Just Driven Skyline Coupe S-Tune That impact of video games has now spread from the virtual to the real. NISMO and the folks at Polyphony Digital, the creators of Gran Turismo, have teamed up and created the Skyline Coupe S-Tune (aka the G35 Coupe in America). No area of the vehicle remains untouched, from a stunning aero package to the guts of the engine.
The heart of it all is the NISMO VQ35 S1 V6. Engine upgrades include new camshafts, conrod bolts, reinforced valve springs, a bigger throttle body and intake pipe, a carbon engine cover and iridium spark plugs. A specially tuned NISMO ECM unit not only keeps all these new bits working in harmony, it increases redline to 7200 rpm. Last, but not least, is a lightweight, high-flow engine-back exhaust system. Nissan says these changes add up to 18 additional hp. It feels like more.
The 3.5-liter now whoops and howls its way through the powerband with a beastly roar. It's still plenty strong down low, but now it literally explodes when it comes on cam at 3500 rpm. The noise and fury is so sweet, you find yourself slowing down just to run up through the rpm range again and again.
Brake upgrades are a bit more low-key, with stainless mesh brake lines and brake pads front and rear. Firmer springs and dampers were carefully selected by NISMO. No quickie slam job here, with impressive ride quality over bumps and no skipping about in mid-corner maneuvers. Surprisingly enough, it felt better than the standard setup. Front and rear hollow anti-roll bars with heavy-duty bushings kept an even keel when pushing it hard through the switchbacks.
The interior benefited from some tasteful and performance-oriented touches, with a NISMO instrument cluster, sport seats with NISMO logo and a titanium shift knob. We especially appreciated the ability of the seats to keep you in place during cornering.
As with any great car, the S-Tune shrinks around you as speeds rise, raising your confidence levels to unknown highs. Your toes and fingertips feel the pebbles in the road, a degree of involvement missing from the stock car. It's quite easy to keep a rapid pace despite the car being nearly as wide as the road itself.
Gran Turismo is my favorite game and my favorite tool for learning the tracks of Japan. However, cars of this caliber are better in real life. It may be a bit too loud for some, and a bit too stiff for others, but those people suck. This car is cool.-Paul Hansen
"The Dukes Of Hazzard- The Complete First Season" - DVD Review In the annals of American literature there are giants like Twain, Steinbeck and Hemingway. If any of them had to sit through an episode of "The Dukes of Hazzard," they'd instantly develop an aneurysm the size of a grapefruit. See, "The Dukes" isn't about great writing, great stories or great filmmaking. What it's about is a '69 Dodge Charger that flies through the air at the slightest provocation. And on those terms, it's still wonderful more than a quarter century after it debuted on CBS.
Buy "The Dukes of Hazzard - The Complete First Season" three-disc DVD set and do yourself the favor of skipping straight to the stunts. Because the dialog is universally lame, the acting is more wooden than a Home Depot lumber department and the humor is discernible only after you've downed a case of Hamm's and a couple of pounds of jerky.
On the DVDs, these first 13 episodes at least look good (if slightly muddy), and they haven't been chopped apart to insert commercials. The stunts really do hold up very well, so we wish there was some exploration of them as a special feature. Instead, all we get are a dippy commentary track from John Schneider (who played Bo Duke) and Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke) accompanying the first episode, an utterly dopey documentary where a bunch of NASCAR drivers say how much they liked the show, and a tedious reunion of some surviving cast members eating barbecue (Tom Wopat, who played Luke Duke, is conspicuous in his absence).
The set has a suggested retail price of $39.98 and Amazon.com is selling it for $27.99. If Warner Brothers wants us to pop for the second season set, it needs to invest in more substantial extras.
But, hey, we grew up with this show and will defend it with our lives.
Rumors &Lies * In June, GM announced it will invest $3 billion in China over the next few years to expand production capacity there from 550,000 to 1.3 million units per year. It's only a matter of time before they start passing laws over there to curb the burgeoning street racing scene.
* Nissan is planning to expand the Infiniti luxury brand across the planet now that its products are finally finding some success in America, according to the Web site www.thecarconnection.com.
* Audi has revealed its small A3 will go on sale in America around May of next year in both three- and five-door versions. They will be powered by a new 200-hp version of the 2.0-liter FSI turbo four backed by either a six-speed manual or DSG gearbox.
* In South St. Louis County on February 10, 2003, Jeremy Ketchum was racing his Mustang against Christopher Smithson's Camaro along Lemay Ferry Road when, according to the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch," the Camaro drifted into oncoming traffic and struck a car driven by 17-year-old Megan Landholt.
Landholt was killed, and in June of this year both Ketchum, 18, and Smithson, 17, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Ketchum, who pled guilty and testified against Smithson, was sentenced to 120 days in prison while Ketchum faces a three-year term.
Stillen Opens Up For The ZStillen is in the business of selling Nissan go-fast stuff, and one of the ways it keeps its customers happy and spending is by opening its doors once a year for 350Z & G35 Day. This past June, the latest edition went off hitch-free.
Literally hundreds of 350Zs and G35s from around Southern California descended on Stillen's Costa Mesa shop. The cars ranged from showroom-fresh stockers to cars that had been through the Stillen facility with an electro-magnetic Visa card.
But beyond just parking and admiring each other's machinery, the day was filled with music, dyno runs, raffles, tours, seminars and that guaranteed crowd-pleaser, a free lunch. But the highlight, according to Stillen, was the unveiling of Stillen's new, red, supercharged and freshly decorated 350Z. That car is due to show up in this magazine soon, thoroughly thrashed, comprehensively dissected and exhaustively tested.
Information on future events at Stillen, and all the stuff they want to sell you, is up at www.stillen.com.
Web SideIf you're stuck at the Courtyard by Marriott in Romulus, Mich., with nothing to do but listen to the jets flying directly overhead onto the runway at Detroit Metro Airport and surf the free high-speed Internet, hey, come on down to room 118 because we just ordered from Domino's! Or at least send us an e-mail at SCCNews@Primedia.com and suggest some sites we should wander into.