Beast from the East?

Wow... 3.3 for 0-60



And, any info on the new NSX?

 

None. Regardless of how well Japanese cars perform against Ferraris and Lamborghinis, they'll never match the style and that exotic appeal that Italian cars have. Period. They do offer good value for money though.

 

ferrari answered the last nsx threat to become the leader in performance technology with paddles, ceramic brakes, manettino, etc so i have worries about them

now as for porsche, theyre in trouble, imo. the gtr costs like a cayman (ugly like one too) but out perfoms a turbo. porsche is way behind the tech curve, still charging many thousands for ancient slushbox tiptronic, lack of esp on top cars (gt2 finally gets it), etc. porsches dont offer the sound or looks of ferrari so performance is it.

and who would buy an m3 over gtr? nissan has changed the game (for the better)

 

So why didn't the do something to sex it up a bit? Talk about a boring looking car... I'll stick
with my lowly old-school 328 any day.

 

If anything the Japanese are doing with their 'super-sedan' actually worries you, then you don't 'get' Ferrari and are on the wrong board, friend....I could care less if the Japanese build a rocket-with-wheels and gave it away for $10. Its still an ugly, soul-less, mass-produced sedan built by robots, living or mechanical. I didn't want one yesterday, I don't want one now, and I won't want one tomorrow.

 

amazing, super accuate post. i agree.

if i wanted a Z06, GTR or Jap EIEIO whatever, i would have one of two of them by now.

i buy what i want, and i want Exotic cars.

i do not get where the hell people think they can use all of this power and speed on public roads.

i would much rather be driving my old classic Italian metal than any of these new " wonder cars " that have to " brag they are cheaper /faster "better" than Ferrari / Lambo / Porsche.


its YOUR MONEY, buy WHAT YOU WANT.

REAPER

 

+1

 

$80K for a GT-R... $44.5K for an '86 328

EASY math for me...

 

That is UGLY it's UGLY it's U............G...........L............Y all together now it's UGLY..

 

The GT-R will quite simply force Porsche and Ferrari to develop a product that can out perform. The GT-R is really fast. According to EVO, faster than a GT3 (track), Audi R8 (road) and Z06 (0-100-0). The only reason EVO didn't test against a Ferrari is because EVO and Ferrari don't get along (and because Ferrari knew the test would reveal their car to be slower). Make no beans about it - The GT-R is fast, in part because of the twin turbo engine and in part because of the dual clutch gearbox which shifts faster than a Scuderia. The gear box and all wheel drive are the 2 main reasons why this car is so fast. Shifts are seamless with no hesitation, just a constant surge of torque.

Don't be so quick to bash the GT-R - you will see this car's transmission technology in your Ferrari sooner than later.

 

I'd think that the Nissan GT-R is a threat to BMW's M3 and the Z-06...non-sexy vehicles that compete based on price/performance.

Rebody the GT-R and badge it as an Infinity exotic ala Honda's technique of using Acura for its NSX and then the Infinity "GT-R" will pull some buyers away from Porsche, too.

The Lambo and Ferrari crowd won't be enticed over, however, unless Pininfarina/Bertone does the coachwork and comes up with something outstanding for the Igt-r.

It wouldn't surprise me to see Coach or Gucci do the interior of such an Infinity GT-r, though.

 

GT-R tranny shifts in 200 ms,Scuderia in 60ms.
Still a great ride though.....

 

I think they did with the NSX for a few years, but when the late 90s rolled around and they still hadn't updated the car their tenuous grip on "style and exotic appeal" slipped away. Unfortunately, their apparent decision to abandon the mid-engine concept means that they are not going to do the same thing again anytime soon.

I'm sure the NSX replacement will have unbelievable performance. Assuming the announced 10-cyl. powerplant will be an extraplotaion of the little 2.0 litre 240 hp four-banger that they introduced with the S2000, it will likely one-up the GTR. That said, unless it is mid-engine, it will fall short in the "style and exotic appeal" category. There are just too many cars out there now that look like 599 wannabes.

 

i don't entirely agree with the style part. i think the 360 started a japanese design cycle at ferrari that the 430 and certainly the 599 have kept moving along.

ferrari's important markets for the next phase of their growth aren't italy or the usa. it's all about the emerging economies (eastern europe, china, etc.) and they will design for those tastes - whatever they are.

doody

 

i think this is an interesting discussion/debate.

arguments like yours just shut down conversation. we might as well be talking about the existence of g-d.

as another poster pointed out, the tech in the GT-R is damn impressive and ferrari will use it someday. it's GREAT that someone is upping the ante - especially at that price point. what happens when someone licenses that drive train and slips it into a more racing-focused vehicle? competition is good!

doody!

 

This is the kind of thinking that almost got Ferrari into trouble. Arrogance.

BTW. I've been to the Ferrari factory and they still use robots. Are those special Italian robots that drink espresso in the morning, wave there arms around and ride Vespas?

Without the exotic performance, Ferrari will loose 90% of their mystique and that's a fact. Alfa Romeos have "soul"... but who buys them now that most Renaults are faster???

 

Not to mention that 90%+ of people would be faster then in it then an Enzo around the Fiorano.

 

Shouldn't this be in the "others" section. Just like the "other" 30 threads about it.

 

It would never have made it this far over there - Anunaaki is pretty fast with a gun.

 

It's a technologically a very a good car that performs very well for a very decent price. I have a 350z that I like a lot and I generally like Nissans but I'd never get the GTR over any Ferrari.

That said I could see how it would make an excellent daily driver. AWD means good in wet weather, the interior is relatively comfortable, has 4 seats, and should have decent reliability.

 

This is correct. I got the shift times wrong. The difference is made up by the GT-Rs AWD. The review in EVO implies it (shift speed) is as fast as it need be. My understanding in that a dual clutch tranny (like GT-R) is superior to the robotically activated manual found in the Scuderia.

 

Its been the early 1990s that car manufacturers the world-over have been producing performance-machines that easily surpassed the driving capabilities of the average car buyer - and as a result, machines have been cranked out to 'raise the bar' higher, and higher, and higher.....nobody has really taken-count of how many of these car buyers have lost control of all that HP/torque and gotten into trouble with immovable objects yet, because Exotic owners have been a VERY small segment of the population and if someone crashed their 600 HP Lambo and died, it made news for one night and that was it. Wait until tens-of-thousands of 20-something RICER fans get their hands on this car and the bodycount soars. This car is WAY TOO MUCH for most of its target market......take the F430 Scuderia. The thing is 'barely' street-legal, as-is. And just who among us is capable of exploring the performance capabilites of this car on public roads? No one. But 430 owners have a clue what they're buying, and its purpose - and take it to the track. Their 'ego' wasn't oriented in such a way that required them to see what 'else' was faster for less money - if you don't understand the other tangible things that make a Ferrari a 'Ferrari'....well, what's the point??? There are people who like 'fast cars', and there are people who like 'just Ferraris', I suppose...

The Japanese made a mini-van go zero-to-sixty in 2.0 seconds??? Wow! WHO CARES!!!!!!!!! If you wanna go fast, buy a Top-Fuel Dragster, join the NHRA, and leave the rest of us alone - Ferrari built a car that surpassed my driving skills back with the 348. If your world revolves around how fast you can go between stoplights, or the 1/4-mile, again - you don't 'get' Ferrari. My 24-year-old 308 leaves-behind most every SUV/Minivan behind at the stoplights and is purpose-built to reach, safely, 140 MPH....at what point do you say, "huh...that's enough performance for me"?

 

Wow, you have a very active imagination and make it clear that yours is the bruised ego. I'll tell you who cares - Ferrari cares. As elitist as you may feel, Ferrari cares when there is competition to be reckoned with. Doesn't matter who is exotic and who is not. When it comes to putting down numbers on a track, Ferrari had better care or their days are numbered.

 

Jaws,

I think you are missing the point. The same can be said of rice rockets vs. Harley Davidsons. Some vehicles have *soul* others just don't. It isnt a matter of the technology, the looks, the price, but rather how the car makes you feel when you drive it. It is sort of like airplanes. While any new Cirrus SR22 is a great airplane, it will never have the *soul* of a Piper Aerostar or even a
V Tail Bonanza. These things come about as a result of reputation, racing history, and desire of the public to own one.

When you were young (maybe you are, I am not...) what would you rather say to your potential hot date -

Lets go for a ride in the Ferrari or Lets go for a ride in the Nissan?

The essence of what makes us love Ferraris is in that though.

IMHO.

Mark
F430
Aerostar
(and a Harley too if I wasnt afraid of motorcycles)