LINK

3.3 seconds - 60mph

Wow that is damn fast. Love to have a go in one of them

Nissan GT-R: Street racer

From the Telegraph UK

The GT-R is Japan's supercar, borrowing little from the established grandees of Germany, Italy and Britain.

It has an interesting engine, but not altogether radical. For a V6, it's a tall unit, with the front differential sitting alongside the tiny sump, which supplies oil to the dry-sump system.

There's just time to notice that the cabin doesn't match the exterior's radical lines but seems well made, that the front seats hug you closer than a lover's embrace and have plenty of adjustment.

There's more than enough head-room and that the facia isn't the garish computer-game horror we had been led to believe; then the light turns green and we're off.

Jumping Jehosaphat, this car is quick. With an industrial humming roar from under the bonnet, it sprints away from the line allowing barely a couple of seconds before you need to flip the right-hand gearchange paddle to change up.

The steering feels slightly inert but meaty as you turn in on the brakes to a horrible series of downhill bends. The GT-R grips well, but at 1.7 tonnes (1,740kg) there's plenty of work for the tyres to do; eventually it starts to slide at one end or the other and then it reveals its party trick.

The Brembo brakes are good, although they did feel rather "leant on" after four laps, with much-increased pedal travel.

For the track, the GT-R could do with a fruitier exhaust note and perhaps the slightly more benign Dunlop tyres rather than the twitchy Bridgestones.

So then it was out on to Japanese roads, which are rigidly speed-enforced. Just as well, really, for within two miles it was clear that the GT-R rides like a trolley jack and follows road seams and lorry-tyre indentations like a bloodhound.

At one point the steering was so heavily into an invisible rut I thought we'd developed a flat, until reminded that we were riding on run-flat tyres and there was a tyre-pressure warning indicator on the dashboard in any case.

Even with the adjustable Bilstein dampers in their comfort setting, road seams, expansion joints and drain covers reverberated through the bodyshell like someone was shooting at us.

Get into the groove, drive with enthusiasm and the Nissan is almost ethereally rewarding, but clattering along a British B-road you could probably learn to hate it. Driven hard on some UK roads, it would be in the air for much of the time. Even a Porsche 911 GT3 rides better.

All supercar transmissions have their foibles and on the road the Nissan's is no exception

The twin-clutch unit grates and moans at low speeds and while you can shift on the fly or engage reverse while gently rolling forward, it doesn't like it much and lets you know. But again, once moving at speed, the 'box is a delight.

There's a fair bit of road noise from the tyres and from the rear of the car.

The shell feels so stiff it's almost like a carbon-fibre monocoque (actually it's steel, aluminium-alloy and carbon fibre), which is great for handling, not so good for comfort given the harshness of the suspension.

The GT-R will appeal to previous owners and track-day aficionados but, for the rest of us, the only gran turismo this car suits is on a computer screen.

First Video and Test drive of the GTR:

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well I decided to go for a hills run last night with a local import club. started at 10.30 and we arrived at a servo in the sticks around midnight. jumped out of the car to find this:

real nice car up close! pity I only had the phone camera on me..

No plates ?

you can't register them if they are imported from japan, Nissan have it on paper that they are importing them for the local market - this car is going to be used in the targa west rally and other motorsport events

Yeah I saw one too. It Was PINK . Yesterday Turning right off Oak Rd Kirrawee to travell South on the Princes Hwy Sutherland. The Bloke gave it a hit and it sounded great

you can't register them if they are imported from japan, Nissan have it on paper that they are importing them for the local market - this car is going to be used in the targa west rally and other motorsport events

Can you throw trade plates on any car, ie if you owned a dealership could you use a set of trade plates on one and cruise around in it or are they a limited use thing.

they are a limited use thing, as in transport or demonstration for a customer etc.

They are worth about 12 grand, so you don't wanna risk losing one!

Robbo, are you sure it was a GT-R, or a V35 Skyline Coupe? The V35's look similar, and are becoming more common here