The Spec-V Commeth: Not Much of a Surprise

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BEHOLD! The Spec-V!

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Autoblog
After nearly a year of speculation and spy shots, it's official: the Nissan GT-R SpecV has arrived. The limited edition GT-R is a subtle evolution of the super coupe that's set the world on fire after its introduction last year, and Nissan claims that it offers race car-levels of performance in a street-legal vehicle.

The body mods consist of a carbon fiber rear spoiler, grille and brake ducts, along with an exclusive Ultimate Black Opal paint job. On the inside, a set of carbon fiber Recaro buckets are fitted up front, while the rear seats have been nixed to save a few pounds. Carbon fiber also adorns the center storage box, instrument panel and replaces the majority of the interior trim.

The only substantive engine modification is a new high gear boost controller that increases the amount of compressed oxygen entering the twin-turbo'd 3.8-liter V6 to deliver more torque in mid- to high-range revs. A titanium-coated exhaust and a reworked suspension is fitted underneath, and carbon ceramic brakes hide behind 20-inch NISMO wheels that conspire to reduce unsprung mass and improve braking performance.

Sales begin in Japan at seven pre-selected dealers, with pricing set at 15,750,000 yen. There's no word on whether the GT-R SpecV will make the trek across the Pacific, but we're not holding our breath just yet.

So, its lost a few pounds, and maybe a few small performance upgrades. Otherwise, I'm not sure where the huge bonus is.
 
Of that limited edition, its highly questionable if we in the Western world will get any at all. I'm personally doubting it, but you never know. As far as "expensive" goes, its hard to say for sure. Its a pretty good value if you can get it at MSRP here in the US, but the problem has always been that the similarly quick Z06 is available for less money, at MSRP, every time.

Still, good to see it materialized. So when is the super-super GT-R due?
 
Of that limited edition, its highly questionable if we in the Western world will get any at all. I'm personally doubting it, but you never know. As far as "expensive" goes, its hard to say for sure. Its a pretty good value if you can get it at MSRP here in the US, but the problem has always been that the similarly quick Z06 is available for less money, at MSRP, every time.

Still, good to see it materialized. So when is the super-super GT-R due?

Or the ZR-1. I don't know about people spending $150,000 on a Nissan in the US. They could instead buy a ZR-1, R8, Porsche 997 Turbo, GT3 RS, Used Ferrari 360 Spyder (possibly F430), and even a used Murcielago.
 
TVC
Or the ZR-1. I don't know about people spending $150,000 on a Nissan in the US. They could instead buy a ZR-1, R8, Porsche 997 Turbo, GT3 RS, Used Ferrari 360 Spyder (possibly F430), and even a used Murcielago.

And the Nissan will likely be faster than all of them. Further, exchange rates are never a 1 to 1 thing when dealing with cars. We pay 20 grand USD for a car the UK pays about 20 grand in Pounds for.

The suspension and extra torque will make a massive difference, I imagine. No doubt down force is improved and several hundred pounds shaved. Anyone have the exact production numbers on this version?
 
And the Nissan will likely be faster than all of them. Further, exchange rates are never a 1 to 1 thing when dealing with cars. We pay 20 grand USD for a car the UK pays about 20 grand in Pounds for.

The suspension and extra torque will make a massive difference, I imagine. No doubt down force is improved and several hundred pounds shaved. Anyone have the exact production numbers on this version?

That's not the point though. No one would buy a Ferrari F430 or Gallardo if they wanted the fastest thing out there. People spending $150,000+ on a car probably won't want to buy a Nissan. Some people would but a lot wouldn't because they can get a higher end car even if it is slower.
 
TVC
That's not the point though. No one would buy a Ferrari F430 or Gallardo if they wanted the fastest thing out there. People spending $150,000+ on a car probably won't want to buy a Nissan. Some people would but a lot wouldn't because they can get a higher end car even if it is slower.
Perhaps they also want prestige, and a very nice car to go with it? There is no line that says you either get performance or you get a car to cruise Rodeo drive. Lamborghini & Ferrari as well as Porsche are the exact people who make cars like this. They add the performance, but they also keep the prestige of owning an exotic car. Most people aren't even going to use all that performance, so they really don't care if they have a slower Ferrari compared to the GT-R. At the end, they still own the Ferrari.
 
Reventón;3268246
Perhaps they also want prestige, and a very nice car to go with it? There is no line that says you either get performance or you get a car to cruise Rodeo drive. Lamborghini & Ferrari as well as Porsche are the exact people who make cars like this. They add the performance, but they also keep the prestige of owning an exotic car. Most people aren't even going to use all that performance, so they really don't care if they have a slower Ferrari compared to the GT-R. At the end, they still own the Ferrari.

Exactly. If you say you drive a Nissan it won't sound as good as saying you drive a Lamborghini which is why I think $150,000 is a little to high for this car...
 
Well, if people were buying the GT-R at $120K due to mark ups, I could see a few folks buying the V-Spec for $150K. Why? Don't know. Could be big Skyline fans from the old days, like the car, or maybe, they just want to be different and own another type of sports car from all the Ferraris, Astons, etc.

Although, here in Texas, it's a bit pointless for that last one. We already have the most attendable Skylines pre-R35, and the number of GT-R sales here are pretty high.
 
TVC
Exactly. If you say you drive a Nissan it won't sound as good as saying you drive a Lamborghini which is why I think $150,000 is a little to high for this car...

Yet Nissan would still be able to sell each and every one five times over, even with the world in the grasp of a global economic turn-down.

Plenty of people don't want to be seen as being a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche driver either. For them the Nissan 'supercar slayer' is a blue-collar hero.
 
Are buyers stuck with those awful black wheels?
 
And the Nissan will likely be faster than all of them. Further, exchange rates are never a 1 to 1 thing when dealing with cars. We pay 20 grand USD for a car the UK pays about 20 grand in Pounds for.
Sorry to go OT, but you might want to check the exchange rates :indiff:

[EDIT] Actually it's not quite as bad as I'd been told.
 
-> I was somewhat dissapointed by naming it Spec-V instead of V-Spec. Spec-V sounds too much like...

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...ugh! :indiff:
 
$150K for a Nissan... LMFAO, you're having a joke.

Thats about £100k at current exchange rates... for which you can buy...

2007 Gallardo... Spyder or coupe, less than 10k miles... you can also get a 2004 Murciealego, but the running costs would scare me to death
2007 AM Vanquish S
2007 F430 coupe or 2006 Spider
2008 997 Turbo (though I heard from a good source Porsche are now offering discounts and you may get a brand new one for c.£100k)
2007 997 GT3RS with just 2k miles and £30K change to buy a nice daily driver

Now the GTR may be quicker than all of these, but I know which I'd rather be getting behind the wheel of every morning... who in their right mind pays £100k for a Nissan?
 
Now the GTR may be quicker than all of these, but I know which I'd rather be getting behind the wheel of every morning... who in their right mind pays £100k for a Nissan?

1000 people in the UK have already put down deposits for the GT-R. I was under the impression that the Spec-V was likely to cost an extra £20k on top of the UK retail price. That makes it about £80k, still £48k cheaper than a 997 GT2.

As much as i love the 911 and it's little brother, the Porsche brand has been diluted and doesn't have quite the same prestige as it used to.
 
I don't diagree with you, Cracker... Porsche brand equity has been diluted (by the sheer numbers around as well as the Cayenne), but it's still a much stronger brand than Nissan, and I'd wager a 911 still offers a better day to day driving experience than a GTR (though from what I've read, the GTR is the king of outright speed).

And a £55k GTR is one thing (that's loaded M3 money), but at £80k it's different proposition - especially since the modifications to the V Spec are pretty limited.
 
I don't diagree with you, Cracker... Porsche brand equity has been diluted (by the sheer numbers around as well as the Cayenne), but it's still a much stronger brand than Nissan, and I'd wager a 911 still offers a better day to day driving experience than a GTR (though from what I've read, the GTR is the king of outright speed).

And a £55k GTR is one thing (that's loaded M3 money), but at £80k it's different proposition - especially since the modifications to the V Spec are pretty limited.

Personally i'd have a 997 over a GT-R any day, for the same reason you've given - it could be enjoyed at any speed, where as i suspect the GT-R is a pretty average drive up until you start really pushing it (and how often in the UK are you going to be able to get away with doing that?). I still believe that more people will want to, and have the means to, buy GT-R's and Spec-V GT-R's than Nissan UK will have available to sell. The whole of Europe is only going to receive 1400 GT-R's in 2009!
 
$150K for a Nissan... LMFAO, you're having a joke.
If there's a buyer, and a market for it...who's to say it's a bad thing. It's a model where the reputation precedes the car, rightly or wrongly. Nissan is going to probably charge less to maintain it than many supercars, and will treat the customer like royalty when they bring it in for service and repairs (as long as the car doesn't have a launch control issue).

Nissan could have put an Infiniti badge on it in the States, but chose to remain true to the parent brand's tradition. And nobody accuses BMW of diluting their image with a mere $12,000 motorcycle and a $100,000+ 7-series with the same badge on it.
 
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150K Hummmmm, I guess in that price range there are a lot more attention grabbing name plates than Nissan. But if you can drop that kind of $$ for a street car you go with what you WANT, not so much what makes sense.
 
If there's a buyer, and a market for it...who's to say it's a bad thing. It's a model where the reputation precedes the car, rightly or wrongly. Nissan is going to probably charge less to maintain it than many supercars, and will treat the customer like royalty when they bring it in for service and repairs (as long as the car doesn't have a launch control issue).

Something like...

GTR owner walks in to Nissan dealers and stands in a queue for 15 minutes surrounded by 'people with considerably less wealth than he has'. Eventually he gets to the desk and meets the miserable receptionist....

Nissan service receptionist: 'What do you want?'

GTR owner: 'Just brough my GTR in for a sevice'

Service receptionist; 'Oh, I'm terribly sorry for being so rude sir, I thought you were another Mirca driver. Please have a seat in the special GTR service area where you get free quaility coffee rather than the usual vending machine rubbish our regular punters get.'

;)
 
Now the GTR may be quicker than all of these, but I know which I'd rather be getting behind the wheel of every morning...
Me too. The Nissan. When the car has to be able to be driven every day in every weather it has to be something else than a super thrilling track rocket. The GT-R is a car designed to be as easy to drive as the run-of-the-mill Primera when the performance isn't needed but it can still run with the "real" supercars if needed. I've recently been in situations in which the combination of a front mounted engine, RWD, 115 bhp and studded tyres has given nowhere near enough grip so I certainly wouldn't want 400 bhp pushing through the rear wheels equipped with all season tyres. Much less with the engine behind the seats aiding the pendulum movement when the rear steps out.
 
$150K for a Nissan... LMFAO, you're having a joke.

Thats about £100k at current exchange rates... for which you can buy...

2007 Gallardo... Spyder or coupe, less than 10k miles... you can also get a 2004 Murciealego, but the running costs would scare me to death
2007 AM Vanquish S
2007 F430 coupe or 2006 Spider
2008 997 Turbo (though I heard from a good source Porsche are now offering discounts and you may get a brand new one for c.£100k)
2007 997 GT3RS with just 2k miles and £30K change to buy a nice daily driver

Now the GTR may be quicker than all of these, but I know which I'd rather be getting behind the wheel of every morning... who in their right mind pays £100k for a Nissan?

This is what i don't get about people, since when was the Nissan brand a horrible brand? I would gladly pay up for one. They look awesome. And they're quick. And after seeing one in person, they look amazing. Would I pay 150k for a special version of it though? No, I'd go buy the standard version, It already has more than enough money for a very reasonable price. But I still can't believe people are so hard headed about it. Its a quality car. Why not consider it?
 
People complain all the time when "lesser" brands build expensive cars. Look at the reception that the otherwise awesome Passat W8 and Phaeton had for VW in the States, not to mention the origional balking that Chevrolet received for the notion of a $100K ZR1. It always depends on what kind of car, who is making it, and what the rest of the field looks like.

The GT-R is a technical achievement, there isn't any way around that. But after the dust has settled, I'm back to the point where I just say "who cares?" I'm just not moved by the car... at all... in any form. Certainly, I respect it and its performance, but if I'm in the market for a car in that price range, I'm likely shopping elsewhere.
 
Looks like Nissan tried to copy TE37s like Rota does, but did a worse job. Also, they spelled the name of their own car wrong. It's V-Spec, Nissan, not Spec-V.
 
Service receptionist; 'Oh, I'm terribly sorry for being so rude sir, I thought you were another Mirca driver. Please have a seat in the special GTR service area where you get free quaility coffee rather than the usual vending machine rubbish our regular punters get.'

They're getting a loaner and/or rental car, most likely; or they arranged one of their other cars to pick them up.
 
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