The Driving Woman

Hold on ladies…it’s coming. In fact,  Inside Line is test driving it right now.  But if you want a Nissan 2009 GT-R ,you’re going to have to line up. Nissan has pre-sold 50% of the first years production allocation in the US.
(Globally, the Japanese plant is producing 1,000 a month.)

Why do you want it? The car's got history. The GT-R’s ancestor is the Skyline GT-R dating back to 1969, this latest version —called "R35" in the enthusiasts world, is claimed to be the ultimate in Japanese performance cars.

The Nissan GT-R is well-priced.  When it debuted at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show last October, it was the talk of the show. Referred to as  Nissan’'s challenge to the beloved Porsche 911 Turbo, the Nissan GT-R is coming in at a much lower price tag.

The 2009 Nissan GT-R is expected to run around $70,000, the Porsche 911 Turbo comes in around $122,000. It also will beat out the other best value super car, the Chevrolet Corvette ZO6, which runs around $71,000. FYI, the Viper comes in around $87,000; the BMW M6 around $97,200 and the Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin are well over $100,000.

This sports car sprints!  OK, dollars aren’t everything, but power rocks!  Nicknamed the “Godzilla” in Japan, this cult car features a hand-built VR series 3.8-liter twin turbo V6 producing 480 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm and 430 lb-ft of torque @ 3,200 to 5,200 rpm. The 0-60 is 3.5. The only other car that beats it is the Murcielago; one tenth of a second less at 3.4. All that and the GT-R  meets ultra-low emission vehicle (ULEV) standards.

The manual Nissan GT-R has 6-speeds with paddle shifters on the sides of the steering wheel.

Do you think I can handle it? I’ve yet to test drive the GT-R. My  friend and Nissan spokesperson, Steve Oldham, assures me that it’'s just your “everyday super car”.  In any event, my kids would be impressed to just see it in our driveway. They’'ve been driving it on the video game Gran Turismo for years.