GTR on Top Gear Track
 

I'm a big fan of the Top Gear show. Why can't I get a job like that? LOL

Anyway, last night's show tested the GTR on the track. The Stig ran a 1:19.7 on their track placing it number 7 on their leader board. It is in some exotic company. That's amazing for a car that costs $70,000.

It's faster than the Porsche Carrera GT.
BTW: The Boxster S is 59th with a 1:28.7


http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/20/video-the-stig-runs-the-gt-r-around-top-gears-track/


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Laps#Power_Laps

I'm sure it's a great car, but it's over 4000 pounds!

It broke Jeremy's neck! lols

LOL
Jeremy was joking around for the show wasn't he? (I'm naive)

or did his neck get that tired from the G forces that he pulled something? there sure was a lot of response when that happened. Some guy on a lawnmower even showed up.

The lawn mower was a bit over the top, but I know a few years back his doctor told him he couldn't power slide cars for at least a few months because of his back. So, he might have been joking, might not have....He is old and I can't imagine that he has many "healthy" habits ( i know he smokes a ton).

Wow! I gotta get me one of those GTR's. Forget the Vette Z06. And who cares if it's 4,000 Lbs? What counts is performance.

Its gonna be real hard to get them. I was at a nissan dealership test driving a 350z for a friend (he can't drive manual too well), and I was talkin to the guy about the GTR. He was the owners son, and since they had 3 dealerships, they were getting 2 GTRs and they already had something like 5 down payments (this was in March). He also said the dealer markup would be really heafty (20k being nothing "huge").

When the Mustang Shelby GT 500 came out they were getting $20K over sticker. Then about a year ago they were getting about $10K over sticker. Then last March my friend bought a 2008 Shelby GT 500 for $2,500 over sticker. I'm sure now you can get one $2,500 under sticker.

I can wait a year or even two for the euphoria to wear off at get a GTR at sticker or real close to it.

I was thinking there may be some good used GTR's in a few years. Probably be reliable too although lot's of high tech in the car.

Kinda makes it interesting now. Let's say you got $70K to $75k to spend on a car. Or even $90K to $100K I suppose. What do you get?

It could force the competition to step up and offer more performance to close the gap.

It will be interesting what this car does to the super car market, especially since its in the U.S. now. I wonder how many used ones there will be though? I doubt they are gonna be commin over here in huge numbers at first because they probably take a while to put together. And if it is so good, why would you want to part with it :D

You want to know what will happen with this car in the US and what will happen over time? Set the wayback machine to 1991 and look at the NSX. Great car, they'll sell a few, it'll be cool to see one on the road, and they'll slowly drop in price but hold well. There will be new cars that outperform it and the buzz will die down, just like everything else.

Ferrari people won't think about buying one and people buying a GTR won't think about buying a Ferrari (but compare it to one all the time).

In 10 years, the '19 Evo (or whatever the hot economy car is at the time) will be blowing the doors off the '09 GTR.

Where do you drive race track or street?
 

If you are like me, you do not race your car on a track (I said race not HPDE). Instead your car spends all its time on the street. So, ultimate speed is not important rather driving fun is. That's where the GTR falls down IMHO. It may post good numbers and that's exciting until your first accident, ticket or death. Then you realize (if you are not dead) that driving fun comes from driving a car that responds to your commands, not one that commands you. The GTR sounds like a soulless speed machine. I would get as much enjoyment out of going super fast in it as I would get as a passenger on a 747.

IDK Jeremy did say it was made to go around corners and it does have a slick DCT and AWD. It'd be fun. But I enjoy driving anything with a motor.

But I agree that after awhile most any car with a roof turns into just a commuting car on the street.

I'm glad Nissan is building cars like the GTR and setting the performance bar higher.

For pure road fun though, nothing beats a motorcycle.

In general I agree with you on the value of feedback, and a 4000 pound curb weight does not bode well, plus, what fun is a sports car with an automatic transmission. No matter what they call it, if there's no clutch, it's an automatic. But don't you have to drive the car before making the statement you made?

Yeah - looks like they're going to be at least $100K for their first year on sale. Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___2009-Nissan-GT-R-Premium-GTR_W0QQitemZ120284816420QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20Trucks QQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120284816420&_tr ksid=p3756.m14.l1308

I saw that Top Gear too - awesome car but why isn't it better looking? I mean is it really better looking than a Nismo Tuned Z? I don't think so. At $100K+ they're going to compete with 997 S', R8's, and AMV8's. Granted, it will spank them all, but if I were in that market, I would probably go for the car that you dream about; the one that a kid has tacked up on his wall, or saved on his desktop. Having said that, I'm still glad it exists.

The Stig
 

Hey MotorHeads,

Anyone figure out who The Stig is? Bonus points for Stig's African brotha, and Fat Stig.

The only clue I have is that he is an ex F1 driver.

Ike :confused:

PmajorS: That GTR car does not even have the style of the 986.

Top Gear crashes Nissan GT-R press car
 

Have you all heard/seen about this?
Here's the actual car they used in that filming.

http://www.egmcartech.com/wp-content...gear_crash.jpg

Here's the story: http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/07/22/top-gear-crashes-nissan-gt-r-press-car/

call me a idiot but im probably going to bid and hopefully win, if that happens bye bye cayenne and Cl...

There's a few theories on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_stig

One suspect is Russ Swift http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Swift. I know him from TT Week, when he drove our Italian Job Mini as part of his display routine.

Video at bottom of page at http://www.italianjob.info/media/index.html

I'll have to ask him about it next time I see him

Mike

Question: Would a sport bike get around that Top Gear test track faster than any of the tested cars? Some of the tested cars?

Most likely, even with just 2 points on contact with the ground, the acceleration of a bike woiuld help a sport bike beat a good number of cars on that track

Good luck on the bidding! I bet it will be a fun car to drive :cheers:

You know, if you wait 6 months, you will be able to get one for $15000 less than the current bid ($92k).

Scatter shooting while watching the GT-R video.

- Congrats to Nissan for raising the bar on reasonably priced, super car performance.

- What happens when the new kid on the block comes along that either raises the performance ante or matches it at a lower price? GT-R owners will be left with a butt ugly car. Bet the value drops pretty fast at that point.

- Anyone who would spend $100K+ on a GT-R should be institutionalized. How long before they rue the day they wrote that check?

- 11 yr old 986s still look striking / sexy. What will we think about the GT-R in 2019?

- Every time they showed a rear view I thought, "gee, that looks like a Chevy Cobalt". That can't be good.

- Any Buyer's Remorse that I could've spent an addl $12K over my LE and bought a GT-R (assuming I can buy one at sticker in a yr or 2)? NO WAY!

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

I don't think the car looks that bad, and I would really like to see another car company raise the bar again for a cheaper price. That would put some more fight into the sports car market. I think the car will hold its value resonably well. After all, it is a GT-R, and while it costs 12k more than a boxster LE (if you can get it at sticker price), you are getting a good amount more for the 12 thousand. You should be able dawdle in it day to day (it has some sort of back seats and an "automatic" transmition) and it can also rip your face off on the track. I think thats a pretty cool deal. It also has some cool gizmos :D

GT-R is nice but you're so screwed when you take the car in for service. I don't want to know how much those 15" rotors cost. But I guess that's what it takes to own a supercar.

You can get an Evo X for less and it's a lot more aftermarket parts out there.

And if I want exclusivity, I'd take an Audi R8 - much more classier car. :cool:

I don't think an Evo X is a viable substitute for a GT-R. They do have a lot in common, but when it comes down to it the Evo is based on an econo box. And I can only assume that there will be a plethera of parts available for the GT-R in the near future. I actually look forward to seeing whats going to be available since each engine is uniquely manufactured.

The Audi however, oh man. The regular v8 and v10 look good and can blend in, sort of, with everyday traffic. The v12 though, IMO it looks amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXyDJqbXjss&NR=1

http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-conte...dir8v12tdi.jpg

I haven't seen an R8 live yet but my friends who have said it is stunning especially when seen oncoming.

The only time I saw one in person was on the highway...going in the opposite direction (dang!). It was really dawdling too, and elder guy was driving it. My guess 70 mph so I heard no exhaust note :(

It is all here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stig

OK you guys are on to me.

I admit it .... I'm The Stig .....

but let's keep it just between us ....

Damnnnn wild, I mean stig, you have crazy driving skills...and a pretty thick british accent (you can hear him talk on a video on youtube).

I really want an "I am the Stig" t-shirt...

There really is an "I'm the Stig" Tshirt. Link here: http://www.officialproducts.co.uk/product.php?xProd=4&xSec=2

But you guys are all poseurs because I am the real Stig.

Top Gear is without doubt the best car show ever. Thanks for watching!

:dance:

OMG OMG OMG OMG, I want to buy them all!!
Even the I am the stigs fat cousin, even though i can't fit in it!

bough the "I am the stig" and Nurinburgh (sp?) ones. Cost 83 dollars, but its worth it....

Gtr
 

I was never a fan of the GTR, it just didnt excite me but I really like this one.

It doesnt look that great, I dont like the jagged roof line but its pure performance.

I know they will be marked up alot and probably be going for over $100K but I think its a better bang for the buck

I rather get this than a Z06

apparently GTR aftermarket parts is starting to appear. It seems like Nissan was trying to discourage that with technology. For example i think the wheels have a sensor on them that won't allow you to swap to an aftermarket wheel. IDK

http://gt-rr.com/

If anyone wants to download the show, here's the bit torrent file for it:

http://www.mininova.org/get/1614818

Of course, you'll then have to download the actual show with a torrent client such as limewire.

It's a great show. For Clarkson not to bash the car in any way is really big... he's always got something critical to say about every car he drives ... something I really like about this show. It's like the antithesis of Motor Week :barf:

No joke dude! And I used to love watching that show on Saturday afternoons... then again, that's approximately the same era I thought the Dodge Avenger was cool.

I couldn't see the video and have no clue how to use bit torrent.

That is so cool though that there is an "I am The Stig" ladies shirt! I think I have to get one. After all, how do you know for sure that The Stig is a dude? :p