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A near-final version of the 4th generation Nissan Skyline GT-R was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show. Nissan has stated that the concept car (shown here) is 90% finished. The car will go on sale in late 2007 as a 2008 model. It will likely be released in the US market as an Infiniti, and the Skyline name will be dropped.

It is truly a stunning car. I have to imagine that the grill and headlights will be toned down a little bit before release, but other than that I think it’s a great looking car. Word on the street is that it will feature a turbo V-6 that will produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 450 bhp. It’s not yet known whether the car will be rear- or all-wheel drive. Just my guess, but I’m thinking the drifters would be a lot happier if it were rear-drive. Then again, this is a $70,000 car, so maybe the target market would justify all-wheel drive.

This is going on the top of my “when I have a big pile of money” list.

What Others are Saying

CNET Alpha writes:

Car enthusiasts worldwide anticipated one particular unveiling by Nissan at the Tokyo Motor Show: the Skyline GT-R. Although still in concept form and unveiled as the GT-R Proto, Nissan says the design is close to final. Its production launch is in 2007, and it should be available in the United States in 2008. The press kit for the car included a great little manga about the history of the GT-R, recounting its model versions and racing wins from the original 1964 launch. Besides the GT-R Proto, a separate historic exhibit at the show had the 1973 model, just before the Skyline went into hiatus.

As for the current concept, it looks fast standing still. Design elements include a drop in the roofline, giving it a slight fastback look (minus the rear hatch), and a meaty front end accentuated by wider front fenders with engine vents in back. Slash headlight inserts mark the front, along with a big center-front air intake. As in previous GT-Rs, it’s likely to be an all-wheel drive. And judging from past model engines, it will probably have a power plant based on the 3.5-liter, six-cylinder engine found in the 350Z.

Autoweek writes:

Bidding to set a record for the longest drum roll in automotive history, Nissan unveiled yet another concept edition of its next-generation Skyline GT-R during the Tokyo Motor Show press preview on Oct. 19. It’s called the GT-R Proto (as in prototype) and a production version is coming to America. Eventually. If you’re thinking “haven’t I seen/heard this before?” the answer is yes, and no.

Automobile Magazine says:

Nissan is giving the world a big glimpse of its keenly anticipated 2007 Skyline GT-R with this carefully constructed show car. The GT-R PROTO is not a near-production model, though, as the interior is just a blank black panel, and Nissan is providing absolutely no details on the powertrain, suspension, or other critical technical details. Nissan wants to maintain the car’s mystique for another two years, since the production car won’t debut until the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Besides, the GT-R development team is still camped out at the Nurburgring, fine-tuning what is sure to be the most exciting new Nissan to come along in years.

Technorati Tags: nissan, skyline, infiniti, concept, gtr, gt-r, skyling gt-r

This entry was posted on Monday, December 19th, 2005 at 5:28 pm and is filed under Nissan, Infiniti. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.