On the Road

We return to our inquiry on whether the Nissan GT-R, a super-fast technological marvel, is a supercar in the classical sense of the word.

Helping us in this quest, if you read last week’s edition of Weekend Living – Car, was being able to take a (very) short spin in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni awhile back (read about it here). It’s a Lamborghini in the vein of the old, pre-Audi/VW days, with a little more excitement and rawness to it. Unlike the GT-R and normal Gallardo it doesn’t have all-wheel drive, only the rear wheels are driven.

And now having seen the other side of the story, I think yes, the Nissan GT-R is definitely a supercar. Purists (or the very rich) might not agree, but there is simply no arguing with the design, performance and, most important, the way it makes you feel. With the Lamborghini you get a more recognition on the street for sure and it’s as much a recognition of the Italian design and drama as it is the big price tag.  But loud engine and ferocious gearshifts aside, very little separates the two.

What I like best about the GT-R is the price, $297,500 with COE – it’s relatively inexpensive (not that I could ever afford one) because all the cars which offer similar performance cost three to five times as much. You’d have enough to buy a nice condo with the change leftover from a Ferrari F430 Scuderia, for example…

The GT-R’s over-efficiency, as nay-sayers see it, reminds me of another lesson from history: in 1969, Honda launched its CB750 motorcycle which, like the GT-R, forced the whole  industry to relook things.

Great acceleration, brakes, handling, a 200km/h top speed – exhilarating figures for the era, and it was labelled a superbike. 40 years on, it’s hailed as a classic, and I suspect the GT-R will have a similar fate.

Tags: CB750, GT-R, Honda, Lamborghini, Nissan, superbike, supercar

In all the years running up to this one, if you wanted to bet on who’d win the Formula One Championship you’d have a choice of either Ferrari, McLaren or Renault. The last major changes before 2009 were back in 2005 where they switched engine formula from V10s to V8s and until 2008, it’s just been cost-cutting (engine freezes and so on) and aero restrictions all the way.

It’s too long to describe all the new changes here but suffice to say, it’s been a sea change, and some might say not even that as even the cars look different: they now look more like Formula 3000 or GP2 cars.

The season’s not yet begun and there have already been some surprises thrown up by winter testing: there’s been nary a red or silver car in sight at the top of the time sheets but some small outfit called Brawn GP in an unmarked white and fluoro yellow car posting the quickest times.

If you’ve not been in the loop then Brawn GP is the ex-Honda F1 effort bought over by technical director and now team principal, Ross Brawn, the man widely regarded as responsible for that Schumacher guy’s seven world titles.

Personally I’d be very happy if Rubens Barrichello, the most experienced driver in Formula One and Schumi’s eternal number two, would be able to capture a few race victories, and maybe even a championship at the twilight of his career.

It’d prove that eventually, dreams do come true, and you don’t need to be a multi-million dollar powerhouse or a kid raised by a racing company to win.

And it would also put to rest the ten-year saga of a Formula One team, once known as Tyrrell (which won championships with Jackie Stewart) but which has endured mostly heartbreak and setbacks since its takeover and morphing into first the BAR Honda and then Honda F1 team.

Tags: Barrichello, Brawn GP, Formula One, Honda