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

Now the bad news. For the privilege of owning a used Skyline - albeit one breathed on by NISMO genius - you will pay £84,000. And as we mentioned, there's only 20 of the things in the pipeline, most already spoken for.

It will be 2007 before we get to climb in the next GT-R

The cost reflects the fact that this isn't just a tuned Skyline. In addition to a bespoke race-engine build, specially developed Sachs suspension and Brembo brakes, carbon fibre is used extensively to bring down the weight. Even the exhaust pipe is made of titanium.

So, a fitting salute to the memory of a superstar and a statement of intent that the next GT-R will be (must be) similarly gifted when it arrives in 2007.

Then, finally, the high-performance stratosphere will be whole again.