IN THIS FEATURE Waiting patiently Flatters the average driver A road-legal race car Devastatingly capable There's always a catch isn't there?

From the beautifully weighted steering, to the Niagra delivery of thrust, to the throttle-adjustable cornering attitude, all had plainly been sorted by men who care deeply about such things. And, in spite of a massive amount of computing power being brought to bear on the car's four-wheel-drive dynamics, the Skyline never felt nannying.

On-board computer helps stick the Skyline to the road

In fact, the R34 was capable of lurid power-on oversteer without much effort. I hasten to add, this is something I discovered driving around Silverstone. That's where I also discovered that if you did deliberately overcook an oversteer moment, the car's Stephen Hawking-like brain would step in and put some power through the front wheels to pull you through the corner and out of the spin.

In short, it was a heroic car that flattered the averagely gifted driver in a way that no Porsche 911 ever would or ever will. And while some enthusiast drivers will argue that this is precisely what makes the 911 so rewarding, there are many more who will be grateful for the relative absence of Skyline-shaped holes in the underbrush.