Oh, and the ZR-1 handily beat it around Nurburgring. I guess buying the GT-R just for bragging rights doesn’t make much sense either.

If i wanted an AWD supercar, it would be an Audi RS4 Avant. I don’t live near Nurburgring, and the A4 is a more satisfying car for daily use no matter how you measure it.

The point is, this is a car many of us could actually own at some point, whereas due to cost a Ferrari will always be a pipe dream; and owning an Aston or Ferrari brings its own set of problems.

Nissan has done the hard part; the GT-R is an engineering masterpiece. It has built the base of something that can be truly exceptional. With the money you save, I’ m sure there’s plenty of soul or wow-factor you can add, making the car even more special than any off-the shelf Ferrari. And I’m sure the apparent numbness is something that can be fixed.

I am glad to know that the Porsche or Aston buyers would not look twice at a GT-R.

As for the NS-X, it’s a totally different beast: Honda aimed to make a reliable 2-seater entry-level Ferrari-killer for fraction of the price: GT-R aimed to be a world-class killer period, at fraction of the price, and Nissan succeeded.

Some people can’t get used to the idea that a Japanese car company can come up with its own thing, and play the game, and do better at it. It’s happened in the past. But those cars have always stood the test of time and are respected now. At least by people who have sense.

Think about it. The Porsche 911 Turbo has much technological development invested in it than the GT-R, but you wouldn’t dare call the Porsche the product of a video gamer’s fantasy. There’s an undercurrent of snob appeal in believing that Japan doesn’t have what it takes to build world-beater sports cars when they’ve done it time and time again. Everybody criticizes the NSX, but the NSX changed things for Ferrari and Lamborghini and forced them to build a car that doesn’t require your mechanic to ride shotgun with you every time you take it out for a spin.

While America has learned about Nissan Skylines from Gran Turismo, everybody else around the world knows the reputation they carry. This isn’t just some wild idea that Nissan one day had to build a supercar. Even if it is, why should this be held against them? The Corvette doesn’t suffer the humiliation of being a Chevrolet. The Viper doesn’t suffer the humiliation of being a Dodge. If people have no qualms about driving those vehicles, then you certainly shouldn’t have any qualms about driving this car.

My bet is that most of those who read and comment here on TTAC and have driven very involving sports cars which could be steered with throttle and/ or brake and perhaps even had only “Armstrong” PS, PB and PWs.

Cars these days are – I will posit – designed by kids whose frame of reference is not an E-Type, 2002, 510 or even the 240SX. No, their frame of reference is a video game simulation, where high performance is an academic exercise whose adrenaline rush is produced by results posted on a video screen not by the seat-of-the pants feeling one gets from slicing perfectly from apex to apex on a tree-lined road with the smell of hot exhaust filling the nostrils.

That cars designed from such a perspective are a bit – um – antiseptic, is no surprise.

Don’t feel bad. Even if the looks didn’t compel you to cancel the order, the $125+/barrel oil and the eventual escalation of gas prices WELL BEYOND the $4.00/gallon mark will.

I felt guilty when I canceled my order for the GTR, like I lost my own identity. Thank you Stephan for writing this piece and explaining why it isn’t for everyone in a way that I can easily relate back to myself.

Puhleeze. Maybe you read a different review than what I did, but that isn’t what Mr. Wilkinson said.

He didn’t like the allegedly numb steering, was annoyed by the run flats (which generally are annoying everywhere else, so I can see how they could be an issue here), and thinks the dash is gimmicky.

Great cars (or, for that matter, just about everything else that is great) aren’t a numbers game. The whole package has to be there, with the sum greater than the parts. It isn’t measured by running it through a spreadsheet.

I could live with the dash, but if the handling is numb, that would personally kill it for me. Performance isn’t just about acceleration, it’s about the tossability factor. If you can’t throw it around and feel good doing it, then it’s just a muscle car and not at the level of an exotic.

I don’t know if the author is right, as I haven’t driven it myself. But I’ll bet you haven’t driven it, either. Unless you are a Nissan stockholder or your brother was on the GT-R’s engineering team, why all the emotional investment?

You hit the nail on the head. Nothing comes close, at any price, and that may be what’s inducing the cognitive dissonance…

I was not counting but the number is way into double figures – including driving impressions of a GT-R in a video game!

Looks like Edmunds is now a subsidiary of the Nissan marketing department.

However, I like ugly (let’s say unconventional) … I had one of the original Saab 99 Turbos … Mad torque steer, staggering turbo lag and no traction control. Wheeeee! You soon learned only to accelerate in a straight line.

a bit of a contrast to the all electronic GT-R. I would have one in a heartbeat.

What about the Z06? Do you really think the ZR1 is the only Vette that qualifies for supercar status?

I’d love to drive one, in spite of it’s looks (which may grow on me). But much admiration goes to Nissan for raising the bar and making a statement. All enthusiasts are the beneficiaries of the HP wars…Kudos to the Nissan (GTR), and GM (ZR1), and every other manufacturer willing to take a shot on a car that is neither affordable (by most standards) or practical but a pursuit in engineering perfection and performance brinkmanship.

From my point of view, vastly overdone car. Who needs 0-60 in 3.1? Why should any car weigh more than 3200 lbs? When driving, one needs to keep eyes on the road, not the geek screen. And it’ s not a thing of beauty.