn drove a GT-R onto the stage and finally the wait was over: he'd unveiled the Concept GT-R six years earlier, and it seems a long, long time ago. Gives you an idea of how much work has gone into perfecting this car. It couldn't have been easy.
This was an occasion that was almost more interesting for the reaction the car caused than the car itself. Only a GT-R could cause a reaction like this in Japan - no other vehicle of any description has the same kudos, the same level of fanatical interest, certainly nothing from the domestic market.
A Toyota or Honda making a splash like this? Never. And you can forget the others, they're too small.
I've never seen a motorshow press event so packed solid with people. They were literally falling over each other to get a glimpse. I hope a photographer took a photo of the photographers.
Once the GT-R hubbub had died down, a little electric car rolled onto the stage, turned through 180 degrees in little more than its own length, then twisted all of its wheels around, then its cabin around, and drove into a parking space at right angles.
This is the Pivo 2, another Nissan and not a production car like the GT-R just yet - a concept. And in its own way, even more impressive.
Its wheels not only swivel within their pods, but the pods move as well, so it changes its stance on the road depending on whether it's cornering, braking or accelerating. Ingenious.
The Pivo 2 drew interest, but nothing like the interest of its supercar brother. It's what everyone in the whole world, it seems, was there to see.
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The GT-R has always been a hugely adored car, even before Universal Studios nearly ruined it with their Fast and the Furious movies. I say the GTR rather than the Skyline, because the other models - the Skyline R32, R33 and Coupe - were never really as good as the GTR and were never as popular.
I also want to know more about their development of a new Silvia. Nissan bosses teased journalists in Australia earlier this year about it and just said to keep our eyes and ears open around the time of the GT-R launch. If it's anything like the S15 Spec-R, we're in for a treat.
If Nissan carry on like this, one day they'll be among Lambo, Zonda, Ferrari and all the other super car makers and it's their different way of thinking that'll get them there.
I prefer the old Skylines. The new one still looks like a concept!
I've been looking forward to this car since the rumours began, and was lucky enough to see the first concept in Tokyo. I can imagine the fuss that would have surrounded this, and while the performance figures seem great, the plan to make it unmodifiable has sense behind it, but I think it won't be well accepted.
Biggest problem for me though is that it doesn't have those glorious front lights, and so reminds me too much of the 350Z. I'm hoping it won't when I see it in the metal
I got up at 5:00 the morning the day that car was released, so I could see it being unveiled in the GT5 Prologue demo I downloaded for my PS3, only to find out that it was unveiled at 6:30 - damn time zones...
But hey, I can burn an hour. So I saw it and drove it on GT's amazing new physics engine and new cockpit camera view. It rules. My favourite car ever! The multi-display is even the same design as the game's HUD.
I've been following the R35 on the internet, because, since I was 7, Skyline GT-Rs were my favourite cars in the Gran Turismo games.
Am I a hardcore fan, or just sad?
I have waited for this unveiling with an all-consuming passion, not only since the announcement was made that there would in fact be another GT-R (I was deeply saddened after the R34's illustrious run was ended), but that it would be released Stateside as well.
I cannot wait as I will be the 2nd person to get to drive this legend in my little corner of the world called Iowa.