As if a curve for some product life cycle, the Nissan GTR achieved massive, and we mean massive credentials during it's launch, with every automotive journalists pitching it against anything they get their hands on, and the results, very much like Japanese manga characters, the underdogs always wins.
And it'd not some half done sports car pitched against the GTR, in fact since the R32, Skyline GTRs had always been put against cars that costs 2 or 3 times as much, frequently Porsches, Ferraris etc. Earning Skyline GTR names like 'God of War', 'Godzilla', 'Supercar Slayer' so on.
However, most of it is simply because GTR costs less than the others by quite a margin. Well with the R35 GTR, Nissan did the second round of hype cultivating, cult nurturing underdog game again. Not only does the GTR still costs 2 times lesser than similar rivals, it beats them around tracks, on straights with less horsepower, and with curbweights that are heavier than these rivals by a staggering 300 - 400 Kilograms!
This created massive, massive outpour of comments like 'crazy' , 'superb' , from fans or automotive enthusiasts all-alike, and of course the happiest is Nissan, and the bunch of hardcore GTR fans - then, it starts, with people stop WOWing over the seemingly physics defying figures, and goes down on science, facts and figures.
New York Times - Wheels reported, given the GTRs weight and reported horsepower figures of 480hp, creating a 7 minute 29 second lap time around the Nurburgring, which is very close to the fastest any production car had ever created, beating the likes of Pagani Zonda, Koeniggsegg CCR or Bugatti Veyron, which had horsepower figures ranging from 600 to 1000hp is possible, for many variables affect the outcome such as driver's skills, humidity, weather etc.
However in a quarter mile race (400 meter drag race), with recorded Trap Speed (Speed achieved when 400 meter distance covered); one could easily work out the horsepower with constants such as weight, coefficient drag, gear ratio, time and distance. Most off-hand calculations ended up with figures of 550hp on the conservative end, 580hp on a cool day with the driver in full form after having a quickie with his wife before leaving for work.
Motor Trend reported upon putting the GTR on a Dyno test, the figures were revealed. 580hp on the crank. Wait, ON THE CRANK?
Well do a plus minus of 20-30% reduction on crank hp (for powering your aircon belts, alternator, oil pumps, water pumps etc), the figure goes back to exactly what Nissan claims. Albeit on wheels.
Which put Wheels Weekly on a baffled state, where we strongly believe facts are facts when majority choose to believe. Hence like the life cycle chart we mentioned at the beginning of this article, it's really a full swing in enthusiast's reaction towards the GTR.
