GT-R Spied! Again!We're suckers for spy shots of the upcoming Nissan GT-R. Sure, this near-production version looks just like the 'concept' shown at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, but this is hot-lapping the Nrburgring. And that has to count as wicked, cool, nasty and totally bitchin'. Well, at least three-quarters bitchin'.
That the production monster looks so much like the concept is no bad thing, as the GT-R's body is almost antiseptically clean and a distinct break from the current non-GT-R Skyline (which we Americans know as the Infiniti G35 Coupe). Particularly attractive is the roofline, which makes a half-hearted attempt at being a fastback before diving down to the trunklid like a proper notch. It does look unique and should be enough to make just the silhouette an intimidating icon.
Naturally, all-wheel drive will play a part, as it has for the GT-Rs that built the legend. What's not known is the exact spec of the powerplant. Rumors have a twin-turbocharged version of the VQ-series V6. Displacement guesses go from 2.6- to 4.0-liters, with the most likely being in the 3.2- to 3.8-liter range. We're plumping for 3.6 liters. Only because that's the displacement of Porsche's current 911 Turbo and this prototype was seen in that car's company, leading us to believe Nissan is using the German wonder weapon as a benchmark.
Take a look at this prototype's tail end for more good news: those are four of the biggest exhaust pipes ever seen on a car headed for production. We assume engine output must be something like 480bhp (what Porsche claims for the 911 Turbo). Or more. We're guessing 525bhp, so the GT-R can credibly dominate such brutes as the Ford Shelby GT-500 Mustang (500bhp), the Corvette Z06 (505bhp) and the Dodge Viper SRT-10 (510bhp). And once the aftermarket gets hold of it, don't be surprised if the dyno hits four digits.
Even more mysterious than the final engine displacement is the transmission. The most repeated rumor is a seven-speed, paddle-shift, though we've also heard that eight gears will be part of the package and/or that traditional manual gear selection will be standard/optional. Time will tell.
And that time is about eight months from now, when the GT-R will appear in Nissan (not Infiniti) dealerships worldwide. So come up with a really good extortion scheme-because there's no way this caris coming over with less than $50K on its screen.
Toyota AurisToyota's plans for world domination apparently include vehicles for each major market designed and produced in that market. So in North America we get the new Tundra ready to rule the pickup roost. And in Europe, they get the new Auris-designed for and by Europeans.
Essentially a replacement for the Corolla, the Auris looks something like an overgrown two-door Yaris (also a product of Toyota's European studio), designed to compete in the hyper-competitive C-segment against cars like the VW Golf, Ford Focus and a whole parcel of French vehicles we don't get here on the correct side of the Atlantic.
Unsurprisingly, the Auris is a front-drive five-door with styling that, a Toyota press release explains, was "designed at Toyota's European styling centre, ED2, within the context of the Toyota design philosophy of Vibrant Clarity." Now, we've never claimed to be either clear or vibrant, but the nose on this thing looks like an old Divco milk truck to us (if that reference is too obscure, take a look at www.divco.org).
By Hans G. Lehmann
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