
Features
Wanna lift?
The GT-R turns in beautifully, whether neutral or under brakes, and grips forever - slippery surfaces seem to bring out the best in it. Time after time I left Turner behind as my four-wheel-drive system and traction control worked better out of wet corners - it wasn't just the fact that I could get on the power earlier. It was about confidence.
The Nissan really is something special, and you get the impression that while a master driver could wring every last ounce of performance out of the 911, your mother could do the same in the GT-R. And all the while, making lightning fast up- and down-changes in milliseconds while the Porsche driver messes with manual.
Does the Nissan's ability reduce the driving pleasure? Not at all. You can turn all the systems off if you so choose, and it's still supremely well balanced, no doubt a delight for a racing driver on a track.
It doesn't feel as heavy as it is - it weighs a chunky 1740kg, 80kg more than the Porsche. But its supreme Nürburgring lap time of 7:38, a full two seconds faster than the Turbo (and on a partly wet track), is solely down to its completely planted feel, its awesome grip and traction, and the natural way it goes about maintaining speed through corners.
It feels high, almost on tip-toe in comparison to the 911, but that's because it is. It's a big car. But it's not slow. Our 'bahn tests proved that.
'For all-round ability, the Nissan is the best car I've ever driven. It is almost as fast as the Porsche'
From medium revs in fourth gear, with me driving the Nissan and with a passenger on board, the radio countdown allowed us to nail the throttles simultaneously with the cars side-by-side. Turner's Porsche crawled forward, and I mean crawled, v-e-r-y slowly. It only highlights the supernatural performance of the GT-R.
For all-round ability, I have no doubt the Nissan is the best car I've ever driven. It is almost as fast as the Porsche - which means it's almost as fast as any car on earth - and inspires more confidence through corners, yet it's also more roomy and practical and has a proper modern gearbox.
It's a big, solid car you can rely on when the going gets tricky, that you can thrash around a track, then set the suspension to soft, the transmission to auto, the Bose audio to full bass and potter into town without a trace of angst.
Oh, I nearly forgot - price. The 911 Turbo comes in at about £100,000, which is good value for such a stupendous car, but the GT-R will cost about £40,000 less than that when it goes on sale in the UK in 2009.
Mizuno-san is right. This car has no competitors. Not at any price. But that won't prevent one of the first GT-Rs in Europe being bought by an anonymous man and taken to Porsche AG in Stuttgart for a thorough examination. With an even more powerful and lighter V Spec GT-R on the way, Porsche can't afford to lag behind for long.

Bookmark with:
What are these?