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Can the GT-R Measure up to the GT3 ? EVO Magazine finds out

aston_martin submitted on 04/24/2008 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 5:25 PM
from: www.evo.co.uk

[52] user comments | category: Reviews

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Can the GT-R Measure up to the GT3 ? EVO Magazine finds out

Poor weather would unquestionably have sealed the 911’s fate before the test could start, so it’s great to see the West Circuit is bathed in brilliant sunshine as we convene in the pit lane. I’ve driven the GT3 here from home and the journey has done an awful lot to restore my confidence in the abilities of Stuttgart’s finest, at least for the specific job of lapping a circuit.

Though the trip was short, it has served as the perfect refresher, reminding me just how small and sharp the GT3 feels; angry too, thanks to the 3.6-litre flat-six’s jagged rasp and razor-keen response. In short, while the Nissan has twin-turbo brawn and almost ruthless body control, the GT3 has a lightness and sinewy athleticism that should be better suited to the heavy braking and high-speed direction changes that characterise our preferred test track.

We decide it should be the 911 that throws down the gauntlet. With the VBOX suckered to the inside of the windscreen and Bovingdon strapped into the passenger seat, we nose out of the pit lane and begin the warm-up lap. The 911’s honour rests in my sweaty hands.

Experience tells me that although the ambient temperature is chilly, the GT3’s Michelin Pilot Cup tyres will give their best on our first and second flying laps, with oversteer becoming more of an issue with every subsequent lap. No time to worry about that now, though, for we’re soon turning into Tower to begin our first timed lap, the GT3 settling into a beautifully balanced slide, the small amount of oversteer neutralising the nose’s desire to push wide yet doing nothing to harm our forward momentum. It’s a great start.

Braking into the Hangar Hairpin from around 100mph is always fraught, as the line between time-wasting timidity and gung-ho optimism is separated by just a few metres. Surprisingly, the GT3’s (optional) carbon-ceramic brakes don’t deliver an instant slam of stopping power, but bite with increasing power all the way to the turn-in point. Getting the nose to key-in is always tricky here, for the camber falls away slightly to the exit. It encourages the 911’s nose to push wide and requires a fractional lift of the throttle to settle, but there’s soon enough grip to unleash the full fury of second gear, then snap up into third and wring out all the revs on the approach to the Club Chicane.

It’s tempting to really attack the braking zone here, but it’s an awkward section that requires you to brake while on a diagonal right-to-left trajectory, then make a quick direction change to the right as you enter the crucial Palmer Curves. Getting the GT3 hooked cleanly into the long left-hander is tricky, but apart from a few twitches from the tail, the 911 remains stable and we get a brilliant run into the scary-quick right transition..... Read Article

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EL34 - 4/24/2008 7:15:50 PM

-2 Boost

Anyway you look at it the GT3 looks way more fresh and sophisticated.

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Htay7500 - 4/24/2008 8:04:52 PM

+5 Boost

but its also looks 20yrs old.

EL34 - 4/24/2008 8:10:56 PM

-6 Boost

I agree the GT-R looks 20 plus years old.

lexusrox123 - 4/24/2008 8:14:14 PM

-1 Boost

yes, the VW beetle, excuse me the 911 gt3, looks 20+ years old...

Htay7500 - 4/24/2008 8:16:19 PM

0 Boost

really? the 911 (great car)hasn't changed much for the past 20 plus years...at least the corvette and gtr change themselves after a while...

Kinger - 4/25/2008 8:56:36 AM

+4 Boost

Why would it change? The shape is iconic, and defines the the rear-mounted engine set-up of the car. Anyone who complains about a 911's looks is totally missing the point, its like complaining about the Coca-Cola bottle not changing, or the Fender Stratocaster.

Kraut_god - 4/25/2008 9:47:02 AM

-2 Boost

Lol the vw 911 is about as sophisticated as the zr1, lol leafsrpings.

KZ258 - 4/25/2008 11:19:06 AM

-1 Boost

the GT3 is the LOSER anyway you look at it

EL34 - 4/25/2008 11:51:32 AM

-1 Boost

Take off your old crusty Datsun sunglasses and look at how beautiful the GT3 is :-O

BTW, how did Datsun name the GTR was it a keyboard error when typing in GT3 :-?

S30GTR - 4/25/2008 8:20:43 PM

+3 Boost

fresh and sophisticated means nothing on the track.

S4cabriofoxone - 4/26/2008 1:09:22 AMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

The 911 is gorgeous, its shape never gets old, and I always have to stare when I see one. I don't know why people bash it. If it changed, you'd still complain that it was too different.

BozzorTheGreat - 4/24/2008 8:49:01 PM

+5 Boost

Sorry to sya, the GT3 as great as it is is clearly an attempt to bring a 40+ year old basic design into an era when high performance cars exist on terabytes of data tobefore they become reality. It is a tribute to the geneius of the original 911 design and the monumental efforts of Porsche that the 911 is still so competeive, but the reality is the GT-R is simply an order of magnitude a more capable basic platform. And that shape is the key: a Cd of 0.27 is mind blowing for a car with such huge tyres and engine cooling needs.

Sorry EL34, but the Nissan GT-R is simply technical perfection that (at least for the present) destroys anything out of Germany, the UK or Italy.

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JCH335i - 4/24/2008 9:01:35 PM

+2 Boost

lets be honest, nobody looking at a GT3 is going to seriously consider a nissan...

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ghosthunter - 4/24/2008 9:16:44 PM

+5 Boost

the performance gives Porsche the status it enjoys now.
and the performance will give Nissan what it deserves soon.
just remember, what can make you, can break you.

Kinger - 4/25/2008 8:58:13 AM

+1 Boost

Why would it give Nissan the status now when the previous Skyline's didn't?

bulldogz - 4/25/2008 10:45:35 AM

+1 Boost

Kinger, are you serious? The Skyline is legendary. You can talk about the 911's consistent look as not messing with perfection, yet Ferrari doesn't follow suit and their cars are much more sought after.

auto001 - 4/26/2008 12:51:48 AM

+2 Boost

Great news! let the badge whores keep buying their badges.. more GTR's go around for those looking for the best performance supercar for the money!

TurboSpyder - 4/25/2008 12:19:30 AMView My AgentSpace

-2 Boost

Porsche will be at Le Mans in a couple months - will Nissan be there? Nah, they'll do their competing on public roads.

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_43LE - 4/25/2008 8:42:57 AM

+1 Boost

Nothing ever positive to say, I feel so sorry for you.

TurboSpyder - 4/25/2008 12:36:19 PMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

Porsche racing at Le Mans is very positive.

-

Porsche claims GT2 class at Le Mans

Sunday, 17 June 2007

Porsche's GT3 RSR wins the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Just one week after claiming the overall victory at the Nürburgring 24 hour race, the French team, Imsa Performance, won the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Finishing with a six-lap lead, drivers Richard Lietz (Austria) and Patrick Long (USA) together with Raymond Narac (France), **this marks the eighth win out of nine long distance events at the Sarthe (Le Mans) with a GT car based off Porsche's GT3.**

“My first race in Le Mans and now I'm climbing to the top of the podium – that's just crazy,” smiled Lietz. “We reduced our speed in the last seven hours to conserve our car and were able to control the pace at the top of the GT2 class,” said team mate Long.

“Congratulations and compliments to our customer teams. Imsa Performance and Autorlando have shown that the new GT3 RSR is just as much the car to beat as its predecessor,” said the delighted head of Porsche motorsport, Hartmut Kristen.

http://www.porsche360.com/latest/porsche-claims-gt2-class-at-le-mans-4.html

_43LE - 4/25/2008 1:25:53 PM

0 Boost

Yeah, that is great. But you know what I mean and so does everyone else here. You're hatred is obvious, poor you.

TurboSpyder - 4/25/2008 2:55:44 PMView My AgentSpace

-1 Boost

Is think the GT-R's Bilstein electronic damping system is great...

_43LE - 4/25/2008 3:28:16 PM

-1 Boost

I think that the Porsche production system is great, after Toyota helped them out.

abcd - 4/25/2008 6:03:20 PM

+2 Boost

TurboSpyder:
"Porsche will be at Le Mans in a couple months - will Nissan be there?"

will porsche be at japan GT500 racing?
skyline gt-r also have racing heritage mostly in group A series - touring car racing :
http://gtrusa.blogspot.com/2007/12/nissan-skyline-gt-r-history-1989-1998.html
some citation:
"November 1990 – 1990 Group A series Champion
November 1991 – 1991 Group A series Champion
November 1992 – 1992 Group A series Champion
November 1993 – 1993 Group A series Champion"
in group A it was unbeateable until it was end.
http://www.nagtroc.org/wiki/8th_Generation_Skyline:_R32_(1989~93)
citation:
"However, the GT-R's success sounded the death knell of Group A Touring Car racing; with the formula being scrapped soon after."

this reminds me mazda Le Mans won in 1991 with rotary engine . after that FIA banned rotary engines:
http://www.tenerife-training.net/Tenerife-News-Cycling-Blog/2007/10/inspirational-people/the-1991-le-mans-mazda-team-and-the-legendary-rotary-renown-787b/
citation:
"So successful was Mazda’s entry in the 1991 race that the rules for subsequent races were changed to ban the rotary engine from competing in subsequent Le Mans endurance races."

(ps: why don`t they banned audi r10 TDI ? mazda don`t had even chance to win in next years . mazda was racing in earlier years also and before they won nobody banned rotary engines . nissan best places at le mans :1990,1994 - 5th ;1998-3rd)

in many touring car races skyline gt-r was forced to carry a weight penalty becouse it was too fast for other cars e.g. australia-bathurst:
http://www.gt-r.ch/press/nissan_skyline_gt-r.pdf
citation:
"Its success in motor racing was
formidable, particularly in the annual race at the Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst,
Australia, where the champion three years running was a GT-R (despite receiving additional
weight penalties in years two and three due to its unbeatable performance)"

Skyline GT-r was also winning in many other races.

also Clarkson about how skyline gt-r dominated racing in 90`s:
http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=7hPa2KEB4Sg
1:28 - about racing with ferrari

TurboSpyder - 4/25/2008 6:41:10 PMView My AgentSpace

-1 Boost

"I think that the Porsche production system is great, after Toyota helped them out."

-

I think the Toyota production system is great after Edwards Deming helped them out.

"About the same time, Dr. W. Edwards Deming was teaching Quality Management in Japan. In fact, the Total Quality Management (TQM) movement cannot be separated from Lean Manufacturing. Demming’s photo is in the lobby of Toyota’s headquarters, bigger than the photo of founder Toyoda Sakichi."

http://www.poppendieck.com/lean.htm

TurboSpyder - 4/25/2008 6:44:05 PMView My AgentSpace

-2 Boost

"will porsche be at japan GT500 racing?"

The racing world will be following the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June but few have ever heard of Japan GT500 racing.

_43LE - 4/26/2008 10:04:39 AM

+1 Boost

Turbo/midengine/sport,

You're just a sad little man...let's leave it at that. The more you write, the more ridiculous you look.

abcd - 4/26/2008 4:27:40 PM

+3 Boost

43LE:
i really like arguing with TurboSpyder even if he is a "little" biased - order : 1)VW/Audi/Porsche ; 2)the rest of german car makers and everything else ; 3)the rest of europe . At his good sides - sometimes he point interesing facts .

Matthew1 - 4/25/2008 1:40:49 AM

+4 Boost

I watched the video, the Porsche fared well considering it isn't nearly as powerful.

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Matthew1 - 4/25/2008 1:41:39 AM

+1 Boost

Although the Nissan disguises its weight well on the track.

miracle113 - 4/25/2008 3:10:57 AM

+1 Boost

well, consider the Nissan does have more power and its tech gizmos, i'm not surprised it isn't as fast as the GT-R.
I mean both are great machines, love to own either one, but I'm sure GT3 will give me the pseudo racecar feel that the GT-R can't.

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GTR35 - 4/25/2008 12:01:57 PMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

If racing is what concerns you the GTR just beat the GT3, in a race.

mpls - 4/25/2008 7:30:58 AM

0 Boost

One thing for sure, the GT3 will be in the garage more than GTR

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Heyhuub - 4/25/2008 9:44:22 AM

+2 Boost

And why is that?

Heyhuub - 4/25/2008 9:46:06 AM

+3 Boost

It sure couldn't be because of the more comfertable suspension setup and better ride quality of the GT3. Or because of the far superior fuel economy.

Heyhuub - 4/25/2008 11:41:49 AM

+3 Boost

The GT3 is not a track car, that would be the hardcore GT3 RS.
The GT3 is perfectly suited for everyday driving as far as super-sports cars go.

Would very much like to see the GT-R beeing compared to the GT3 RS.

S30GTR - 4/25/2008 8:27:38 PM

-2 Boost

the GT-R has adjustable suspension in every way, so you can compare it to the GT3 in every way, yet the GT-R is a fastest car. if you want something to compare the GT3 RS to, well then look at the GT-R v-spec. LOOKS LIKE A RS KILLER TO ME.

Heyhuub - 4/26/2008 10:14:57 AM

+1 Boost

Even in comfort mode the GT-R is said to have a very hard ride.
At that, way to compare the 415hp RS to a possibly 550hp turbocharged V-spec.

GTR35 - 4/25/2008 11:12:54 AMView My AgentSpace

-1 Boost

Lap Times:

Porsche 911 GT3: 1:22.6
Nissan GTR: 1:21.7

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STJ88 - 4/25/2008 11:32:05 AM

+2 Boost

@evilm

What kind of idiot are you the old RB26DETT is one of the strongest engines ever and it has no porblem with 1000+BHP. And if you knew that how can you say nissan doesn't know how t build a performance motor.

If nissan doesn't know how to build a performance engine then how did the new GTR with its VR38DETT beat almost all sports cars in the world?

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_43LE - 4/25/2008 1:27:21 PM

+2 Boost

STJ88,

evilm is just a troll, remember that.

farabira1 - 4/25/2008 1:05:08 PM

+1 Boost

Great to see the Godzilla edge past the GT3.

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ThierryHenry14 - 4/25/2008 2:20:16 PM

+3 Boost

Good for the GT-R. I still prefer the GT3, but the GT-R is something else...

I would prefer the raw involving nature of driving a car, rather than the ease to drive a GT-R, but at the end of the day, the Ends Justifies the Means, and the GT-R's electronics and all beats out raw power and agility.

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S30GTR - 4/25/2008 8:32:06 PM

+2 Boost

HIGH DOLLAR SPORTS CARS ARE NOW OWNED BY THE INVENSIBLE GT-R LIKE IT OR NOT.

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Matthew1 - 4/25/2008 10:49:52 PM

0 Boost

Go away.

Heyhuub - 4/26/2008 10:15:47 AM

0 Boost

And you wil never own any of them, including the GT-R

Htay7500 - 4/26/2008 1:33:46 PM

-1 Boost

I like this car, but I wish they went with a stick....

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