Kit_Chris

Never said speed was all we cared about, I said it's the number one reason we love our sports cars, and it's not fun when the hard earned performance honed to perfection over decades of engineering development gets matched by a Nissan, especially when the traditional sports car drawbacks we've accepted to compromise on for years are absent from this new design.

Regards,
Chris

spaceman_spiff

I think most of this GTR stuff is just hype. While I respect it for what it is, I just does not appeal to me visually. I think the older GTR-34 looked better. I also think in the next year or so, this "hysteria" over the GTR will die down. I heard that the ring lap time was achieved using a different suspension & slicks. Only when people start tracking these will this dispute end.

///Mous3

The last time Porsche AG made a car that was a little over 3000lbs with 600+hp, they got sued for millions because 2 people got killed on a closed circuit event.

What do you think the "engineers" are focusing?

What do you think the automotive "engineers" think in general about making a car heavier? These guys are no Civil Engineers; you know!

AC coupe

Where did you hear that?

TD in DC

I am lamenting the current focus of engineering. I am not criticizing the engineers, nor am I debating the causes for such focus.

Can't you let a guy day dream a little about what all of the great engineers could do if they focused on making the 911 as light as possible?

Kit_Chris

Hype usually takes either of two forms: fact or falsehood based.

Yes there is hype about the GTR, but it's backed by pretty startling evidence obtained by a large number of unrelated independent sources. These things you "heard about" regarding the suspension settings and slicks are just that, worthless claims which contradict every report given by Nissan. I think it's the first time ever critics feel the need to question the validity of Ring time numbers, people are hearing more rumors about the GTR than any other car before it. Again, Nissan's marketing department must be ecstatic right now!

Regards,
Chris

spaceman_spiff

I read it here - http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the...ng-lap-record/

Track times are a good way to compare cars, but I think it only makes more sense when you have an unbiased driver setting the times in the cars that are being compared.

Kit_Chris

Right, we all read this article, it reports precisely the opposite of what Mizuno actually said regarding tires and suspension. To my knowledge, it stands as the only publication to date that claims all known Ring times are done with a standing start.

We're all free to choose who to believe, but I find it puzzling that some people feel justified in trashing established mainstream magazines as hypsters, while at the same time using this questionable piece of journalism as a credible source. Pretty selective if you ask me. Most of us have never heard of thetruthaboutcars.com until an article challenging the GTR consensus came about, it's now used as a reference for these things we "heard about", of course that was probably the author's intention: create hype and generate clicks on the website.

As for your comment about independent drivers, again a double standard I'm confused about. Porsche numbers are usually achieved with Walter Rohl, has anybody every claimed there's something wrong with this? IMO the best way to have a fair comparison is to have each manufacturer choose the drivers who know the individual cars best to bring the most out of them.

Nissan can't be blamed for the hype on the Ring numbers, we are the ones feeding it, detractors are obsessed with it. I guess the GTR is bound to be held to the very high standard it's already established, and that's fine!

Regards,
Chris

roberga

I do not care if it would do the ring in 7:00. it is too ugly for me.

WHB Porsche

They make sense as they are. Obviously if Porsche decides to set a time with a GT3 RS and they run into a ton of traffic - they'll do another lap. If it's raining - they'll do another lap on a better day. Each Ring time is representative of the very best each company can produce with that particular car. It is an excellent test.

Dirty Evo

yeah but at least its not tapered at both ends like turds and 911's

I really love Porsches, but I think its funny when 911 folks call other cars ugly, because 911's have always seemed kind of awkward and ungainly to me , like a fat poop in the bowl (I think there are other Porsche models past and present that are far better looking) and to make things worse, have a fundamental design flaw as their very foundation (an engine hanging out their ***).

Everybody has different taste and opinions but anybody who really tries to put down the GT-R is either just a snob, or
is feeling a bit insecure about why the spent all that mony on their Porsche / Ferrari / Whatever....

Porsche builds great cars...its conceivable that so do other makers like Nissan.... its not like they just pulled the GT-R out of their ***... they have been building them a long time.

I think I will now be flamed, and I deserve it.. I opened the door, but I just couldn't bite my tonge any longer, had to get it off my chest.

triode

The 911 is considered a classic design, and has therefore lasted for 44 years; you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but you're in the distinct minority on this. And 911s have won thousands of races over the decades, despite their "fundamental design flaw" (which by the way gives superior traction out of corners).

And we are entitled to our GTR opinions - one can honestly find it porky and horrendous looking without being a "snob" or "insecure". It's called taste. Different strokes...

The only "fat poop" here, therefore, is your ill-considered post. Ciao.

dagor6

I think their marketing department is too busy freaking out that half the dealers are marking the car up to 90K and making people think it's between a porsche and a GT-R.

eclou

or the finance guys who are bracing to tell their customers that the leases will be near $1500/mo since the markup creams the depreciation costs

dagor6

They probably can't lease at all, your "down" probably needs to be actual down + dealer markup.

Same with finance! It's 30% markup or so, is Nissan even willing to finance that?

Then there's the potential of lemons, since the law states the buyer gets the purchase price back from the manufacturer, not dealer! That's why Ferrari put a stop to markups.