Saturday, August 7, 2010

New Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec 2010

2010 Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec Front Side View 2010 Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec

German-based engineering firm Xenatec cooperating with Maybach to create a two-door version of the Maybach 57S. The 57S Coupe special will be built in a strictly limited number of 100 examples each priced from a hefty €650,000 or about US$805,000 at today’s exchange rates.

Some changes for a coupe with the redesign A-, B- and C-columns with the second column moved back by 200mm, a more raked roofline, restyled front and rear ends, and a slightly wider body while retaining the same 3.39m-long wheelbase as the sedan model. The extended wheel arches of the car are filled in with newly designed 20- or optionally 21-inch alloy wheels.

2010 Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec Front Top View 2010 Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec

The four-seater 57S Coupe keeps the standard Maybach S’ 6.0-liter bi-turbocharged V12 with 612HP (for the record, in the latest facelift output has been upped to 630HP), so expect about 5.0 seconds for the standard 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint and a top speed somewhere around 275km/h or 171mph.

The four-seater 57S Coupe keeps the standard Maybach S’ 6.0-liter bi-turbocharged V12 with 612HP (for the record, in the latest facelift output has been upped to 630HP), so expect about 5.0 seconds for the standard 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint and a top speed somewhere around 275km/h or 171mph.

Click photo car to open gallery of Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec :

2010 Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec Side View 2010 Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec

2010 Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec Rear Side View 2010 Maybach 57S Coupe Xenatec

New Koenigsegg Agera 2011

2011 Koenigsegg Agera Front Side View 2011 Koenigsegg Agera

Koenigsegg has released the 2011 Koenigsegg Agera, it’s a new supercar aimed to take the Koenigsegg experience to the next level, both on the road and the track. The focus when developing the Koenigsegg Agera was to maximize, driving experience, cornering speed, braking and adaptability. Please refer to the following statement after viewing the Photos Car below:

2011 Koenigsegg Agera Front View 2011 Koenigsegg Agera

2011 Koenigsegg Agera Rear View 2011 Koenigsegg Agera

The Koenigsegg Agera still stay true to the original philosophy, shape and size of the original Koenigsegg CC. The Koenigsegg Agera is as wide at the front as in the rear of the car. This gives very good balance in corners and minimizes body roll.

The Koenigsegg Agera also has features the latest in braking technology, incorporating an adjustable ABS system, 392×36 and 380×34 ventilated and drilled ceramic discs, for unparalleled braking performance and zero fade regardless of track or road condition.Thanks to optimized breathing and Twin Turbo, power is now 910 hp, running on regular petrol. Torque is maximum 1100 nm and is reached at 5100 rpm. There is over 1000 nm of torque available from 2680 to 6100 rpm.

This car also has advanced features in the interior. The driver can easily select the information he wants displayed in front of him, on the all new multi-info cluster combined with the upgraded infotainment display, ranging from basic functionality, to G force meter, power meters, Sat-nav, music, lap-timer or compasses – to best suit the current driving conditions, be it highway cruising, touring country roads, city navigation or serious track driving. Furthermore the interior features the new Koenigsegg Agera stitching and seams, which gives an beutiful fuidity to the interior.

2011 Koenigsegg Agera Interior View 2011 Koenigsegg Agera

2011 Koenigsegg Agera Front Angle View 2011 Koenigsegg Agera

2011 Koenigsegg Agera Rear Side View 2011 Koenigsegg Agera

New MTM Audi RS5 Coupe 2010

2010 MTM Audi RS5 Coupe Front Side View 2010 MTM Audi RS5 Coupe

MTM apperance upgrade the Audi RS5 coupe for US market. The MTM tuner has released new software for the factory speed limiter that allows the RS5 Coupe to reach a more attention-grabbing top speed of 303km/h or 188mph. This will cost an equally attention-grabbing €1,499 plus €125 for fitting.

2010 MTM Audi RS5 Coupe Rear Side View 2010 MTM Audi RS5 Coupe

In addition, MTM’s offerings also include a custom exhaust system (€2,999 plus €334 for labor), a large variety of 19- and 20-inch wheels with or without spacers and a TV-set (€206 plus €17 for installation). The German tuner said that MTM Audi RS5 Coupe a full suspension upgrade will follow in the near future.

Click images to view Gallery

2010 MTM Audi RS5 Coupe Front Angle View 2010 MTM Audi RS5 Coupe

2010 MTM Audi RS5 Coupe Rear Angle View 2010 MTM Audi RS5 Coupe

Resource images by PhotoCarSpeed

2011 Ford Mustang may get up to 30 mpg

The base model of the 2011 Ford Mustang will come with nearly GT power and could get up to 30 miles per gallon in highway driving, Ford Motor Co. announced today.

Ford will debut a new V-6 engine for the sports car this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show and says it will give the basic Mustang power to rival the performance-oriented Mustang GT, which has a V-8 under its hood.


The 3.7-liter powerplant, which replaces the 4-liter V-6 now in Mustangs, will produce 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque while also offering better gas mileage.

Ford projects the engine will get 19 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. The 2010 Mustang's 4-liter engine creates 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, while achieving 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

The new Mustangs will be available at dealerships in the spring.

Stephanie Brinley, an automotive analyst at Southfield-based consulting firm AutoPacific Inc., said the additional power catches the Mustang up to the V-6 Chevrolet Camaro and should help it stay at the top in pony car sales next year.

"The V-6 Mustang is Ford's best-selling Mustang and this is a lighter car, so it should feel faster," she said. "For people looking for these kinds of cars, Mustang is still the place to go."

According to Autodata Corp., which compiles car sales statistics, Ford sold 56,469 Mustangs through October, down 32.4 percent from the same period last year.

The Mustang remains about 8,000 units ahead of the Camaro, which was reintroduced this year by General Motors Co.

The new powertrain suggests that the GT will have to show some big improvements soon, Brinley added.

The 2010 GT with a 4.6-liter V-8 produces 315 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. It gets 16 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

By raising the base model's vitals and performance level, Ford likely will have to do the same to the 2011 GT, though the carmaker has not announced a new powertrain for that car.

The V-6 Mustang will come with a six-speed automatic or manual transmission, dropping its well-used five-speed.

Ford has promised to include six-speed transmissions on 90 percent of its vehicles by 2013 in another effort to make its vehicles more fuel efficient.

The new Mustang V-6 engine, built in Cleveland, boasts a number of high-tech features such as variable camshaft timing and variable valve overlap to improve the car's emissions, fuel economy and power. Ford has dubbed the system Ti-VCT.

"Drivers are going to notice improved low-speed torque and increased fuel economy and peak horsepower," Jim Mazuchowski, Ford's manager of V-6 powertrain operations, said in a news release. "Plus, there are benefits they won't notice, too, such as reduced emissions overall, especially at part-throttle."

Ti-VCT can lower the engine's emissions by controlling the NOx -- nitrogen oxide -- and hydrocarbons.

Ford will also announce at the Los Angeles show that it will introduce a performance package for the V-6 Mustang.

It will include a different rear axle for faster off-the-line acceleration, struts, stabilizer bars and brakes from the GT, unique badges and other features.

New Modern Design Futuristic Model Lexus Future Type (2002) Concept Car for Future

New Modern Design Futuristic Model Lexus Future Type (2002) Concept Car for FutureModern Design Futuristic Lexus Future (2002) Concept Car for Future


this design lexus car 2002 is a greats design futuristic car because this car use future. i think this design concept car is exactly for future.

New Modern Design Futuristic Model Lexus Future Type (2002) Concept Car for FutureNew Modern Design Futuristic Model Lexus Future Type (2002) Concept Car for FutureLuxury Modern Design Futuristic Lexus Future (2002) Concept Car for Future

New Modern Design Futuristic Model Lexus Future Type (2002) Concept Car for Future Beautiful Modern Design Futuristic Lexus Future (2002) Concept Car for Future

It has just been discovered that the Lexus 2054 Cast Vehicle of the Future in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is a real fully functioning electric vehicle! The custom car was created by conceptual artist Harald Belker, whose film design credits also include "Batman & Robin", "Inspector Gadget", and "Armageddon." Spielberg, Belker, Calty (Toyota/Lexus design studio) and a team of futurists met early in the development process to speculate on what the future of automotive travel might hold, with Lexus ultimately providing styling, luxury and performance cues for the car's design. The car was constructed by CTEK, a Santa Ana, Calif.-based technology design and development firm. Read more to see Pics and read all about the Conspiracy of Near-Silence that surrounds this amazing electric car!

New Modern Design Futuristic Model Lexus Future Type (2002) Concept Car for FutureWow Amazing Modern Design Futuristic Lexus Future (2002) Concept Car for Future

One would assume that this quality EV prototype would certainly create some kind of media interest and may certainly help push the electric car market in the right direction considering that our planet depends on us doing something positive for the environment ASAP. One only has to look at the latest BBC news and put 2 and 2 together concerning pollution, climate change and green house gases etc, to understand that our future can only be green, however the June 2002 issue of FHM magazine has the headline GASOLINE on page 150, and then dumps on the car for being "completely fake" and "just" an EV, but it does reveal in the text that the concept car can actually hit 90 mph and reach 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds with its 500 Kw motor. Not bad for a completely fake car! The official press release can be found at www.electrifyingtimes.com The only problem with the press release is that there is not a hint of the EV specs unveiled! WHY?

New Modern Design Futuristic Model Lexus Future Type (2002) Concept Car for FutureCool Modern Design Futuristic Lexus Future (2002) Concept Car for Future

Just recently (July 10th 2002) - Electrifying Times has discovered thanks to Jim Carlucci at EVUK who endeavoured to check out this terrific EV Lexus 2054 online. Reading the July Pleiades-Enterprises Newsletter it reported that the car had a 500 kW midship-mounted motor with lithium-ion solid polymer batteries. The patented propulsion technology for this working EV is attributable to Chaz Haba and Bob Anderson from Nu Pow'r LLC. Haba, founder and sole owner of Nu Pow'r provides the 36-volt lithium battery for Lee Iacocca's folding electric bicycle, called the "e-bike. Steve Sanderson, owner of Sanderson Sales & Marketing at 6401 W. Park Blvd. in Plano, California and Lee Eastman, owner of Eastman Energy Group in Vista, also in California, are scouting locations for Nu Pow'r stores, which the company calls Power Stations. Nu Pow'r makes its golf cart at a Las Vegas plant owned by Shelby American, maker of the Shelby Series 1 and Shelby Cobra high-performance sports cars. Haba replaced the combination of traditional lead batteries weighing about 380 pounds in a typical golf cart with a more efficient, 72-pound lithium battery system. For more information call Dave Cutter, editor of Pleiades-Enterprises NuPowr News

New Modern Design Futuristic Model Lexus Future Type (2002) Concept Car for Future Modern Design Futuristic Lexus Future (2002) Concept Car for Future Super Car

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept Car

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept Car
Greats Luxury Modern Classic Design Holden Efijy Concept Car

With the flurry of new product introductions and concept vehicles being unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this year, standing out from the crowd can take something special. I came across that something special in my first 30 minutes of walking the show floor: the Holden Efijy concept. Developed by a team of engineers and designers at Holden (a GM subsidiary in Australia), the Efijy rides on a Corvette chassis and is powered by a supercharged 6.0 liter V8. The design screams old school, but I don’t care — this beauty is a sight to behold.


 Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarDesign Luxury Classic Holden Efijy Concept Car Auto Show

GM and Holden have already said that the Efijy would never see the light of day as a production vehicle, and that the effort was a “passionate side project” by Holden engineers who worked on the vehicle in their spare time. Despite the long list of concept vehicles unveiled in COBO Hall — from the Toyota FT-HS to the Chrysler Nassau and Ford Interceptor — I have to admit that the Efijy was my favorite concept of the show. Funny thing about having a passion for something: it tends to produce breathtaking vehicles like this one. Here’s hoping that the obvious talent of these Holden designers and engineers is put to good use with the new 2009 Chevy Camaro, which is being developed on a Holden-engineered RWD platform

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarBeautiful Design Classic Holden Efijy Concept Car

Australian International Motor Show, 13 October 2005 : A wild 21st Century hot rod reincarnating Australia ’s most famous car, the FJ Holden, was unveiled today at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarDesign Machine Power Holden Efijy Concept Car

EFIJY is a radical pillarless custom coupe boasting V8 Supercar power under the bonnet, Chevrolet Corvette underbody and state-of-the-art automotive technology throughout.


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarBeautiful Design Holden Efijy Concept Car in Beside

The ‘Soprano Purple’ paintwork highlights its curvaceous 5.2-metre body, reinterpreting the classic design cues of the iconic 1953 FJ Holden. It delivers retro, mumbo and gizmos in one glorious package.


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarCute Design Holden Efijy Concept Car in Front

Obviously not intended for production, EFIJY has been a passionate side project for some Holden Design team members otherwise dedicated to creating the all-new 2006 Commodore.

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarBeautiful Modern Headlamps Holden Efijy Concept Car


Automotive excess pounds through a 480-kilowatt, supercharged six-litre V8 engine and air-adjustable shock absorbers through to a touch control LCD screen and fan-cooled LED headlamps.

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarAmazing Design Fantastic Headlamps Holden Efijy Concept Car

GM Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Denny Mooney, today said the EFIJY project was a bold statement on the creative talent available within Holden’s design ranks. Mr Mooney said the project was developed as a collaboration with suppliers which reduced impact on the company’s heavy work schedule and ensured the highest possible quality result for the showcar. “EFIJY is all about fun, emotion and imagination. It shows what a bunch of clever and talented design people can do when they are let loose to create something really wild,” Mr Mooney said. “This year was a fantastic opportunity for us to create something which highlights our designers’ ability and versatility. “EFIJY is sure to evoke different memories for everyone who sees it. People might focus on the FJ links, the glorious custom coupes of the 1930s or the great design flair of the 1950s.” Design philosophies Holden Chief Designer and EFIJY project leader Richard Ferlazzo, who sketched the first EFIJY designs in 1989 and is a long-time custom car fanatic, said the car existed purely for automotive entertainment. “Invariably, people smile when they see it for the first time. EFIJY is our accolade to the talented designers who cut loose with some fantastically flamboyant styling in the post-war 1940s and 1950s,” Ferlazzo said. “Ask the question, ‘what would these people have created using all the skill sets and technology we have now’, and EFIJY might be the all-Australian answer to that question. “EFIJY is also aimed at the legions of custom car and hot rod enthusiasts out there whose appetites aren’t generally met in the concept car arena. “Most importantly, itsends the message that the same people who have sensible day jobs designing entirely practical cars have the passion and inspiration to create something as outrageous as EFIJY. “We’re all car nuts together and the fact that EFIJY stands on our Sydney motorshow stand goes some way to legitimising this form of automotive design in the mainstream.” Exterior and interior highlights


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarCute and Cool Modern Classic Holden Efijy Concept Car

The design team has cleverly incorporated FJ design cues into EFIJY’s radicalcustom coupe body, acknowledging the most important aspects of the iconic 1953 release. The famously familiar FJ grille looms larger than life, fronting a low, wide and handsome body extravagantly elongated and brimming with retro chic style


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarDesign Modern Classic Holden Efijy Concept Car


The Corvette rolling chassis was lengthened to accommodate the EFIJY body, which is more than 700 millimetres longer than the FJ by which it was inspired. The Soprano Purple paint has multiple layers of translucent pigmented topcoats which creates the rich, deep effect. All brightwork on the vehicle is hand-made billet aluminium to maximise its authentic look, nowhere more evident than the stunning grill salute to FJ’s distinctive front.

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarElegant Design interior Holden Efijy Concept Car


A proximity sensor opens the door automatically as the driver approaches, revealing deep cream leather twin tombstone-shaped seats equipped with integral belts.


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarBeautiful Design interior Holden Efijy Concept Car

The drop-down, touch control LCD screen and an instrument cluster glowing with the number ‘53’– another FJ gesture – are set in the body-coloured metal dash and pulsate with a radiogram retro orange glow.

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarAutomotic Transmission Design Holden Efijy Concept Car


There are pearlescent, Bakelite-look push button controls for the electronic automatic transmission and the hard curved floor is finished in figured maple timber veneer with aluminium inserts.


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarModern Design Suspension Holden Efijy Concept Car


EFIJY’s prowling appearance can be accentuated by the air-adjustable suspension. At the touch an LCD screen, At a touch of the LCD screen, EFIJY can hunker down to just 27 millimetres from the ground or rise to a more practical drive height.

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarModern System Featuring Hard Drive Audio and Video Holden Efijy Concept Car


Like any great showcar, EFIJY is stocked with a cutting edge entertainment system featuring hard drive audio and video storage driven through a major amplifier and speaker setup.


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarModern System Featuring Hard Drive Audio Holden Efijy Concept Car


The 6.0-litre LS2 V8 engine has been supercharged and modified by Ron Harrop, well known throughout the Australian automotive and motorsport industry and an ex-FJ Holden racer.

Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarIncreadible Machine Power Holden Efijy Concept Car

Driven by a Roots-type supercharger, the engine delivers peak power of 480kW (645 horsepower) at 6400rpm and peak torque of 775Nm (560 foot-pound) at 4200rpm. Such performance figures are equal to the stated output from 2005 Series V8 Supercars, and almost 11 times greater than the 45kW (60 horsepower) offered in the 1953 FJ Holden.


Famous Modern Design Classic Model Holden Efijy Concept CarDesign speed automatic transmission Machine Power Holden Efijy Concept Car

Nissan GTR 2010 Modification

Nissan GTR 2010 modification
Being an automotive journalist is like being a male porn star. We're little more than Piloti-shoed buffers between the reader and the objects of their lust, and really, no one cares about us. Still, you only get one chance to make an initial impression, so my first review here on Autoblog had to be big. As luck/fate would have it, I got a phone call a few weeks back that went a little something like this: "How'd you like to drive the first 2010 Nissan GTR on the West Coast, before the buff books get it?" Needless to say, the answer was obvious. But what to do with the brand-new R35, one of the most heavily and relentlessly covered car-stories of the past year? This takes us right back to that porno metaphor: How do I give the people what they want?

Nissan GTR 2010 Modif Wallpaper
We hatched a plan – take the uber-Nissan down to San Diego and pay a visit to Comic Con! A story about 400-pound guys in Batman suits drooling all over the new GT-R practically writes itself, so we contacted various video game companies to see if they would let us drive the GT-R right onto the convention center floor. Perfect! Our stunt would be like lowering a nude, greased-up Megan Fox into a frat house. What could possibly go wrong? Without getting into the epic fail of that last bit, it didn't happen. What you're left with then is yet another review of a Nissan GTR 2010 Modification where some "pounding at 11/10s" wannabe hamfists Godzilla through envy-inducing, tight, twisty Southern California canyons. Lucky you... err, me.

modification of Nissan GTR 2010
My task then would be to answer the following: There's endless talk about whether or not the Nissan GT-R 2010 modif has a soul. Yes, we all know it's supercar quick and hypercar capable. And yes, Japan's most recent foray into the segment can utterly dominate and humiliate most British, Italian and German machines – all costing two, three or five times as much – and give like-minded American all-stars a run for their ACR/ZR1 money. But is the GT-R anything more than a numb supercomputer, mindlessly parsing bits of data and then spitting out traction and velocity? Are its capabilities a credit to Nissan's mechanical engineers, or its electrical wonks? To put it another, more Comic-Conny way, is there a ghost in Nissan's machine?

Modification of Nissan GTR 2010
The big news is bye-bye launch control.
First and foremost, we should cover what's new for 2010. The big news is bye-bye launch control. We found the GT-R's penchant for grenading transmissions humorous (from a distance), but alas, farewell. However... maybe it's still there? Maybe Nissan was only telling people launch control had been deleted? We found a very deserted stretch of road, put the transmission and suspension into R mode, turned the VDC all the way off, planted our left foot on the brake pedal and pushed the throttle with our right. Instead of the tach zinging up to 4,500 rpm, fuel cutoff happens right around 2,000 rpm. Launch control is deader than last Thanksgiving's turkey. That's not very soulful.


That said, the Transmission Control Module (TCM) has been reprogrammed. Not only can the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox shift faster (when in R), but the chances of a customer having to shell out $20,000 for a new cogswapper is greatly reduced. The 2010 GT-R also sports five more horsepower, bringing the total to 485, while torque output remains unchanged at 434 lb-ft. Rumors still persist that since each GT-R engine is hand-built, power levels vary and some engines churn out as much as 520 hp, if not more. Let's chalk this up to some engines running 100 octane and others dealing with California's crapola 91 high-test. Bottom line, the power feels freakishly adequate.

Nissan GTR 2010 Silver
The suspension's been retuned and the Bilsteins are a new design, while the brakes (somehow) have been revamped and fitted with more rigid lines and fresh pads. Our Premium GT-R tester arrived with dark, "near-black" wheels and when coated in Super Silver (like this car) you get a polished front bumper (there's also a new hue called Pearl White). More power, faster shifts, better handling, stouter brakes, blacker wheels and a transmission that's much less likely to eat itself? That sounds fantastic. Soulful, even.



You cannot fit your hand between the front and rear thrones.
As far as looks go, let's face it: You've been staring at the GT-R through your computer screen for as long as I have. Not a single body panel was changed for 2010, so you either love it, or you're indifferent. I will say this, Godzilla is huge. I knew the Nissan was a big boy, but it's nearly ten inches longer than a C6 Corvette; its wheelbase is fifteen inches longer than a Porsche 997. But hey, we were able to fit a case of wine and a large pizza in the trunk, so I'm sure owners aren't complaining too much about the GT-R's dimensions.

Nissan GTR 2010 modification picture
Well, maybe a little about the back seat. No joke: You cannot fit your hand between the front and rear thrones. Even children would be miserable. As far as the front of the cockpit goes, for a Nissan, it's pretty much okay. For an $86,000 vehicle, it's not nearly as nice as you'd like. Sure, there's leather all over the doors and on part of the dash, but it's budget, cheap-feeling leather, not that opulent, veal-fat rubbed and pleated cowhide you'd find in a Spyker. However, all that really matters is the usable stuff. The pedals, steering wheel, flappy-paddles, seats and handbrake are all up to supercar snuff. Especially that burly handbrake.



So then, how's it drive? In a word, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. From a standing start, the forward thrust is obscene. Pornographic, to stick with our earlier metaphor. 60 mph happens in less than four seconds (thanks to launch control delete, the GT-R no longer hunts in the 3.2/3.3-second Enzo/ZR1 woods) and the quarter-mile is annihilated in less than twelve. Trap speed? 120 mph, give or take. Top speed? North of 190 mph.

All these numbers are as quick or quicker than a $200,000+, all-wheel drive, paddle-shifted, 552-horsepower Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 or a $280,000 502-hp Ferrari F430 Scuderia. But forget about the numbers, the price tags and the competitor's badges. Instead, concentrate on the massive brutality taking place and hair-splitting wail of the turbos at full clip. You get to watch the scenery deform all around you as the buzzing builds to full cresendo. After giving one pal a quick blast up an empty freeway, he didn't want to shake hands because his palms were so sweaty. The GT-R is a face-puller, a neck-snapper, a pulse-pounder. Especially when you're banging off shifts in half a second with one of the world's finest paddle-shifted dual-clutch gearboxes. And that's in default. Pop the transmission into R-mode and the shifts are over and done with in two-tenths of a second. Bloody hell, indeed.

Nissan GTR 2010 ModifYeah, yeah, yeah -- 485 hp cars with 434 lb-ft of torque and AWD traction should be blisteringly fast when pointed straight. But the GT-R weighs over 3,800 pounds. Can the near two-ton porkster mechanically handle the twisty stuff? Simply put: Yes. But 'handles' is not even the right word. Dispatch, conquer, dominate, tear asunder, murder – that's it – the GT-R murders corners dead. Starting with the donk-sized tires (255/40 R20 in front, 285/35 R20 out back), moving to the retuned suspension and ending with the innards of a Swiss watch-fancy AWD system, the GT-R has world-class Stickum.

3,829-pound cars shouldn't change direction like Barry Sanders in his prime.
If I may quote McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray after he climbed out of the Bugatti Veyron for the first time, "One really good thing, and I simply never expected this, is that it does change direction. It hardly feels its weight. Driving it on a circuit I expected a sack of cement, but you can really throw it at tight chicanes." Replace the word "circuit" with "stomach churning canyon road" and those are my sentiments exactly vis-à-vis the 2010 GT-R. 3,829-pound cars shouldn't change direction like Barry Sanders in his prime. Yet this one does.
Nissan GTR 2010 Interior Modification
Did I mention the stoppers? Going by the ancient caveat, "A car's only as good as its brakes," the new GT-R is the third best car in the world. Period. Cymbal-sized 15-inch discs at all four corners and six-piston Nissan-branded Brembo calipers join forces to mess with the space/time continuum. Slowing the car from 60 mph is near effortless. When you dip deeper into the near-bottomless well of power -- say around 140 mph – the brakes still work flabbergastingly well, hauling you down to something resembling a speed limit in mere moments. At one point in downtown L.A, a school bus cut us off and neither driver nor passenger were the least bit worried. Why? We'd been using the brakes all day – we knew.



Ah, but here it comes. Here's the part of the story where I'm supposed to tell you that yeah, you can hoon a GT-R harder and faster than a Lamborghini or a Ferrari. But the Italians are works of art, a living, breathing symphony filled with arias pointed right at the heart of an automobile where man and machine become one via harmony, divine intervention, etc. The GT-R? Nothing but a Silicon Valley automaton, precisely but passionlessly going about its servile duties while totally disconnected from the world around it and driver within. Well guess what? I'm not saying that – or anything resembling that. In fact, I'm going to say that those who complain about the GT-R's supposed soullessness simply aren't pushing it hard enough. Because once you do, you hear the angels sing. New rule: All observations concerning the GT-R at less than 80 mph or 5,000 rpm (whichever comes first) are meaningless. Under that and Godzilla's not even breathing hard.

When the gloves come off (transmission's in R-mode, suspension's in R-mode, VDC's in R-mode, nitrogen-filled tires are nice and warm and tacky) not only can the new GT-R rundown the aforementioned farm animals, but it's just as rewarding to drive – if not more so. Why? You can brake later, you can hold the road longer and you can blast out of corners quicker. Isn't that why we drive? Like many great cars, the GT-R seems to shrink when pushed, and the harder and meaner, the smaller it gets. Italian exhausts sound a thousand times better, but the GT-R is simply the better supercar. You'll be continually shocked that such a heavy, civilized and inexpensive car is not only capable of, but eager to rotate on its axis, accelerate like a rally car over busted pavement and keep its driver cool/comfortable after hours of use and abuse.



One caveat: during all of our testing we left the VDC on (except for our ill-fated attempt at launch control) and in R-mode for several reasons. The first being that Nissan strictly forbids operating the car with the VDC defeated unless you're stuck in snow or mud – it straight-up voids the warranty – and we didn't feel like returning a handful of broken half-shafts and shredded gears to the good folks at Nissan. The second reason being that most of our evaluative drives were on two-lane public roads with the high possibility of oncoming traffic and blind corners.

The GT-R inhabits the same plane of existence as Porsche's legendary 959.
That said, the VDC in R-mode has such incredibly high limits that we were able to register full back-to-back 1g lateral acceleration pulls in two different directions (as indicated by the g-meter oscilloscope) again and again and again. The car almost never lets go. And if it does step out (journo-speak for, "I entered the corner too hot, mashed the brakes while chopping the wheel and staring at a squirrel"), the sensation is akin to a hand reaching down from the clouds, grabbing hold and gently performing a quick course correction – the same way you used to play with your Hot Wheels. There's no sudden loss of power, no cruel nanny coming in like a guillotine. Just a little bit of wiggle, and you're back in the game, pushing the edge of the envelop, gunning for an M6, Ducati Monster, Dodge Viper and a few Ferrari F430 Spiders (yes, we did). Over the course of five days, five tanks of high-grade gasoline and more than 600 miles, we experienced the full force of the VDC saving our butt exactly once. And yeah, it was when we were trying to pull away from the damn Ducati.

Nissan GTR-2010
So what's up then? Why the bum rap? Why do so many journalists (and I can't name names because I'm friends with so many of them) write off the GT-R as highly competent but ultimately soulless? Sure, it's one of the four or five most mindboggling performance vehicles on sale, but... meh. They just don't dig it. Besides not driving it hard enough, here's another explanation: Remember when compact discs came out? There was a seemingly endless series of interviews on MTV with guys like Tom Petty bemoaning the loss of the pops, hisses and scratches inherent to records. The flaws were part of the sound, man. You can't flip a CD over – how do you know what side of the record is playing? That's fine, but it's just knee-jerk reactionary nostalgia.

Let's look at the 2005 winner for supercar bang-for-the-buck: the Corvette Z06. It makes about identical power compared to the GT-R, but weighs 700 pounds less. Yet the GT-R is faster, both in a straight line and around corners. Stops better, too. Neat party trick, no? Yes, laying fat, smoky strips of incinerated rubber a hundred feet long is fun, but it's old fashioned, and in many ways, it's making the best of a compromised situation. On the other hand, the GT-R inhabits the same plane of existence as Porsche's legendary 959. Better driving through science. Of course, the Nissan GTR 2010 Modification is faster, more nimble and worlds less expensive than my favorite Porsche. Now I'm not blind, deaf or numb. A certain number of imperfections do add flavor. But that's hardly the only way to build character. Might I suggest a 485-hp, twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 coupled to a fancy-pants AWD system and a dual-clutch tranny from hell? For my money, that's about as soulful as a car gets.