Is Nissan GT-R Next Gen NSX Competition?

[nsxt2000]

"It's" almost here. What "it" is, is the 2008 Nissan GT-R 480 horsepower supercar. Car And Driver, Autoweek and all of the other car magazines are singing the praises of the GT-R that is finally expected to arrive in U.S. showrooms this coming June.

Up to now only a few enterprising individuals figured out ways to get the previous Skyline version into American garages. In a 1991 Car And Driver test of a gray market Skyline with 350 horsepower on tap it smoked such contemporaries as our beloved NSX, Corvette ZR-1, Lotus Esprit Turbo and Ferrari 348. This was no small feat.

The new GT-R is a 2+2 passenger two door coupe with a 480 HP V-6 capable of zero-to-60 in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of close to 190 MPH. All this pleasure at an estimated price of only approximately $85,000!

You can bet that Honda / Acura engineers involved with the next generation NSX will be taking a very close look at the GT-R as it will represent one of the NSX's chief competitors. However, for there to be a competition Honda / Acura must bring the next gen NSX to market. So far that birthing process has taken an inordinate amount of time.

What are your thoughts about the latest supercar from Japan?
-Mike S.

[nsxt2000]

In the latest issue of Fortune magazine there is another rave review about the Nissan GT-R - so what's new?

Based on photos, reviews, first drives and the other journalistic criteria, Nissan has hit a homerun with this sports car. Honda's delay with the next generation NSX will be a costly one as potential buyers for the NSX will undoubtably buy the GT-R.

It's hard to imagine a sports car with a 480 hp 3.8 liter twin turbo V-6 that goes O-to-60 in 3.3 seconds and can sell for only $70,000! Truely amazing what Nissan has accomplished.

As a comparison:
* The Audi R8 - $109,000 / 420 hp V-8 / O-to-60 in 4.4 seconds.
* The Porsche 911 Turbo - $129,620 / 480 hp twin turbo 3.6 liter flat 6 / O-to-60 in 3.4 seconds.
* The Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggra - $228,040 / 530 hp V-10 / O-to-60 in 3.7 seconds.

Granted that it is not all about horsepower and O-to-60 numbers, but the total package of the GT-R looks well put together. While I am not especially fond of the final design for the GT-R, you have to admit that it packs quite a whallop.

Now about that next generation NSX - where the h@#% is it??? And how much is it going to cost???
-Mike S.