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Jay Leno is known for being an automotive enthusiast and now he has a great website: JayLenosGarage.com that features videos of Jay discussing and driving cars from his awesome collection.
“I do it for free - there’s no money in it,” says Leno. “It’s great fun because it’s like sitting with a bunch of car friends.”
In this episode Jay investigates the highly anticipated Nissan GT-R or as he calls it, ‘the first ever Japanese supercar.’
Nissan Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, was determined to design a new GT-R that pushed the boundaries of technology and styling, while staying true to the GT-R Japanese heritage. According to Shiro Nakamura, the angular lines and high-tech vents of the GT-R were inspired by the Japanese anime series Gundam.
“The GT-R is unique because it is not simply a copy of a European designed supercar,” says Shiro Nakamura. “It had to really reflect [Japanese] culture.”
October 24th – Nissan officially reveals the new R36 Nissan Skyline GT-R at the Tokyo Motor Show in Japan. Nissan’s new supercar is loosing the Skyline name and will simply be known as the Nissan GT-R. The new GT-R is destined to race in the GT500 class of the SUPER GT series in Japan for the 2008 season. Four years have past since the Skyline GT-R last competed in Japan’s Super GT series when it won the Championship in 2003.
The Nissan GT-R’s new engine produces 480PS (353kW or 473HP) at 6400rpm and maximum torque of 60kgm (588Nm or 434lb/ft) from 3200 to 5200rpm. An all-new GR6-type dual clutch transmission, with paddle shifting and a Borg Warner six-plate dual clutch is putting the power to the ground.
The R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R was released in 1995 as successor to the R32 Skyline GT-R model. The first thing to notice about the new R33 GT-R body is its modern muscle car stance with bigger 17” wheels and larger overall dimensions. Compared to the R32’s sharp angles, the new R33 body has more rounded styling.
The aggressive front end and beefy fenders still remain but an adjustable rear wing was added to improve down-force. The interior is larger like the body and extra gauges were added to monitor oil-temperature and torque distribution. Driver and passenger side air bags were also added as new safety features.
The Nissan RB26DETT is a 2.6L straight-6 four-stroke engine best known for being the power plant for Nissan’s premier sports car the Skyline. The “D” indicates a double overhead cam, the “E” stands for electronically fuel-injected, and the “TT” means the engine has twin turbochargers.
Originally, the R32 Skyline GT-R was planned to have a 2.4L RB24DET (single turbo) in order to compete in the 4000cc class of Group A. But when Nismo engineers added the AWD system to the R32 Skyline it made the car heavy and less competitive. At that point, Nissan made the decision to add twin turbochargers to the now 2.6L engine and compete in the 4500cc class. The resulting engine would be known as the RB26DETT that is popular today.
After canceling the Skyline GT-R in 1973, Nissan revived the GT-R name in 1989. Nismo, or Nissan Motorsport International, originally designed the new R32 GT-R Skyline to have a 2350 cc straight six turbocharged engine, and produce 600 horsepower using a RWD drivetrain. Under Group A regulations, a turbocharged engine must multiply its engine displacement by 1.7, putting the new Skyline in the 4000 cc class, and requiring the use of 10 inch wide tires. Knowing that the new Skyline would be required to use 10 inch wide tires, Nissan made the decision to make the GT-R all wheel drive.
Nissan is introducing the next generation Skyline GT-R in Japan at the end of 2007, and in a first for Nissan; the Skyline GT-R will be available in North America for 2008. The new Skyline will carry the Nissan badge worldwide unlike the current North America version of the Skyline that carries the Infinity G35 name.
I made this paper Nissan Skyline and Silvia after finding this page at Nissan’s website. The site is in Japanese but the directions for folding the paper cars are fairly self-explanatory. When I printed the cars out, I used photographic computer paper to make the chassis more rigid. Plus, the shinny side of the paper made the cars’ finish look better. I also made some minor modifications (—cuts—) to the hood in order for it to fit closed properly and I used generic clear tape to hold my paper drift cars together.
Ohhh yeah, right hand drive! This Nissan Silvia is for real. I decided my paper Skyline and Silvia were soooo cool that I need a car model, Helena from Dead or Alive, for the photo shoot! lol
