Humbled by a Nissan GTR....

Hey guys,

I'm new to these forums, a buddy of mine actually sent me this link to the thread for opinion. I am a true car lover. My work, and my hobby revolve around the modifying of all cars for both street and track.

I do not currently own a Ferrari, but I have driven them as well as tracked a 458 Italia. I am around high end cars most days, and it never gets old.


To me, variety is the spice of life. It was great to read posts by people who own both platforms. Its a joy when the purpose behind each and every performance car can be appreciated for what its worth.


I currently drive a GT-R. I absolutely love it. I have a P900 setup on the way, as these cars are truly a please to drive daily in the 700-900whp range. Brutal acceleration is my personal taste, but I can not deny any of the Ferrari's I have driven.

The 458 was a blast on track. Spending 10 minutes between 7000-9000 rpm with that beautiful note at my back was pure bliss. 430's on the street are quite fun as well.

I did not get much from a 360 though. If people boast that they loose GTR's in a corner with a 360... I'm sorry, you ran into a terrible driver. Maybe the 360 is your thing though, no knocking here.


I guess what I'm saying in a nutshell is that it was surprising to see so much negativity toward the Nissan. Its nothing short of astonishing at the current price range. With another 15,000-30,000 invested, the car is mind blowing. I'm happy to say that at 28 years old, I drive one. A heavily modified one at that. I could have 360 or a 430, but its not me. Perhaps a GTR is not you. But if your a 360 owner saying "its a Nissan"... Haha man, come on.. Really?


-Mikey

 

Really? LMAO. This post is more childish than street racing. I have been pulled over for speeding quite a few times and never was it by the FBI. Dude's got 400k in cars, I guess he can't afford a good lawyer?

 

The good thing about having money for a 458 is that one can buy a GTR and pay a good designer to make a rebody for it. Problem solved.

 

I think the GTR looks great. Looks being subjective; I cant say that your wrong in your opinion. However, something to keep in mind is that the GTR is slipperier than a Prius, and generates no lift at speeds. I wouldn't have it look any other way, just how I wouldn't have an F430 look any other way.

Hammad

 

Wow, sooo impressed! As mentioned time and time again, great fast cars the GTR is, but at the end of the day, it's still a Nissan.

 

Did you take both cars to Bithlo 1/4 mile track a few years ago?

 

Mark, I will be going to AAA Speedway on Feb 23rd for the Speed Ventures event. If you are interested in experiencing a GTR, there is no better place than a race track to do so. If you come out ill be more than happy to take you for a ride along.

Hammad

 

Good point, then someone can truthfully say "I have the fastest and most incredibly beautiful car ever made" and just not mention those properties are not embodied in a single vehicle.

 

Hammad, I would love to accept your offer. I've never been on the track there, but went out and watched a friend track his C6 Z06 several years ago. I'll send you a private message (PM) with my e-mail address. Mark

 

I don't understand the lack of resprct from some people regarding the GTR. Just because its a Nissan doesn't give cause for treating it like a stepchild.
Its not a Ferrari but its the best bang for the buck car on the planet. They are not as beautiful but performance wise, GTR's rock.
I've never been so scared in a car I was the GTR. Didn't take long to get used to the power since I love going fast. But it was a blast.
I don't care who makes it....the thing is a beast.

 

So I saw this thread on a GTR forum and after reading it all I am seriously amused. First I love all Ferraris and given my choice would choose an F40, but not to drive, to put in a private showroom in my house. They are art. I tossed around the notion, recently, of either buying a 458 Italia or a Gallardo Balboni, but one thing that I have not seen mentioned is that after extensive, hard test drives of each was the fact that someone who is 6'2" 300lbs, in decent shape, cannot comfortably or effectively drive either. Both cars were horrible to drive for someone my size. The sounds were admittedly awesome, but neither car made me feel more special than the cars I already own. I saw them as fashion statements and status, nothing more. As for the F40, I will eventually own one....in my house. The car I ended up choosing over the two Italians is a Mercedes C63 Black Series with Track and Aero Package....even though it is based off a lowly C-class, I oddly get the feeling that I am driving something special everytime I get in it, even though its not the fastest.....comfortably :') And FYI if you want to see a car draw a crowd young AND old, male and female go ANYWHERE in a 08-10 Viper ACR....you know that POS Dodge that slammed the Nurburgring in a 7:12 *BONE STOCK* which, is to my amazement, way more comfortable than either Italian offering. And yes, I do own a GTR, LOVE it, and with a built 800hp motor I can easily smoke the poor Viper. Makes me cry everytime. And again...comfortably. In the end there are really too many variables to compare any of these cars, they are all great to someone, but if you REALLY like speed then the GTR is your tool and I hated it till I owned one. Just food for your mind.. if you did put the 200-300k that you want to spend on a Ferrari, into the GTR, you could build a GTR that would blow ANYONES mind.

 

The problem with tossing out such a basis for disparaging a brand is that it then opens the door for the Nissan guys to lob it right back at Ferrari: "...but at the end of the day, it's still a FIAT." Look at some of the major castings for 60's and 70's Ferrari blocks and heads...especially the Dino...cast right into the head, big and proud: "FIAT". I believe Luca Cordero di Montezemolo would graciously accept the "Fiat" comment without missing a beat.

I posted a pic of the GT-R Black Series below...so, what's wrong with it? Why is it in need of restyling? What would you change?
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I was just back from the GTR thread. Read through it.. It was exactly what I expected.

The problem with subjectivity is that.. its so subjective. As far as the 360 comments, that I would rather buy a 13 year old 360 than a 3 year old GTR for quite frankly the same price attests that subjectivity has some weight. It's a great car as the Supra was in the late 90s. Time has shown that its hard to find an original car. I respect the GTR, but its too big and bulky IMHO. I'd have brought the rear Quarters in and gotten rid of the creases... The coke bottle adds some visual pizzaz, punch the waist.

 

The problem with Ferraris is not the cars, it's the drivers. Why do you guys wear red Ferrari sneakers, Ferrari hats and those G a y gloves when you drive?

 

I went through this:

Upon release: it's ugly and high and bulky and kind of heavy
Giving it a drive: oh my f*^{+ing gosh this is truly a great car

I came to appreciate it. It's very Japanese. And it looks Japanese. And now I am glad they did the styling they did.

The NSX for example looked more Italian which I like better...but it's not Italian. The GTR looks as it should. It's a fine achievement as well.

As far as being humbled - its just not correct to go into the Ferrari experience expecting to out perform everything. It has it's own experience and personality - and you can spend reasonable money and get great performing cars - its not necessary to spend Ferrari dollars to get Ferrari numbers or better.

 

Because Nissan doesn't make:
Gloves
Shoes
or hats.

 

good lord there were only a handful of comments here that are anti-GTR. MOST of them are good and about respect. Relax you new forum "members" just joining to harp on... even the thread starter was happy and eventually met the GTR owner... move on...

People here respond to postings about how much better it is than their car... so of course people get defensive. RE-LAX. what do u think would happen when people post how much better their car is than yours, at your forum? This is why it's a Ferrari forum.. they love F cars.. can we end this thread?

 

yeah really, and it's not "cool" per se... hell do they even have "Nissan" clothes? There's Ferrari gear at the Puma store for this reason. You seriously gonna make fun of people who are fans of the brand? Why are you here on this site?

I can see if they had "GTR" gear... that'd be cool to wear.

 

LOL

This is getting out of hand!

I just got a M3. Love the car so far. Great stereo, great handeling, great motor, and room for my kids.

Is it a Ferrari? No, but I don't want to drive my Ferrari everyday (really). The Ferrari is not a practical car for me.

A GTR is a great car. Who cares if it's a Nissan? It's obviously a very capable car and it's a lot more practical than the F430, 360, 458.

Reading through all this makes me wonder how many guys here are actually "car guys". It's ok if you buy a car just because of the brand, but it's a little ridiculous to disparage a car just because of the brand. My M3 is just a BMW (even not the top model!). So what. It's not a Ferrari. Again so what.

 

Yeah I love different kinds of cars for different reasons. GTR, ZR1, even Lambos

I don't see why you'd have to be die-hard to one brand... many of us got here liking and owning different car brands before we got to own our dream..

 

I did some research and actually surprised myself with the following:

Basic facts: The 599 Fiorano and GT-R are both just about 184" long. The 599 Fiorano weighs 3721 lbs., the GT-R 3800 lbs. The 599 Fiorano is 52.6" high, the GT-R is 54". The 599 Fiorano is 77.2" wide, the GT-R is 74.9". The GT-R (like the 599) is about 6" longer, 0.20" wider and 6" higher than an F430. The weight on a Mitsu Evolution X is 3527 lbs!!

The thing I have noticed lately with many brands is that all their new cars seem to be so much larger than in years gone by. The GT-R, like the new Camaro, doesn't look big until you approach it or park an older similar model near to it. The same is true with Ferraris. Although it might appear otherwise, the 458 is longer than a TR (178.2" for the Italia vs. 176.6" for the TR). And although the TR looks like it is a mile wide at the rear, it's only about 1.5" inches wider than a 458.

Safety requirements are forcing the manufacturers to add size and weight to their vehicles or dramatically increase the prices to pay for carbon fiber and/or other hi-tech materials in order to keep the weight down.

 

I agree. I have said time and time again that the GTR is an absolute beast and performs astonishing. But the fact of the matter is this, (not that it matters to me personally, because I am a true car enthusiast) Nissan makes cars that I would say average in the mid teens to thirty thousand on average. For the general public, they are going to see a Nissan badge and think nothing of it. Not that we (true car guys) buy cars for the sake of what others think.

That doesn't hold true for any Ferrari. Doesn't matter the make, model, year, etc. It's an Italian work of art. I've owned many different cars, and still think my Audi R8 I owned was one of the greatest cars I've had. I bought my Scud because of the raw race-type car it is. Still beautiful to the eye, and goes like hell at the same time. Does the badge have anything to do with it? Sure it does. But only because I personally wanted something I lusted for since being a kid, and didn't want to see one around every other corner I turned on.

Same goes for a ZR1. Unbelievable performance, but yep you guessed it. To the general public, it's just another Corvette. Different strokes for different folks. I can appreciate all these cars for what they are.

 

Touche'

Seriously, the GTR is a sweet car and the LFA is a sweet car. All of the Japanese "super cars" are marvelous. Better, more comfortable, etc, etc, is all subjective rhetoric. As an admirer of all things fast, powerful, technological, and luxurious (not to mention exotic), if you have a Ferrari, GTR, Viper, etc... shut-up, drive, and enjoy what you've got all the while appreciating that you've got it. After all, they really are expensive big boy toys (operative words being expensive and toys).