So, I am now 3 months without a car before my next one arrives. Now I just keep thinking of bright yellow German cars.

Some of you are saying “But you had great fun!” and yes, indeed I did. But when you’re promised a reimbursement of over £2500 of expenses and you get £200, you kinda feel a little fucked. I could go on, suffice to say that our relationship is severed thanks to the almost comical professionalism employed by Traffic. Screw you and I hope you’ll be in need of help soon as I’m keen to deny.

After 4 months of waiting, I pick up the new car.

The last itteration of the Skyline GTR, this R34 GTR V-Spec 2 Nür was built by Nissan to commemorate both the end of the production of the current phase GTR and also in celebration of the infamous Nurburgring.

Amongst a multitude of upgrades over the ’standard’ V-Spec, the car comes with the strengthened block and internals and uprated steel N1 turbos.
This means that thanks to some minor mods from my tuner, the car is being set up for a comfortable 500bhp. Together with the S-Tune Nismo suspension, complete Nismo bodykit (including Nismo carbon bonnet) and AP 6 pots, the car is ready for both road and track.

I’m taking a client on a road trip to the Nurburgring this weekend – I know, it’s a lame excuse but let’s hope he’s got a strong heart, I want to break 200MPH.

This site’s been a little dormant lately, not least because of efforts elsewhere on sites such as the GTR Register. Expect a write up soon…

EDIT – 12th Febuary 2003
She has been sold!!! Best of luck to Wroestar!

Abbey Motorsport and Prospec Motorsport gave me great pleasure in allowing me to gate crash their party, and oh what a party it was. Met an incredible amount of people and often no doubt upset others by way of going off on tangents with new guests, such was the interest in the Abbey Stand as seen in the pictures.

A thoroughly entertaining day, god was kind by providing us with probably the last sustained moment of sunshine this year. It was also a great opportunity to show off the new trick parts on the car. Most of the time, people were very impressed with the changes in looks. Other thought, thought it looked tacky and weren’t happy with the different coloured panels.

I keep saying, but what a boring place this would be if we all thought the same.

Ahh, I’m like a purring kitten at the moment. I have eyes only for this now.

Latest additions today are:

Carbon Mines spoiler
Carbon Mines wing mirrors
Carbon Nismo bonnet (purrrrr)
Volks Racing TE37’s
Mines Eibach springs

Umm, umm….

My prayers to the god of carbon fibre have been answered.

Using the camera has become a more enjoyable experience for me and perhaps may show in the results. I have often been the believer in the school of thought dictating that ‘expensive cameras maketh not the better pictures’. I have been forced to respect the work of professionals who make a living from such pursuits. Looking into the monthly Car magazine, I am consistently impressed by the standards that the magazine achieves by way of quality.

Notable moments:
Ronnie and Gary’s 700+bhp monsters making mincemeat of hotrod dragsters. Pulling 11.05 on the 1/4 mile is an incredible feat and testomony to the performance of these cars.
The jet powered car that sounded like god giving the earth a hearty, cold, bitch slap.
The burnouts. My clothes reeked by the end of the day.

Not all memories are made of instances like this, but it’s close. I have experienced the best roads of my life in Germany. Mountain passes, roads embedded into timeless valleys, tree lined lanes amongst vineyards and most memorably, the autobahn. Speed cameras aren’t rare, but they reside in areas that deserve them, such as schools, busy intersections etc. The freedom to drive is ever passionate and the roads welcoming. Germany is bred on limitless motorways, it’s inevitable that their population lunch at over 100mph and this liberation shines in the people. A proud nation, rightly so too. Responsible for one of the strongest economies in the world, Germany has amassed a brilliance of engineering excellence, from it’s automotive institutions to it’s world class architecture. Wind generators of titanic scale decorate the landscape in a demonstration of technical know-how amongst a backdrop of beauty that would rival a Canadian forest. Over the crest, though, one is staggered to see a castle built into the side of a mountain.

But the main reason for our visit was the 24h Nurburgring race featuring the last ever attempt of glory of the Falken Racing Team Nissan Skyline. Arriving en masse to the ‘Ring on a commercial day like this in 6 Skylines is an experience to behold. With only 3 Skylines in Germany, the GTR is a truly rare sight. When 6 of them arrive in a gleaming array of Bayside Blue and HKS Hypers, then the Germans do nothing but drop their frankfurters and wail ‘oh mein gut!’. The messiahs had arrived.

After finding a nice parking area in the press car park (courtesy of some blagging by yours truly), we eventually realise that we aren’t the only special cars in town. A vast array of cars both litter the car park and also please the crowds by performing drive by’s. Dodge Vipers, Ferraris, 996 Turbos, etc. etc. I was even privileged to see a new Audi RS6, a new addition to my wish list.

The Falken team were only able to place one car out of the three on the grid, reason unknown. It was very impressive watching the cars at the end of the pitstraight brake from 180mph to 20 into the hairpin. But as exciting as the daytime racing was, it paled into insignificance when we returned late at 2.00am to watch the night driving. With only their headlights and memory to guide them, the skills that were being demonstrated by the drivers were staggering. If you’ve never watched a night race then I recommend you do so immediately, it was one of the highlights of the weekend for me. A very respectable 5th place earned and a higher position lost out basically due to a 30 minute pitstop with brake problems.

After a photoshoot with GTR magazine of Japan, we were witness to a certain Midnight Purple R34 development car with 600bhp. Me thinks a little company is out there to break the ring record.

Verdict: Motoring Nirvana.

The 21:51 Eurotunnel tickets bought, I made my way with 3 other cars towards the Folkestone terminal to meet with the other 4 cars. An hour ahead of schedule, rough plans were made dictating where within France we would head towards. With 8 hours at our disposal, time was on our side. We didn’t need to be back until 08:00 the following morning. Fortunately for most of us, we had passengers to help with not only the navigation, but also assist with photography, warming the RedBulls and providing a soundtrack to the sound of snoring. Being a driver in such exciting times means the adrenaline is constantly pumping and the heart is in overdrive. Fatigue during this instance is practically non-existent, so although the body may be tired, the mind is always alert and sharp.

4 Subaru Imprezas, 2 Skyline R34s and an Evo 6 meant a good balance of cars. It was alleged, however, that if we were to have travelled to the German Autobahns, speeds of 180MPH would have been reached with comfortable cruising speeds of 120-130MPH. Imprezas and Evos find that kind of pace uncomfortable, however. For their short gearing and light bodyshells make such progress not only painfully loud, but harsh on the engine also, for you find yourself constantly near the redline. In the Skyline, you enter an alternative reality. 6 gears and vast roadholding and ride mean a stable and comfortable ride which makes 130-140mph child’s play. But you must be careful, for with ease comes complacency. With supposed straights that initially seem to last forever, flashing past with incredible frequency, it becomes an art form to judge where and when this kind of driving is suitable. Thankfully for us, the roads were utterly bereft of both hazard and traffic.

But all that was the way there, for on the way back, we ventured off the ill-lit motorways and enjoyed some of the best country roads I’ve seen. The quaintness and petite nature of the villages demands respect, so peaceful was the ambience the thought of 7 brutal Japanese cars tearing through the neighbourhood was a restrained exercise. Not in Le Havre though. An old, decrepit industrial town totally bereft of character meant a no holds barred approach to tunnels, for there were many to enjoy, not least the one that lasted a kilometre.

Fuel is scarce in N France. Especially good fuel. This recce provided us with invaluable information, the kind we will all benefit from in the near future.

A 10 out of 10 event.

(high speed runs were conducted on the German autobahns)

Pictures here

Edit – Email received:

From:

To:
Subject: Enquiry From Website
Date: 12 May 2002 19:58
On 2002-05-12 at 19:06:00,
The following information was submitted:
From Host: XXXXXXXX
name = PePe lePeu
comments = British drivers! I was driving round happily in my black golf sur mon historic coastal home town, on the French coast when the most unbelievable thing happened. I was just showing the wife and bebe how to take a racing line across a Give Way sign when no less than 1800bhp of British owned Japanese sportscars decided to cut across my very path!!! This made me very angry, VERY VERY ANGRY!! I discussed this with my wife and we decided that French rule means we have priority over any other car on the road especially when p*ssed at 3 in the morning – Jean-Pierre, despite being 4 and a half – agreed wholeheartedly. Imagine our COMPLETE disgust when, upon being confronted by us jumping up and down in the street like a coupe of coke snorting baboons the British drivers simply drove round us! Ooooh, we were fuming. We see you British on television at your football games so expected at the very least a good pasting. We were most disappointed and rung ahead to cousins in the French International darts team to hold up the silly British drivers whilst we caught them up with Grand-pere Claud’s shotgun… We’re still looking for them…submit_by = pepe@dubbsnet.com

The ride has been promised, but I’ll not hold my breath!

Some great areas of interest on the way, including a historic school and the infamous railroad crossing which heralds the start of the crystal clear 2 km straight, the B660 is one of the nicest roads within sane travelling distance. But beware, it’s also a terrifying drive. We drove past the scene of a serious accident we were involved in and I for one felt a chill down my spine as we recognised the skid marks that wrecked a similar day out last year.

New wheels went on today, I think they look awesome. They’re 19″ Rays Volk Racing, with a blue inside rim, looks the proverbial canine genitals. I’ve noticed a little increase in tramlining, but I plan on buying some trackday wheels also.

What do you all think?

With the new Mine’s ECU and oil cooler, the car was in absolute tip top condition all day and didn’t miss a single heartbeat. 3rd trackday on same standard Brembo and same Continental tyres kept bank manager happy also. Despite beautiful hot weather, the tyres performed very well, even after a few laps of oversteering abuse round certain hairpins. Others were not as economical, with brand new sets of tyres going in a matter of hours. But then full on powerslides were never recommended as part of a healthier lifestyle. Full fat ain’t half tasty though.

For such a large track (Gran Turismo circuit is 3.14 miles long) it is very easy to become lost in your own little world, and unless you’re very fast or very slow, then you’re unlikely to pass another driver unless it’s in a cool down lap. Also, cone etiquette is appalling, with cones splattered everywhere, it often became a slalom course. I called the ‘cone hotline’ a few times.

This time, we placed a total of 3 cameras in the car. One externally on the front grill (which gave an awesome impression of speed) and two in the car, one facing either direction. The video’s need editing and will be available to download soon.

Meanwhile, I urge anyone who hasn’t done a trackday to give this one a go, Bedford is the best amateur circuit in the UK, with plenty of run off and great all round visibility. In the dry, it’s a total safe zone. In the wet, it’s an absolute hoot.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve walked away from a cancelled Run What You Brung day. I should have known better, but the prospect of driving up in convoy with upto 50 like-minded fellow petrolheads puts all sorts of temptive suggestions in my head, smell of octane, burnt clutches and cheesy grins galore. Cossie boys providing plenty entertainment throughout, with burnouts and powerslides at every opportunity (an amusing spinout happened twice at organised service station roundabout), every party needs a Ford Cosworth to balance the fun.

Never seen such a mass of Pulsars and Sunnys, but they are always the heart and soul of a drag strip race day, with at least 2 dropping its guts on the start line.

Worth the drive out, as always, an excuse to use up some petrol.

I am keen to find out how David ranks the three evolutions of the Skyline after having extensively driven both on the day. The magazine comes out in beginning February.

0 degrees ambient temperature ensured insane power last night with most of us peaking at over 0.1bar over standard. The abnormally high boost pressure induced a 103 degree oil temperature reading on my car, so we pulled into this car park for some pictures too.

Some fantastic fireworks from both Shin’s 540BHP Mines car and also my Blue. Where Shin was creating a lovely smooth, almost caressing flame out of his exhaust which smothered the back of his car, I was generating explosive bangs which I could literally feel through my seat. I’ve developed a method now which will pretty much guarantee a firework display on demand. A nice show piece and yes I know, extremely childish.

Also attracted a fellow Pulsar GTi-R en route who was pretty suprised to see 2 GT-R’s and a STi parked up on the side of the road.

I started the day apprehensively at first. I didn’t want to turn the virgin GT-R into a tragedy so I made a very strong point of taking it easy throughout the course of the morning. It was about then that I realised the oversteery nature of the car. Not that it was a handful, merely it presented itself to me with 2 options. Either I went in with my ‘racing line’ mind, where every corner counted and clipping the apex’s was integral to good lap times. Alternatively, I became ‘hooligan’, with power oversteer a right foot prod away. I subscribed to the latter school of thought, treating every tight corner like a scene straight from Bullit.

The car has amazing track behaviour, with the underbody aerodynamic carbon fibre tray splitter doing well to make sure the car remains absolutely stuck to the ground by commanding airflow to the right places. Coupled with both the active and 4 wheel steering enabled me to maintain precision control at all times. There were occasions where I went in gently into fast corners where I could feel the rear steering into the bend in unison with the front. Confidence inspiring stuff. I was a little goofed at having forgotten to play with the adjustable spoiler to see if it made any difference. I’m sure it would have reduced the oversteer a little, but perhaps at the cost of understeer, which brings me to the front. I have never driven a car before that refuses to acknowledge understeer totally on the track. The Evo 6.5 and 7 is fabulous on the road with understeer off the menu, but put them on a track and the insane speeds they encourage make understeer an unavoidable problem. Not in the GT-R. Perhaps the size of the tyres, but it was utterly amazing. Point and click at it’s best.

Luckily, I had the foresight to change my tyres to something a little cheaper than the soft S02’s (£350 each!) and changed them to the superb Continentals which I sourced extremely cheaply at £330 a set. The tyres were hard compound so were superbly suited for the dry track conditions. Also, coupled to the oversteery nature of the GT-R, they offered fantastic longevity over what the S02’s would of given. There was a little scrubbing and bubbling towards the end, but they were fine for at least another 2 track days.

I tried to be gentle with the brakes. Although the car comes equipped with standard Brembo’s all around, they wouldn’t of survived harsh abuse on a track. Still, they performed fantastic and by the end of the day, where I thought I would have warped the discs (this isn’t a light car) they were just as good as new. Mitsubishi should take a leaf out of the Nissan book. Very pleased.

All in all, a superb day incorporating a fantastic array of motorheads, cars and that great smell of octane, brakes and burning rubber. I look forward to the next day out.

Look out for video’s soon, I have lots of footage which I am currently capturing.

It’s a nice feeling having sold the car to someone you know. These little reunions are quite amusing but one day, I’m gonna hide his keys.

The actual event at Santa Pod was, as ever, great fun. Luckily, the weather held out but by the time the cars were into the running schedules, we left for the Watford meet at the Pub. In hindsight, we wished to have stayed there longer throughout.

In terms of driver appeal, it certainly excels. For such a large car to feel impossibly nimble is a feat in itself, defying it’s gargantuan size with lithe movements and the grace of a feline. Even so, you are still wary of the bulk you are commanding and I have always sensed a demand for respect from this car. I had a fantastic drift moment on one of my favourite roundabouts. Although it took me entirely by surprise, it was a fabulous, almost dream like moment which sent all 4 wheels spinning out of the exit. However, I still fear it, for if one end decided to overtake the other, then I cannot say that electronics, however complex and ingenious, will champion the might of the laws of physics. You simply cannot ignore the mass of metal that is the R34.

I am still learning this car (naturally, I am only on my 2nd day of ownership) so there are a lot of academic and theoretical assumptions being made on my part. I look forward to taking it onto a track day. I should imagine it would be supreme on a track day, because although up to 60MPH, my previous Evo acts faster (more of an event, maybe) the Skyline makes good use of its extra turbo and larger capacity by igniting itself into another atmosphere once triple figures start to loom. Its top end acceleration is brutal, and because of its 8000RPM red line, you always feel that you give up way before the car starts moaning.

There are some fantastic driver aids on this car though, from its HICAS 4WS to the complex, yet hugely satisfying centre console digital display read out, you know the car is always trying its damned hardest to make sure that the driver is having a fab time.

I’ve a lot to learn, and teach, about this car. But I’m going to learn to walk before I try to run.

Now, who does the best downpipe?