Feature That Every Minivan Should Have

Sorry, been super busy for the holidays. Will resume normal posting schedule in the new year.

For now, look at the image above and nod your head in agreement. You know who you are.

Nissan Nismo GTR - $56k Ripoff Package

In 2008, Nissan had taken the perennial fanboy favorite and made it available stateside at what many would consider a veritable bargain sans dealer gouging. In 2009, they are introducing the GTR Nismo package, priced at $56k over the cost of a base GTR. Some of you are probably drawing similarities between this and the Nismo 350z that came out last year. The Nismo 350z offered a much stiffer chassis, a modest HP bump, uprated suspension and aero at a $10-$15k premium which we would deem fairly commensurate.

For $56k you would expect a whole lot more. Bear in mind folks, this is NOT the fabled V-Spec. This is a base GTR that Nissan charges $56,000 (or just a tad less then a brand new Z06) for some electronically adjustable Bilstein coilovers, 20" Rays wheels that save approx 3lbs per corner, a titanium exhaust that sheds 11lbs yet MAKES NO EXTRA POWER, a carbon diffuser, and a pair of carbon reclinable Recaro seats.

Yes, $56,000 (or twice my annual salary) for shocks, seats, wheels, and exhaust. Holy option rip-off! Does Nissan think they're Porsche now?

After seeing the GTR get it's ass handed to it in Motortrend's all out drag race against a ZR1, 599, and GT2, we think Nissan would be a lot smarter to deliver the 600hp GTR LM motor instead of a bunch of boutique bolt-ons.

Kids, the take home message is clear: save up your clams and buy a Z06.

First Nissan R35 GTR Lemon?

Edmund's GTR, while posting 0-60 times deep into the 3 second range and getting up to 27mpg, has spent a whopping 12 days in the shop since it was purchased a couple of months ago.

We don't exactly know the details, but if you want to see what a GTR looks like with the rear end and transmission completely, removed, click on the pic above.

Corvette ZR1 Hits Showroom Floors

Socalevo.net user evo989 posts details of the first ZR1 to hit the Chevy showroom he works at. A pristine example shot in black with blue accents, supercharged LS9 motor, and carbon ceramic brakes. Oh yeah, and there's the $117,000 price tag.

Little Body Shop of Horrors

Nissanclub member CrimsonRocket recounts a tale of woe as one of his friends brings an otherwise pristine 350z into the clutches of a certain nefarious body shop deep in the heart of Southern California.

Said shop was commissioned to perform a clean (operative word) install of a urethane lip and sideskirt kit. What the customer received (after being jerked around for weeks) was appalling. Overspray everywhere, pieces seemingly attached to the chassis at random using wood screws. Body panels entirely out of alignment. Orange peel everywhere. The list goes on and on.

Click on the image above to see details of the carnage.

New Axis Wheels for GTR

Some snaps up on the GTR Forums of a new mesh wheel from Axis. If you like mesh and optional colored pinstripe in the soon-to-be-passe time-attack wheel trend, then this is your wheel. No word on how light or strong these are (although we imagine it'd be pretty hard to match the OEM units).

It's a 350z.. It's an S14.. Its a Supra? S14/350z Hybrid

We just about had our daily WTF moment when this came our way. In an ebay auction, some poor soul is selling what used to be a perfectly good S14, with a hacked on Z33 350z front end, powered by one of the worst Toyota motors of all time - a 7M series turbo straight six from the third generation Supra.

Wow, our eyes hurt. More pictures below.

R35 GTR Next to NSX

i-Club member soundwave posts a series of pictures comparing the girth of the new R35 GTR to the timeless, classic lines of the NSX. It's hard to believe that the acura's design is nearly twenty years old.

The R35 lives up to it's godzilla moniker, as it literally sits heads and shoulders above the NSX. The difference in doorlines would make exchanging a bottle of Grey Poupon on the road a difficult proposition!

R35 GTRs on eBay - Let the Profiteering Begin!

Since those few lucky bastards have begun taking delivery of the much hyped GTR stateside, the question on everyone's mind has been - "Which sucker is going to drop 100 large to be the first to own one?" There are a few listed already on eBay, the one above is at $101k, 22 bids with less than 2 days to go. The smart thing would have been to take out a 2nd mortage on the house last year, preorder 4 of these bad boys and sell 3 to pay for the 1 you keep. Why the heck didn't *I* think of that?

Guess I'll have to learn to be happy with my C6 ZR1.

Several more for sale here.

Evo IX Owner Near Death Experience

What happens when a bunch of kids decide they're JDM-tite-initial-d-yo and run the Touge (aka a stretch of canyon highway that has claimed 268 lives since 1968)? Evolutionm.net reader LakerRaider soils his panties when the rear of his Evo 9 hits a patch of sand and causes him to slide right up to the precipice of a 3000ft drop. Tofu-boy's reasoning?

"i just thought it was ok as long as someone as leading, and it got easier after a few miles"

I know! I'm going to follow the kid in the car with performance in excess of his modicum of skill with my equally clueless pairing along the road that has killed over 250 people in the last thirty years. Makes perfect sense.

Click on the image above for the full story and more pictures of the carnage.