Impressive....hmmm.... yeah..... but for $64k BEFORE labor what else should you expect? That's Lambo Gallardo Underground Racing kit territory and SORRY I'd take a Gallardo UG TT car ANYDAY for that kindof money!

 

That's a HUGE assumption. Just because you see a car nicer than yours and say to yourself "man I wish I had that." Doesn't mean everyone does. There are plenty of car enthusiasts that are happy with their modded cars that can put a serious hurting on newer cars and could care very little about them.

There was a guy in TX that traded a Veyron for a ZR1, which car is nicer and better built? Duh! Just because the car is nice doesn't make it desirable to everyone.

-Alex

 

Those Lamborghini's are just insane. I don't care what you're looking for. If I had one of those I wouldn't do over 30mph. Partly so I could enjoy more time in that pinnacle of human creation. Secondly so I could see the world from inside of one.
One the GTR vs Vette side, from a dead stop the car is near unfathomable until 80mph. If you see one at the strip you probably will have DR's and if you have enough power 10's aren't hard to come by.
On a closed course or closed street :-) you will likely be rolling. M

 

Those Lamborghini's are just insane. I don't care what you're looking for. If I had one of those I wouldn't do over 30mph. Partly so I could enjoy more time in that pinnacle of human creation. Secondly so I could see the world from inside of one.
One the GTR vs Vette side, from a dead stop the car is near unfathomable until 80mph. If you see one at the strip you probably will have DR's and if you have enough power 10's aren't hard to come by.
On a closed course or closed street :-) you will likely be rolling. More than likely at 40mph plus. AWD won't do much for them, but the weight of the car will. Bolt ons, maybe a cam, and if you really want to be sure a little nitrous. That's it. Pick your race. As mentioned it's really not a new earth shattering car. Look at the 1000hp Supra's running around. Their ET isnt great, but MPH is way up there and they will dominate in a street race.

 

IF the Vette had all wheel drive.

IF the Vette had a dual clutch transmission.

IF the GTR didn't have launch control.

If, if, if.

Nissan set out to build the best performing car in the world, better than a 911 Turbo and they largely succeeded.

Chevy never set out with the same objective. Even the Z06 or ZR1 aren't "best of everything." And that was not Chevy's goal.

I don't think the car mags or the auto press give the GTR as much credit as it deserves.

That and lots of people say they want the best performing car in the world but settle for a mix of flash and dash that accomplishes their real goal, making others jealous and impressing the neighbors.

Not that the GTR is perfect. It goes about its business so competently that some say its not challenging enough. My feeling is that if you want the ultimate challenge, buy a Chrysler mini van and drive it at 11/10s. A thrill a minute.

 

X2 perfectly stated

-Alex

 

I didn't assume, I said"I saw it in his eyes".
Like a women who goes looking for a new dog and sees that puppy in the window, she wants it, "you can see it in her eyes".

 

Because facial expressions are 100% precise to reading a person's thoughts, you must be correct.

-Alex

 

I think you said it best. Well except for best performing car in the world, that would be the Veyron. But what Nissan did do is shoot for the 911 Turbo, and they accomplished that mark. I agree with everything else you said.. AWD, Dual Clutch Tranny, Twin Turbo's.. this car was designed with one purpose in mind. And thats putting up the best possible performance numbers for under $100k. How can you beat a car at the numbers game.. when thats exactly what it was designed to do?

The Vette on the other hand is more concerned with its tradition. A 60 year long tradition of a simple, RWD, classic Chevy V8 in a lightweight package. A package all designed to add up to an absolute performance bargain. Want to buy a 2012 GTR? Then you need to bring about $90,000 to the table. Want to buy a 2012 Corvette? Half of that GTR price will get you in a brand new Corvette.

For everything the GTR does in performance.. it still has the weakness of passion. The car does the driving for you, its purposely designed for a driver of any skill to simply point and go fast.. really fast. Once you get beyond the performance.. comes the questions of passion. Where is the sex-on-wheels styling? Where is the head turning exhaust note? Where is beautifully designed engine bay? Where is the required driving skill to master it? Many people buy fast sport cars for those reasons alone.. as almost any modern hi-performance sports is far beyond their driving capability. In addition to looks, many people desire the challenge, the passion & the experience that comes with driving a sportscar.

For many people the GTR simply does not deliver that passionate driving experience.. and no matter how great the GTR may perform, they are still uninterested in it. I am one of those people. $60,000 will get me in a used GTR or used Z06. I'll take the Z06 all day, everyday.

 

The GTR is fast and I did lose to one at the track but there is nothing magic about the car. With my new set up I will spank that GTR to death and I will be calling him out as soon as I see him at the track. At the time I was 453 at the wheel and I spun off the line a little. The deal with the Vett is the driver, not the car. It is all about putting the power to the track. The GTR is a point and shoot car because it gets traction. If I could just load the stall and launch I would get him with ease.

 

In a straight line yes, but I highly doubt a Veyron would go around a track as well as several cars that are less powerful.

-Alex

 

Uhm....

A Datsun by any other name is still a Datsun...

 

I thought so too. Until I looked like the Top Gear leaderboard.

I know Top Gear's test track isn world reknown.. but it is a dedicated race track, with the same race line used by the same driver. A professional racecar driver with tons of documented experience. In other words, The Top Gear leadeboard a very good base for making measurements on how well a typical car, will perform on a typical track. Eventhough it was never designed with laptimes in mind (its ridiculously heavy and over the top luxurious inside) the Veyron definitely puts up respectable times on the racetrack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_test_track


The Power Board

1. 1:15.1 - Ariel Atom V8 500
2. 1:16.2 - McLaren MP4-12C
3. 1:16.5 - Lamborghini Aventador
4. 1:16.8 - Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
5. 1:17.1 - Gumpert Apollo S
6. 1:17.3 - Ascari A10
7. 1:17.6 - Koenigsegg CCX (with Top Gear Wing)
8. 1:17.7 - Noble M600 (cold)
9. 1:17.8 - Nissan GT-R (2012)
10. 1:17.8 - Pagani Zonda Roadster F (Clubsport Version)
11. 1:17.9 - Caterham Seven Superlight R500 (cold)
12. 1:18.3 - Bugatti Veyron 16.4
13. 1:18.4 - Pagani Zonda F
14. 1:18.9 - Maserati MC12
15. 1:19.0 - Lamborghini Murciélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce
16. 1:19.0 - Enzo Ferrari
17. 1:19.1 - Ferrari 458 Italia
18. 1:19.5 - Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4
19. 1:19.5 - Porsche 997 GT2
20. 1:19.5 - Ariel Atom 2 300
21. 1:19.7 - Nissan GT-R
22. 1:19.7 - Ferrari 430 Scuderia
23. 1:19.8 - Ferrari 599 GTO
24. 1:19.8 - Lamborghini Murciélago LP640
25. 1:19.8 - Porsche Carrera GT
26. 1:20.4 - Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1 (damp)
27. 1:20.4 - Koenigsegg CCX (without Top Gear Wing)[2]
28. 1:20.7 - Ascari KZ1 (damp)
29. 1:20.9 - Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
30. 1:21.2 - Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
31. 1:21.6 - Audi R8 V10 (damp)
32. 1:21.9 - Ford GT
33. 1:22.2 - Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet
34. 1:22.3 - Audi R8 V10 Spyder
35. 1:22.3 - Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
36. 1:22.3 - Porsche 911 GT3 RS (996 mk.II)
37. 1:22.4 - Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06

 

Driven one once - three wheels off the ground through every .5g turn...

 

Hot damn, thanks for the update!

-Alex

 

2012 BE MSRP $96,980.00 and most dealers wont sell for less

Dont ask me how I know.

 

And a Chevy is a Chevy...whats the point...Nothing wrong with the GT-R or the Vette...Simple really keep what you got...I'm sure most on the forum will..

 

Thats where the GTR is at Putting all that power to the ground. Thats why it is capable of goin 0-60 in 2.9 sec.

 

I'll grant the lack of sound, lack of engine bay drama, and styling (not classically beautiful, but far more striking IMO than, say, a Porsche Turbo). But there is definitely a skill required in mastering it. It doesn't drive for you. It can drop-throttle oversteer like many other cars, and it takes a driver who knows how its AWD system works to extract the utmost 10/10ths from it. When you watch the 'Ring laps, you can see their driver knows this, knows exactly how to pre-empt its natural understeer, get the wheels as straight as possible as soon as possible (sometimes right at the apex) for the best possible launch out of the corner. It is not an intuitive car to drive to its max potential, and requires you to do things you wouldn't do in other cars. You have to throw it around a bit (with stability system definitely off), sort of like how rally drivers throw their cars around. If you drive smoothly to its naturaly understeering limit like any other car, you're not using it to its max potential. This is why among Nissan's own test crew, some guys can be 10-15s faster in the same exact car on the 'Ring in the same conditions.

 

Not quite, a Veyron will beat most cars around a track. 1000hp, AWD and tons of grip. Best brakes (including the air brake) out there. But the tires cost as much as a couple year old Evo which you have to send to Bugatti to replace.

GTR is definitely a fast car and quicker than the C6, Z06 and ZR1 most of the time. However put the Michelin Cup tires on a ZR1 and I'll take it over the GTR on the track.

I disagree about the statement above that says the media didn't give the GTR much press time. That is all we heard about when it came out. GM couldn't build a car like that because they would never hear the end of having a PS3 like dashboard and an exterior that isn't that nice looking. C6 gets torn up by the magazines because of its seats, but I never heard one complain about its exterior looks even into its 8th year.