Chris Gable
It's not officially on sale yet, but Nissan's new GT-R is already causing a stir Downunder.
There’s no need to adjust your screen. As the name confirms, that’s an all-Aussie fish ’n’ chip shop and, yes, that’s a highly-desirable Nissan GT-R parked out front.
Even though the car isn’t yet officially on sale here, private imports are out there. And the R35 has already made its mark in Australian motorsport. Tony Alford’s striking pink car made a huge impression in April’s Targa Tasmania but fell victim to tyre problems on Day 2 and was withdrawn. Then, earlier this month, young Steven Jones gave an R35 (pictured below) its first win on Australian soil, edging out Jim Richards’ highly-fancied Porsche GT2 to take out Targa West.
Based on its worldwide web blitz earlier this year, including blow-by-blow details of its giant-killing Nurburgring heroics, the new Godzilla is always going to draw a crowd. However, in sleepy NSW Central Coast town Shoal Bay, where our photograph was taken, there wasn’t a crowd in sight to greet arguably the most lusted-after performance car of the decade. But there was an appreciative Wheels art director (okay, Robin, artdirector – all one word, lower-case).
The art director, sorry, artdirector says he was waiting for his fishburger and chips when he heard a car “burble past”. At first, he glanced at it, then did a classic double-take when he realised what it was.
“The guy got out and left it idling, and I tore out the door to have a look at it,” he says. “It was fully-registered and sounded unreal, not like a V6 at all. And it looked amazingly tough. Photos really don’t do the car justice. When you see it in the metal, it looks menacing.”
And you’ve gotta love the way it’s parked in front of the ‘No Parking’ signs…
Nissan Australia says there’ll be a car on its Sydney motor show stand early next month, and the order books will be open. Don’t be surprised to see a Wheels art director – okay, okay, artdirector – lurking in the wings.
There’s no need to adjust your screen. As the name confirms, that’s an all-Aussie fish ’n’ chip shop and, yes, that’s a highly-desirable Nissan GT-R parked out front.
Even though the car isn’t yet officially on sale here, private imports are out there. And the R35 has already made its mark in Australian motorsport. Tony Alford’s striking pink car made a huge impression in April’s Targa Tasmania but fell victim to tyre problems on Day 2 and was withdrawn. Then, earlier this month, young Steven Jones gave an R35 (pictured below) its first win on Australian soil, edging out Jim Richards’ highly-fancied Porsche GT2 to take out Targa West.
Based on its worldwide web blitz earlier this year, including blow-by-blow details of its giant-killing Nurburgring heroics, the new Godzilla is always going to draw a crowd. However, in sleepy NSW Central Coast town Shoal Bay, where our photograph was taken, there wasn’t a crowd in sight to greet arguably the most lusted-after performance car of the decade. But there was an appreciative Wheels art director (okay, Robin, artdirector – all one word, lower-case).
The art director, sorry, artdirector says he was waiting for his fishburger and chips when he heard a car “burble past”. At first, he glanced at it, then did a classic double-take when he realised what it was.
“The guy got out and left it idling, and I tore out the door to have a look at it,” he says. “It was fully-registered and sounded unreal, not like a V6 at all. And it looked amazingly tough. Photos really don’t do the car justice. When you see it in the metal, it looks menacing.”
And you’ve gotta love the way it’s parked in front of the ‘No Parking’ signs…
Nissan Australia says there’ll be a car on its Sydney motor show stand early next month, and the order books will be open. Don’t be surprised to see a Wheels art director – okay, okay, artdirector – lurking in the wings.
