Ah, the Nissan Skyline... It's always been known as a massively capable car, and pretty much the benchmark Japanese sports car when in full GT-R trim, specifically the R32 and later models. Thing is... The newest, best-performing models are expensive for what you get. Sure, an excellent car and an excellent all-rounder. But if you're looking for a track car, we can and will outdo it for less cash.
The Target:
Nissan Skyline GT-R V-spec II Nur (R34) 02
342BHP
346.24ft.lb
1560kg
Purchase price - Cr. 61,000
Unmodified
S2 tyres
All aids turned off
Skyline at Times Square
Las Vegas Drag Strip time (after 3 runs):
13.283 (Roj)
13.175 (Vince)
13.192 (Rotary)
Zero to 60 miles/hour:
5.040 s (Vince)
4.733 s (Rotary)
4.820 s (Roj)
Test Course top speed:
172.24MPH = 277.19 KM/H (Roj)
172.11mph = 276.98 KM/H (Rotary)
172.19mph = 277.12 KM/H (Vince)
New York hot lap (after 3 laps):
1'52.754 (Rotary)
1'51.790 (Vince)
1'50.963 (Roj)
Suzuka hot lap (after 3 laps):
2'22.849 (Vince)
2'26.974 (Rotary)
2'23.115 (Roj)
El Capitan hot lap:
1'56.856 (Rotary)
1'57.988 (Vince)
1'55.587 (Roj)
Notes:
Rotary: The car for the Playstation Generation, as they call it. And... It's true. The car is insanely easy to pick up and get around track quickly in; but when you start pushing it the way you would a more normal car, it stops being so perfect and reveals some less-desirable traits. Namely understeer, with a side helping of a large turning circle. At New York, the car was nice, but the car refused to cut back in for the second half of the Turn 1 hairpin, and the string that is turns 6, 7, and 8 caught the car out as well, again with it not cutting in as I would like. I did take a spin in the car at Suzuka, but the car and track in my hands came back with a big "Does... Not... Compute.", and therefore the time recorded was complete and utter garbage and is not an accurate representation of the car's abilities.. El Capitan had the car sticking quite nicely, but again with bits and pieces of understeer on and off throttle.
Vince: Especially for this occasion, we chose The Nürburgring Skyline. We wanted a challenge.
The remarkable difference between the standard RB26DETT engine and this special engine is material of the turbochargers. The Nür edition uses N1-based roller bearing metal turbochargers instead of the standard ceramic turbochargers. This turbocharger provides remarkable performance at high revs compared with standard turbochargers. Furthermore, this engine is hand made at the Nissan racing engine division, NISSAN KOHKI, and they use balanced pistons, conrods and crankshaft for the engine. It is a very similar scheme to making a racing engine, making this GT-R a potent opponent.
Roj: The Skyline GT-R. Known for it's high power potential, ATTESA-ETS 4WD system and for being one of the most popular cars on the import scene. But another reason for choosing the Skyline for this challenge was because of it's popularity in Gran Turismo. When everyone starts playing, they aim straight for the Skyline. Despite the M-Spec Nür being the most expensive at Cr.63,000. It's the V-Spec II Nür that has the highest power when you start loading it with turbochargers the size of small children. So at Cr.61,000, you have the base for one of the fastest road cars in GT4. So with such a capable car at such an easy to obtain price tag, it would take quite a car to beat the Skyline and cost less to build.
The Competitors:
Mazda RX-7 Type RS '98 (Rotary)
"235" BHP
1164 kg
Cost: 56,959
Drag strip:
12.812 (Rotary)
13.011 (Vince)
13.133 (Roj)
0-60:
4.920 s (Vince)
4.760 s (Roj)
4.400 s (Rotary)
Top Speed:
177.24 mph = 285.23 Km/h (Rotary)
176.01 mph = 283.3 km/h (Vince)
177.22 mph = 285.21 km/h (Roj)
New York hot lap:
1'46.361 (Rotary)
1'47.910 (Vince)
1'47.809 (Roj)
Suzuka hot lap:
2'17.514 (Rotary)
2'16.657 (Vince)
2'18.247 (Roj)
El Capitan hot lap:
1'54.433 (Rotary)
1'52.540 (Vince)
1'50.664 (Roj)
Notes: This is the beast of our little trio. Blisteringly quick, grippy, and easy to drive. Some understeer under braking, but it's a trait of the Type RS the car is based on, and while not as quick as perhaps a small amount of oversteer on decel, it's certainly safer for long-distance races. Just be warned, if your car makes more than 235hp we had nothing to do with it, 'twas a manufacturing fluke. Okay, maybe we just want to keep the insurance down.
Roj: RJ's FD: Reminds me of my NSX-R. Looks innocent enough, but it'll run circles around the Skyline, let off a lick of flame, then go fly around El Capitan.
Vince: RJ's FD: Easy to pick up, very stable. Fastest of the three contenders.
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Nissan Silvia Ks (S14) 93 (Roj)
305BHP
289.10ft.lb
1146kg
Cost: Cr.57,418
Drag strip:
13.753 s (Roj)
13.873 s (Vince)
13.451 s (Rotary)
0-60 Mph:
5.435 s (Roj)
5.840 s (Vince)
5.116 s (Rotary)
Top Speed:
164.69MPH = 265.04 km/h (Roj)
164.66 mph = 265 km/h (Vince)
164.70 MPH = ~265.04 km/h (Rotary)
New York hot lap:
1'49.781 (Roj)
1'51.364 (Vince)
1'50.232 (Rotary)
Suzuka hot lap:
2'19.894 (Roj)
2'22.210 (Vince)
2'24.320 (Rotary)
El Capitan hot lap:
1'53.545 (Roj)
1'57.374 (Vince)
1'56.479 (Rotary)
Notes:
A low starting price gave this S14 Silvia a huge advantage in terms of tuning compared to it's 2 comrades here. Everything on this Silvia was improved, creating a nice "package" rather than just a boosted turbo.
RJ: Roj's Silvia: Fairly quick in a straight line and quick through corners if driven right (IE not COMPLETELY sideways).
Vince: Roj's Silvia: The sleeper car of this trio, don't underestimate this one or you will PAY.
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Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR '98 (Vince)
365BHP
348.48 ft.lb
1360kg
Cost: Cr. 60.990
Drag strip:
13.305 s (Vince)
13.225 s (Roj)
12.962 s (Rotary)
0-60:
5.480 s (Vince)
4.780 s (Roj)
4.350 s (Rotary)
Top Speed:
165.9 Mph = 267 km/h (Vince)
166.23MPH (Roj)
166.25 MPH (Rotary)
New York hot lap:
1'51.635 (Vince)
1'49.425 (Roj)
1'48.779 (Rotary)
Suzuka hot lap:
2'20.908 (Vince)
2'22.226 (Roj)
2'24.733 (Rotary)
El Capitan hot lap:
1'58.067 (Vince)
1'55.586 (Roj)
1'57.850 (Rotary)
Notes:
As you can see, The Lan Evo V has more power and less weight and thus it makes most of the time better times for less cash compared to the Skyline. There is one big but: The Skyline did have a better time at El Capitain and most of the time differences are quite insignificant. (0.2 sec or less) Many times the Skyline accelerated faster in the 0-80 mph range, which gives it an advantage after the corners. During the corners and on the long straights, the evolution did go faster, because of it's lower weight and different transmission settings compared to the Skyline.
Roj: Vince's Evo: It's like a Skyline, but isn't. Ridiculously easy to drive quickly and it won't stab you in the back if you surpass the limit.
RJ: Vince's Evo: Damn, you HAVE to drive it like an Essex boy if you have a wheel. Lots of steering angle, left-foot braking, and hard throttle are the keys to success here.
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Final note:
In the end it all depends on the driver. The way you know your car, your overall driving skills and how well you know the track.
Now the question is, which car would you choose?
Let us know what you think, preferably in a review of the cars you chose.
We've put quite some effort into this battle between giants, so please take your time with your review.