Autoblog

It's been a quiet week in Cardom, so for Autoblog Podcast #92 we take time to address some of the excellent emails we've gotten at our new podcast at autoblog dot com address. Feel free to send in questions, comments, SHO-centric ribbing, whatever! We can't promise that it will make it onto the 'cast, but it just might. Before we dive into the binary mailbag, we discuss some of the vehicles that we've been sampling - so basically Damon talks about what he's been hooning around in at track events. Thanks for your 57 minutes this week!

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Click above for a high-res gallery of the Nissan GT-R V-Spec.

The prototype Nissan GT-R V-Spec, wearing the "Victory Specification" designation reserved for the ultra high-performance Nissan GT-R, has been caught lapping the famed Nürburgring at an incredible, if not simply unbelievable, 7:25 per lap. This, according to bystanders trackside. (For comparison, Walter Röhrl lapped the Ring in 7:28 while driving a Porsche Carrera GT in 2004.)

In contrast to the standard Nissan GT-R, that made the run around the 'Ring in 7:38, the GT-R V-Spec has a new front splitter, modified rear spoiler, and different wheels. A more extensive use of carbon fiber has reportedly reduced the weight by upwards of 330 pounds. Of course, Nissan engineers also tweaked the twin-turbo powerplant for another 70 horses... or so. Thanks for the tip, XeroK00L!

[Source: Car]

UPDATE: Due to its awesomeness, we are re-running the GT-R drive.

Click above to view our massive gallery of the 2009 Nissan GT-R.

With only 20 miles separating us from North Lake Tahoe, it's obvious that I hadn't secured the hood of our Super Silver Nissan GT-R after poking and prodding inside the engine bay. The left side of the bonnet is raised about a quarter-inch and flapping slightly at speed, so we pull off into a newborn subdivision to slam it shut. I step back inside and catch a glimpse of a silver Corvette in the side view mirror. The telltale air intake on the front bumper confirms that the man behind the wheel is an aficionado; it's a C6 Z06 and there's no doubt the driver knows what the GT-R is.


All photos © 2008 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc.

The first round of reviews hit the 'Net yesterday in what was apparently a Euro-only embargo on driving impressions of the Nissan GT-R. The jurors from AutoExpress, Car and the Telegraph all came away from the drive with one resounding statement: this thing is fast! Adding that the brakes are the most impressive of any production car currently on sale. Lofty praise, no doubt.

While Car could barely contain its enthusiasm, AutoExpress and the Telegraph seemed to provide a more honest critique of the GT-R as a whole. AE's Oliver Marriage and Car's Gavin Green had some diverging viewpoints on how the GT-R handles low-speed cruising, but both recommend that jaunts around town are best when the seven-speed gearbox is left in "D." AutoExpress' scribe and the Telegraph's Andrew English were less than impressed with the ride quality of Nissan's new supercar, despite the dampers being set to "comfort" mode, with English saying that "even a Porsche 911 GT3 rides better."

A few other choice quotes include Green saying that the GT-R is "quick enough to make a Porsche 911 Turbo feel unexciting," continuing, "Quite simply, the new GT-R is the world's most multi-faceted supercar... An M3 beater? Easily. M5? Think higher. This car is faster, more high-tech, sharper, more capable."

We absolutely, positively can't wait to get behind the wheel.

click above image for more views of the Nissan GT-R

With all the information about Nissan's GT-R already out in the open, one question remains: how does it drive? Autoweek got a crack at it in Germany, and after flogging the GT-R on the autobahn and around the south-loop of the Nurburgring, Mark Vaughn proclaims that it lives up to the hype.

The account of his time behind the wheel of reads like a 4th grader let loose in a combination Chuck-E-Cheese/candy factory with unlimited quarters and an empty stomach. He hammered through the dual-clutch six-speed, impressed with the down shifts and rev-matching (0.2 seconds for shifts), ran the 473 HP 3.8L twin-turbo V6 up to 176 mph on the 'bahn, tested the AWD-system's ability to shuffle power to the wheels (anywhere between 50/50 to 2/98) and laid long stretches of rubber in the pits even when told to keep it under 35 mph.

Lag was inconsequential, particularly compared to the Porsche Turbo Nissan had on hand during the testing, and although the Porsche's steering felt lighter and quicker, he preferred the GT-R's ease of use and more "tied down" nature.

Follow the "Read" link below for the full review.