Category: Exotic Sports 
Price Range: No data available
Twin-turbo boost; smart twin-clutch gearbox; stunning super-coupe styling; great grip and handling; very, very fast.
Not quite as loud and lairy as it could have been...
Your Playstation fantasies made metal.
Let's start with the figures: a 3.8 V6 giving 480bhp, 434lb ft, 193 mph, and 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds. Yes, 3.5 seconds.
It has four-wheel-drive, a six-speed twin-clutch sequential-shift gearbox (similar to Volkswagen's DSG), adjustable Bilstein suspension dampers and huge Brembo brakes. All the necessary electronica is present too, including stability control and hill start assist.
So there's the spec - and it all adds up to a mighty impressive machine.
This GT-R is the latest in a long line of high-performance Nissans, the first GT-R-badged model being the 180bhp Skyline GT-R saloon of 1969. It's the successor to the much-missed Skyline GT-R R34 (1999-2002), and the first GT-R of the series not to take the Skyline name. That's because it's a standalone model on a dedicated, unique chassis, says Nissan. It's not just an uprated version of the mainstream Skyline range - also known as Infiniti G-series in Europe and North America.
A two-door coupe with two tiny rear seats, the GT-R is intended as an everyday supercar: something capable of commuting into the city as well as tearing round a track or tackling twisty mountain roads. A certain amount of compromise is inevitable, but Nissan has achieved an excellent balance - this everyday supercar would make every day's driving pretty damn super.
Faster than both the latest BMW M3 coupe and Mercedes CLK 63 AMG, not to mention the Audi R8 4.2 V8 and most 911s, the GT-R also manages to make its German rivals look stuffy and middle-aged. On the right side of boy-racer, the chiselled, ultra-aerodynamic GT-R is an absolute stunner, from its deep front air intakes to its trademark circular twinned taillights.
UK prices start from £52,900, which is somewhat galling given that the Americans pay from just $69,850 - and it's nearly $2 to £1 right now. Admittedly, that's pre-tax, and entry-level UK cars will be better-equipped, but all the same...
Not that anyone's baulking, however. Nissan took 700 orders in 48 hours when it opened the UK order book, despite first deliveries not coming till March 2009. Drop a £3,500 deposit now, and you'll be lucky to get your GT-R before 2010.
Worth the wait? You bet.
