1998 Nissan Stagea-RS Autech
Yes, it's a station wagon, but it does have a little wing on the back.
My first thought was, another station wagon
and then I drove her
That was almost as much fun as I ever had in a station wagon, almost. Remember that Pontiac with the 455 I mentioned the last time we tested a wagon? Well, I had this girl friend back then...
I think this is the same spot I nearly lost it the last time we tested a wagon, you would think I would learn.
This one comes in at 276hp/417pp and was so much fun to drive she would make you forget you were in a wagon. Body roll was surprisingly minimal for a car this size, probably due to the upgraded suspension (stock) and her width. Braking was sufficient thanks to Brembo. The trans, other than 4th being a bit tall and long to 5th, wasn't too shabby on the track either. As one would expect, she pushed a bit, but I found it easy enough to break the rear loose to counter that providing you had enough track to the outside to make it work.
Drifting the night away...at the Nurb.
Since we took the last wagon to the Nurb I figured I would do the same here. Even though I didn't find the stock CS tires very confidence inspiring I was able to take nearly 7 full seconds off my lap the second time around.
Nurburgring Nordschleife TT, best of two laps:
8:50.383
There was plenty of smokin' and four wheel sliding going on around the ring in this car.
Nurburgring Nordschleife 5 laps vs Pro AI:
Finish: P2, Total time: 18:00.528, best lap: 8:51.478
Coming into the back of the course on the first lap all that stood between me and the Garaiya in P1 was a Skyline GTR, a Mercedes SL 500, a bunch of twisties and too much time!
I had passed to my two adversaries a few turns before the straight, but they battled back on the long stretch. The Skyline used me as a pick against the Merc who I barely kept behind me.
I got back by the Skyline early in lap two and had pretty much given up hope at P1 which by this point was 27+ seconds up. I was just worried about gapping the Skyline and Merc enough to keep them behind me on that long back stretch before the end of the race. I ended up outdriving them enough that by the time I got to the twisty section on lap two I at least didn't have to drive in my mirrors. I even managed to close the gap to P1 to under 16 seconds and at one point even saw her tail lights, but once she hit that long straight she was gone leaving me with the second step on the podium...not bad for a wagon 👍
If I have time later this week I wouldn't mind tuning her up a bit, somewhere around 460pp or so. That would get close to the Audi wagon and make a good comparison. Anyway, this one certainly a sleeper. She's a wagon after all and beat a Skyline GTR around the Nurb, what more needs to be said