Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Sorry for the one's who have read this:

'Godzilla' set to roar again

By Cameron McGavin

The Age

Thursday February 6 2003

Nissan's revival gathers more speed, reports Cameron McGavin.

NISSAN will go head to head in a power war with the world's top sports-car manufacturers when its new GT-R sports coupe makes its debut this year -- and it could be heading to Australia.

Speaking at the Australian launch of the 350Z sports car this week, Nissan chief product specialist John Yukawa said the upcoming GT-R would break through the unofficial 206kW power limit, which Japanese manufacturers have adhered to for decades to appease their government.

And it won't be by a nose, either. Yukawa's benchmark for the new GT-R is Porsche's 911 Turbo, which pumps out 309kW and is regarded by many as the best sports car in the world. Expect to see a power figure of about 300kW when the GT-R is revealed at the Tokyo motor show this year.

"The GT-R will exceed 206kW (the Japanese limit)," said Yukawa. "The Porsche 911 Turbo has about 400hp -- we're aiming for that. Porsche is my ambition."

Japanese car makers have long been suspected of exceeding the self-imposed power limit and then simply quoting 206kW (or 280hp) to keep officials happy. Now that the decision has been made to abandon the agreement, Japanese performance-car makers can get serious about challenging their European counterparts.

advertisement

advertisement

The new GT-R is expected to be powered by a twin-turbocharged V6 engine.

The rest of the GT-R package is a secret, though there have been clues. The styling is likely to show influences from the rakish GT-R concept car shown at the 2001 Tokyo motor show. Meanwhile, four-wheel-drive -- a signature of the model -- is a certainty.

Price is another unknown, although suggestions are that it will not be cheap, stretching beyond $150,000.

Previous GT-Rs have been built purely for the Japanese market, although 100 of the original -- and, some would say, the best -- R32 model were sold through Nissan dealerships between 1991 and 1993.

The new car, however, is designed with foreign markets in mind as Nissan continues its much-publicised revival under the guidance of leader Carlos Ghosn.

Leon Daphne, managing director and chief executive of Nissan Australia, said the new GT-R was on his wish list, though he stressed that any decision would come from Japan.

"When it's available in right-hand-drive, we'd like to take it," he said. "But it would be in very limited numbers."

The GT-R name has a glorious history in Australia, despite no presence in almost a decade.

The legendary R32 GT-R earned the nickname "Godzilla" for its performances in Australian touring car racing; it was ultimately ruled out of the competition through fear of upsetting car makers Ford and Holden.

Road-going models, many of which have been privately imported over the years, won similar favour for their explosive performance and excellent handling.

Sitting below the GT-R in Nissan's planned three-tiered sports-car line-up is the 350Z, which went on sale this week for less than $60,000.

Ironically, the arrival of Nissan's new Z-car comes just as its sweet-driving 200SX sports coupe sibling bows out of the Australian market because of problems meeting future emission regulations.

But fans of affordable sports cars need not fret, because a replacement is already under development.

Nissan's John Yukawa confirmed that a new 200SX was on the way and that it would stay true to the philosophy of its predecessor. Don't be surprised, then, if the 200SX replacement is another compact, rear-drive, turbocharged coupe.

"The 200SX is an entry car for the young guy, the Z-car is a car for the macho guy and the GT-R is a car for the enthusiast," said Yukawa. "Nissan is always seeking to provide fun-to-drive cars for the customers, especially for enthusiasts. This is the Nissan way."

06god2.jpg

06god3.jpg

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/12000-r35-might-be-coming-to-australia/
Share on other sites

-- and it could be heading to Australia.

Yup, its an old article. I would really read too much into this - "could" inserted by the jouno isn't really worth any more than the paper its printed on.

And that shot is a promo shot from the protype concept car shown 2 years ago. Word is that the final version won't look much like that at all. All shall be reveled at the Tokyo Motorshow in October when the final version will be shown.

Nissan better stay away from bathurst v8, otherwise if the Falcons n Commodores not happy abt the R35 GT-R kicks their ass, then another heavier ban of imports for the next 10 yrs!!!!

R33 & R34 being forced into grey market is the proof of the V8 boys retaliation to R32... coward chickens! bokkk.... bokkk....

yeah once again eric ur dwelling in the past... its ok... ur from Telstra :(

nah from what ive heard they have about 4 versions which are going to be released and it wont be til about 05/06.

They were going to only bring an N/A V8 here to AUS in auto form as most of u hillbilly aussies prefer to drive auto cause using a clutch and changing gears takes to much thought. (obviously not aimed at anyone from here as most of us drive manuals)

wish they kept the original idea of the V8TT :) that would have been awesome

Originally posted by inark

yeah once again eric ur dwelling in the past... its ok... ur from Telstra :D

nah from what ive heard they have about 4 versions which are going to be released and it wont be til about 05/06.

2006? wtf? thats like 3 and a half more years!!!

Originally posted by pushead

Sorry for the one's who have read this:

'Godzilla' set to roar again

By Cameron McGavin

The Age

Thursday February 6 2003

"When it's available in right-hand-drive, we'd like to take it," he said. "But it would be in very limited numbers."

arent cars in japan right hand drive?

Originally posted by pushead

The GT-R name has a glorious history in Australia, despite no presence in almost a decade.

No presence?

what an fuc*ing retard.

There are GT-R's all over the place. Stock/modified

street driven - race track/rally driven

But i can't see it coming here.

And if it does... it will be so heavily de-tuned that it will be a dissapointment.

i wouldn't believe a word in the papers... anything to sell a few more papers these days.

As for that front end... that will have to be changed.

Very Ugly.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Initially I thought having a pair of Recaro seats would be a big bonus, it turns out these do get a little uncomfortable on long journeys (my fault, not the seat). I had a look through the GSM Performance website at reclining seats and booked an appointment to visit their show room. I got the Recaro Sportster CS for the R34 from here, was very happy with the service received so of course a re-visit was in order. Unfortunately the two Corbeau seats I had chosen aren't on display but they had 4 other options available. Two seats dug into my back, one dug into my legs and the other was perfect. I also found out that Recaro seats use a larger bolt pattern so some adaption was required. Luckily GSM offer some universal adaptors that should solve this problem. I searched the interwebs for price comparisons and Corbeau themselves were the cheapest at £300 cheaper (for the pair). I asked GSM if they could price match, unfortunately they couldn't. I later received an email saying Corbeau would honour them the same discount, but the purchase was already made. I did however order the brackets from GSM, both arrived on the same day. I started with the passenger side seat, knowing this was going to be a little trial and error. There are 3 mounting holes at the front and 2 at the rear on these JURAN Racing seat rails.  With the adaptor brackets mounted, the allen cap bolts started to push into the seat, NOT GOOD!  The rear mounting holes lined up but there were issues at the front. The holes were 1/2 hole out, so the brackets got a tickle with the drill to modify the holes. The supplied bolts weren't going to be long enough and a spacer was needed to stop the adaptor bars from bending. A local fasteners company supplied be with some nylon spacers and longer bolts (M8x30, although these will be replaced with 35mm long shortly) A before and after I pre-drilled the front bracket before making a start on the driver's seat to save some time. And in no time at all that was in the car too. The all black seats have transformed the interior and these are MUCH more comfortable. The only downside with the new Corbeau seats is I sit a little higher, but I'll happily accept that over discomfort. The Youtube video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPyttKPktXA
    • All 3 I guess. The car came with the JASI Aero 4 door Type R Full Kit unpainted so this was one thing at the top of my list to complete then I noticed there were body panels parts for this kit so i picked them up along with some black mesh to fill in the front bumper and front side air vents. car is at a paint and body shop atm completing this work. Next I will be addressing the internal bells and whistles, great summer project I can do with the kids.  full interior removal - ,boys car sound deadening - pads and spray ,boys stereo, sound, lighting - Big 3, GTT or bigger alternator ,kids head lining - dye black add star lighting mod ,daughter. That's it for the next 5-6 months. I have some motor maintenance  work i have to plan out. oil filter relocation, gaskets, mounts. beyond that, mind is starting to turn over if i can use a DET intake plenum, block off turbo ports & pipe in a air intake.      
    • roller coaster of a ride. Alarm system was removed & main harness was repaired where possible. still no fix just random successful starts. moved on to the replacing the ignition switch and relay. well all this troubleshooting & repair has been going on, the car is at a paint and body shop being pushed around. Ive been going down there on odd days after work to get it sorted.     
    • 5th November if you want to come out for a spin wakfield
    • PROBLEM WAS BROKEN COOLANT SENSOR!!! Replaced with a new one and its running mint.
×
×
  • Create New...