The Skyline dates back to days before Nissan purchased the Prince Motor Company, but despite its birth parentage, the car is one of the best known of its adopted parent's children. First introduced in 1968, the C1 model was one of the last developed under Prince, though it was introduced post-merger, and arrived with a Nissan badge on its boxy ass.

By 1970, when today's candidate rolled off the Tochigi assembly line, a new model and engine was made available- the 120-bhp 2.0-litre six powered 2000GT-X. Officially the KC10, the 2000GT-X offered an additional 15-kabukis over the 1.8-litre four that had previously been the top engine offering.

Today's JDM refugee is a GT-X with some mods made to make it look the part of a GT-R. The rear flares and black-painted alloys help it play the part, as does the expected PMC.S sicker. But pop the hood and things look less GT-R and more GT-Are your Kidding? In place of the GT-R's 160-bhp DOHC 2-litre is the stock single cam unit. Despite that disappointment, the engine is clean and original, from its SU-aping Mikunis, to the creepy sperm-like plug wires wriggling over the brushed aluminum cam cover. Backing up the 2000GT's little six is Nissan's 4-speed that will feel very familiar to anyone that's driven a 510 or 240Z. The shifter is topped by a period-correct beer-tap lever, and falls readily to your. . . left hand. One bit of JDM authenticity you'll need to get used to is leaning waaay over to get your food at the drive-thru, as the car is right-hand drive.

Overall, the car looks good in pictures, but the seller does the honest thing and has included some shots of the bubbly rust that permeates cars of a certain age, much like liver spots do people who have managed to stick around as long. That being said, there doesn't appear to be anything that would require a firm understanding of ordering parts in Japanese, or a wallet deep enough to afford the shipping of body panels across the Pacific.

So, it's not a real GT-R (and in fact there never were any 1970 GT-Rs), it's got some uglies hiding under the paint, and you have to drive it from the passenger seat- although that could make for vexing of those pesky red-light cameras. But does all that outweigh the fact that it's a pretty cool car, and there just aren't that many of these things rolling around here where the buffalo roam? And does that make the $20,000 asking price seem like a deal? Or, is that a penthouse-worthy price to view this Skyline?

You decide!

eBay or go here if the ad disappears. Tip of the toque to Syrax for the tip!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

(Hat tip to Craig!) [via National Post]

The GT-R tax is alive and well in parts as much as it is in fully-assembled vehicles in this tale of horror from the British Isles. The driver recounts a chain reaction accident were a car up ahead slammed on the brakes, the van in between did the same and despite the GT-R's massive capabilities, the driver couldn't stop quite quick enough and tapped the van's tow hitch with the front bumper. The minor crack in the fascia was the only physical damage, but it was enough to set off the pedestrian safety system, which deployed two, one-time use rams which raised the hood to provide a cushioning gap for the pedestrian who wasn't there. The repairs required new hood hinges, new hood rams, a new electronic controller for the pedestrian safety system, and of course replacing and paint-match the damaged bumper. The owner took the car in and came out with a whopper of a bill: £11,000, or in US currency, $18,355.

Two things. First, we'd have yanked those hood rams, welded the hinges back in place and called it good. Second, $18,355! Were the parts made of solid platinum? We knew the cost of ownership was a bit much from the $2,000 regular Nissan GT-R service cost, but this is ridiculous. [GT-R Register]

We pulled into Specter's parking lot and the brilliant blue car was already out front, undergoing final detailing and getting some last minute partner stickers along the rocker panel. The car's a stunner out in the sunlight, and looks unbelievable compared to the debut silver color, wearing colors reminiscent of the C4 Corvette Grand Sport, with the carbon fiber splitter and rocker panels wearing a subtle red/orange stripe to offset the blue and brooding matte carbon fiber details. The HRE carbon fiber wheels are pretty amazing, with a carbon drum and forged center bolted through bushings embedded in the lip, wouldn't want to hit a pothole with those babies at speed. The StopTech brakes promise massive stopping power and they look great too. No engine shots yet boys and girls, you gotta wait for something to see from SEMA.

The plain-jane Specter Werks Corvette GTR is a pretty sweet ride on it's own, but even with the tuned Z06 mill kicking out 535 HP and 530 lb-ft of torque, it fell short of the embolism-inducing 638 HP and 604 lb-ft of torque in the ZR1. Quickest way to address that is to talk to Lingenfelter and drop in a twin-turbocharged LS7 with a massive, kidney-crushing 800 HP and 800 lb-ft of torque. Accompanying the go is a healthy dose of whoa, with huge StopTech brakes with six-piston front, four piston rear calipers, riding over some slick HRE CF40 carbon fiber wheels tipping the scales at 22 lbs and wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 Zero Pressure tires. The black and blue blue finish somehow suits this beast perfectly.

Bizarrely, Top Gear apparently refused to feature the Ultima GTR because they thought it couldn't clear a speed bump. To drive home the roadability of the GTR, Ultima drove the vehicle to and from the Top Gear track in Surrey, a feat the track-only Ferrari FXX and many other supercars featured on the show likely couldn't manage.

The Ultima GTR famously holds the Guinness world record for 0-100-0 MPH, achieving the acceleration and braking run in just 9.4 seconds. There's no secret to the vehicle's performance; it's powered by a 720 HP chevy small block and weighs just 2,160 Lbs. In comparison, the FXX makes 860 HP and weighs 2,546 Lbs.

The company stated:

British supercar manufacturers and multiple world speed record holders Ultima Sports Ltd have this week smashed Michael Schumacher's £1million Ferrari FXX track car lap record on the circuit as used by Top Gear TV with their Ultima GTR720 road car.

The Ultima GTR720 recorded a blistering 1min 9.9secs lap time, which demolishes the previous record of 1min10.7secs set by seven-time world Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari FXX track car. To put things into perspective the Ultima is almost 10 seconds per lap faster than the fastest road car that Ferrari produces which is the renowned £450,000 Enzo.

The successful lap record attempt was independently timed, verified and recorded by Plans Motorsport using their GPS DL-1 data logging equipment. It wasn't a test conducted by Top Gear TV themselves as the producers have seemingly ignored repeated requests to feature the British Ultima GTR to date.

"We are all absolutely thrilled with this lap record. I could see that the Formula 1 inspired Ferrari FXX looked supremely quick in the hands of Michael Schumacher, but I had every belief that it wasn't a match for our legendary Ultima GTR720 road car. I wanted to prove a point from the minute I witnessed the Schuey lap time on TV but the top gear track was fully booked for several months. At the first available opportunity we took our Ultima GTR720 road car that has previously recorded a lap time of 1min12.8secs (see www.ultimasports.co.uk/Content.aspx?f=record8) and adjusted it to more of a track biased set up rather than road car settings in the same manner as Michael Schumacher's track only non road legal Ferrari FXX. Our Ultima GTR720 road car stormed around the track at the kind of pace that would have placed it at the front of the grids in international GT racing, it was for sure a spectacle to behold. To better the lap time of the greatest driver of our generation in arguably the worlds most developed and expensive modern day track car is a perfect illustration of the sheer brilliance and mind blowing pace of our British Ultima GTR. Of course unlike the Ferrari FXX, which is not road legal, we were able to drive our road car back home afterwards. I would also like to clarify to everybody that our GTR720 will clear all speed humps and anybody whom doubts this fact is welcome to visit our factory so that we can demonstrate this to them first hand."

Ted Marlow, Managing Director of Ultima Sports Ltd commented:
"Well what can I say? I have been driving Ultima's now for over 25 years in hundreds of different Ultima cars with a huge range of different configurations and so I was pretty confident that the GTR720 would do the business.
The Enzo FXX is no ordinary Ferrari having been developed using Formula 1 technology and extensively tested by the 7 times Formula 1 world champion so to beat this lap time certainly proves the magnitude of our achievement.
The Ultima is a perfect illustration of the effectiveness of the KISS principle and enables us to offer an affordable supercar that can outrun the likes of Michael Schumacher in his own £1million Ferrari FXX track car. Simply put we have created automotive history by producing the worlds fastest all round road legal supercar and this new record together with our extensive catalogue of existing world speed records is unequivocal proof of the Ultima GTR's engineering excellence. Ultima fans can rest assured in the knowledge that we still have significant room for lap time improvement in the future as there is always our 800hp variant to put through its paces yet, and of course the keys to our Ultima GTR720 are always available here for a certain Mr. Schumacher should he like a shot at improving our new lap time record further still........."

The Ultima GTR720 is a fully road going production car with standard features such as air conditioning, stereo system and sealed luggage compartments etc and is often used as a daily driver. The car is equipped with a standard production 720bhp Chevrolet V8 engine option built specifically for Ultima by our OE engine suppliers American Speed.

What's next? Well we are all very content and absolutely delighted here at the factory. Over the past several years we have set a catalogue of world beating times including several world speed records which remain unbeaten. We have superb worldwide demand for our product with full order books and this is where we will focus our time and effort by continuing to provide our existing loyal customers and new customers with a first class service. Previous testing has shown that we can also take the Nurburgring lap record with a road legal lap time somewhere in the region of 6mins30secs which sure is tempting to prove someday although there are no plans set as yet......

[via Ultima]

According to local news reports, no one was seriously hurt when the GT-R lost control and slammed into a busy Credit Union. Police say the driver narrowly missed a number of pedestrians and speed was likely a factor in the incident. Damage to the building, vehicle, and driver's legal fund is extensive.

(Hat tip to Mike, Terrence, and Chuck!)

[News1130 Via NAGTROC]

The NSX, launched in 1990, was remarkable for its low roofline of only 46": a bare six inches taller than the Ford GT40 race car. The GT–R, on the other hand, is a full eight inches taller than the NSX.

Under the aluminum, the difference is even bigger. The GT–R is 850 pounds heavier than the NSX, which weighs in at 2,950 lb: an increase of 22 percent. There is, of course, an even greater increase in power, with the Nissan’s twin-turbo V6 producing almost twice the horsepower of the Honda’s V6 VTEC, with a resulting climb in power to weight from 216 bhp/ton to 277 bhp/ton.

But while the NSX our Wes Siler reviewed for Jalopnik is the balls-out Spoon version with 420 HP, his words about lightness and simplicity are probably true of the original as well:

[The] NSX-R GT doesn’t just feel as good as I expected, but better than I could ever have hoped. Unlike other classic super cars, the passing of time has been kind to the NSX. It suffers from neither high weight nor over complication of modern super cars, but adapts their up-to-date running gear, brakes and tires to give itself modern performance.

The trend is much the same with sporty roadsters. Witness the 1964 Honda S600 versus the 1999 Honda S2000:

Relentless growth in size is not limited to the Japanese car industry. If you were to compare Ferrari’s entry-level car from 1968 to its successor 31 years on, this is what you’d see:

The rather lithe and low Ferrari 360 Modena is practically a battleship when compared to the little Dino 246 GT.

And so on.

Photo Credit: Honda fórum (NSX’s and GT–R), VWvortex Forums (Honda S600 and S2000) and the author (Ferraris)

(Hat tip to Alex!) [Quattro-World]

The GT-R's been given a power boost, but it's really the exterior enhancements that make the AVUS Performance GT-R pop.

AVUS PERFORMANCE-Nissan GTR – Batmobil Reloaded

The Nissan GT-R build as a sportscoupe and direct opponent of the Porsche Turbo was revealed at the Tokio Motor Show in 2007. As a direct successor of the Skyline GT-R R34 the bar has been laid high already. With only 480 examples for Europe the GT-R is one of those rare sports-cars.

For AVUS PERFORMANCE a Nissan GT-R Black Edition was the basis for a very ambitious project. Besides optical changes they also put the emphasis on more power. A new modified ECU and a special new exhaust pipe (2 cats and the middle silencer have been removed) help the GT-R up to an impressive 580bhp and 700 Nm of torque (stock 485bhp and 588Nm).

Visually you can only imagine the power the GT-R has. The matt black, the lowering via coilovers (stock adjustments for the dampers will be kept) and the black painted 20" wheels combined with wheel spacers sum up the package. Individually painted parts like the front bumper, the rear diffusor, air vents, tinted windows can be seen when taking a close look.

Here's the full report from the sneaky spy photographers at KGP:

"Nissan's GT-R test team has shown up at the 'Ring with a lightly camouflaged prototype that appears to be the upcoming SpecM edition. The SpecM has been dubbed as the most gentlemanly version of the GT-R, with a more compliant suspension set-up and more sumptuous interior tailoring. Early reports tell us that SpecM GT-Rs can be highly personalized with specially-hued leathers and paint options. The graphic camo on the front and rear bumpers appears to hide some subtle visual revisions to the standard GT-R.

The GT-R SpecM is pegged for a debut at this Fall's Tokyo Motor Show."

[Sony]

The even sportier GT-R hits the 1/4 mile in just 11.0 seconds at 127.9 MPH and pulls more than a 1.1G of lateral grip. All this is achieved with the tried-and-true combination of less weight and and better breathing. The suspension has also been modified to take the unique challenge of the Targa, which includes crossing pot-holed city roads, asphalt expanses, muddy fields, open prairies, and sandy beaches. Though we're partial to the understated white of Stillen's past, the orange color is probably a safer choice. Full spec list below.

STILLEN GT-R Targa Race Car

Performance Numbers (As Set Up For 2009 Targa Rally)
• Horsepower: ~620 @ 15psi (91 Octane Pump Gas)
• 0-60mph: 2.9 seconds **
• 1/4 Mile: 11.0 seconds at 127.9mph **
• 0-130mph: 11.4 seconds **
• Lateral Grip: 1.1G+ **
** (as tested by Road & Track)
Performance
• STILLEN Downpipes
• STILLEN Secondary Cat-Delete Y-Pipe
• STILLEN Race Exhaust w/Center Rear Exit
• STILLEN Intake System w/K&N Filters
• Turbosmart e-Boost Street 2-Stage Electronic Boost Controller
• Turbosmart Dual Port Blow Off Valves
• COBB Tuning AccessPORT
• Dodson Motorsports Transmission Cooler
• Red Line High Performance Synthetic Motor Oil – 0W40
• Red Line High Performance Synthetic Gear Oil – 75W140
• Red Line WaterWetter
Suspension
• High Performance Coil-Overs – Adjustable Bump & Rebound, Ride Height – Eibach Race Springs
• STILLEN Adjustable Sway Bars
• STILLEN Adjustable Endlinks
Brakes / Tires
• STILLEN / AP Racing Carbon Ceramic Brake Rotor Upgrade
• STILLEN / AP Racing Brake Pads
• STILLEN Brake Cooling Package
• STILLEN Stainless Steel Brake Lines
• AP Racing PRF High Performance Brake Fluid
• Bridgestone RE070R 255/40ZRF20 Front Tires
• Bridgestone RE070R 285/35ZRF20 Rear Tires
Interior
• STILLEN Designed & Built Custom Chromoly Roll Cage
• STILLEN Designed & Built Custom Seat Frames
• Status Racing Seats
• Status Racing Harnesses
• Monit Rally Computers
• ChaseCam On-Board Video Camera System
• Nordskog GPS Speedometer (KPH)
Exterior
• STILLEN Urethane Front Lip Spoiler
• STILLEN Urethane Side Skirts
• STILLEN Urethane Front Canards
• Password:JDM Dry Carbon Fiber Custom Race Hood
• Password:JDM Dry Carbon Fiber Trunk Lid
• Password:JDM Dry Carbon Fiber Wing
• Password:JDM Dry Carbon Fiber Engine Cover
• Password:JDM Dry Carbon Fiber Radiator Shroud
• Password:JDM Dry Carbon Fiber NACA Ducts
• Password:JDM AeroCatch Flush Mounting Plates
• APR Carbon Fiber Side Mirrors
• BASF Carizzma Orange Sherbet Pearl Paint

[Source: STILLEN Blog]

Acceleration feels a bit slower than the 2009 Godzilla. We'd peg it at about half a second on the 0-to-60. Full review coming next week.

UPDATE: We didn't do full instrumentation tests to determine that — just basing it on the start/stop timer we have and the one in the GT-R. But we'll be interested to see the results from the first outlet that does 'em.

The "R" in R850, as you might guess, is for the "race fuel." We wonder if the "P" in P800 means "pump" or "plebeian." The 850 HP and 820 lb-ft numbers are the assumed amount at the crank given the dyno numbers, which show about 740 AWHP and 715 lb-ft. If you've got a GT-R and are itching to throw all warranty concerns to the wind, the package runs about $20,900 and includes the tunes for both pump and race gas, as well as a larger dual-core radiator, thermostat, and Switzer MONSTER intercoolers.

And if you can't handle the power, there's always this thing to save you.

[Source: Switzer]

When it comes to Nurburgring's Nordschliefe, seconds count for both automakers and injured drivers. This is why the GT-R is an ideal way to get safety crews out to any tourists wiping out on the ring. In addition to the special graphics and lightbar, the GT-R features a full roll cage, racing seats, emergency equipment and a large tank of fire retardant hooked up to a quick-release hose.

We actually want this one more than a stock GT-R.

[Nissansportz.com via gtrblog.com, World Car Fans]