# Messing around with a red one



## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Taiyo Sato had one delivered while he was up at Tsukuba on Thursday beating Andy's Z in the Time Attack.  (...Different class/groups, though) Went round to see it and he says we're taking it to Hiroshima for a friend's wedding tomorrow. :bowdown1: Drinking sho-chu (sa-ke for me) tomorrow night so we'll have to stay the night there. 

First impression, parked up against his 34. How large this car is!  

Second impression. This is a beautifully-designed sleek-looking car.

Third impression. Big, big wheels. 

Fourth impression. The bum looks a bit reminiscent of a Ferrari.

Fifth impression: That French dash display looks fantastic at night.

You don't have to 'push and hold' the red button to start the engine. Just tap it! And tap it off afterwards.

If you don't like the wheels and tyres 'you can change them at your responsibility' according to Nissan. The car cannot be lowered.

Option Magazine have an issue out with a red one on the cover and a GREAT two-page spread with quite a detailed explanation of how all the clever bits work. Like the two shafts and the IHI (Ishikawajima Heavy Industries) turbos and how the other plate is constantly in both one lower and one higher gear so that when you touch the flipper it only takes 0.2 secs to change, etc.

More on this thread when I get back from Hiroshima, once the alcohol has worked its way out. Some piccies posted over on Jeroen's Photo of the Day thread.


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Oh, okay then, just one here...


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

PS If you read this, and then go over there to look at the piccies, please remember not to post your opinions there on Pic of the Day thread, as I'll get the blame for thread-napping.  LOL


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## Pharoahe (Mar 11, 2006)

Thrust said:


> PS If you read this, and then go over there to look at the piccies, please remember not to post your opinions there on Pic of the Day thread, as I'll get the blame for thread-napping.  LOL


Haha, comments is fine, as long there are pictures to go along with the comment 

I hope you enjoy the wedding just as much as the ride to the wedding :squintdan


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Thanks, and thanks for the understanding, Jeroen. It was my boo boo; made the mistake of posting the piccies over there and then deciding maybe I should actually say something on a thread, which I subsequently started over here. :nuts:.


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

*Back in one piece...*

Just got back from Hiroshima. There are photos to go with this but since at any minute someone might come knocking at the door I'll write the summary before struggling with the piccies!  

Clarification. This car has to be run in before you can do what it wants you to do. We stayed at or below 3,000 revs for close to 350 kms. The boss said it was very frustrating. 1,000 km for the gearbox/trnasmission and 2,000 for the engine, or was it the other way round?

1. The ride. Having read that it was pretty harsh, I was very pleasantly surprised. Even in firm mode it was about right for me, and then in soft mode quite comfortable. 

2. In traffic you notice some clunks when the engine engages off the lights and the LSD clacks away quite noticeably on tight turns. But in general the sound-proofing does a superb job.

3. The gearchanges are sublime. So sweet and smooth; barely perceptible; subtly breathtaking. Even in 6th gear at 40-60 kph it pulls away effortlessly.

4. Never noticed the auto blipping when changing down, but we didn't push it hard.

5. Occasional trans whine, but I liked it. The exhaust note is growly, but not in your face.

6. The front bonnet bumps look like little breasts from inside the car...

7. The rear side view and lines of the car in the rear mirror are something to enjoy.

8. Steering is very direct & responsive, & the car acts as though it is on full pillow-balls. Tramlining was not as bad as I was expecting.

9. The paddles don't move with the steering wheel, which may be a pity.

10. The console screen display by Xanavi & Polyphony is v. nice! And the driver dials are pretty, by night or day.

11. The back seat for each passenger is long from bum to knee, but there's nowhere to drop the bottom ends of your legs. Because the transmission is under there?

12. Front bucket-ish seat holds you in fairly tightly with a rolled sausage rim. My back pocket wallet got caught and wouldn't slip down.

13. The car is at a fixed height so that to some extent it is easier to negotiate irregular surfaces without the usual worries of a slammed vehicle.

14. The driver can adjust the passenger's position with a button on the back of the passenger's seat?

15. Good large boot.

16. Nissan recommend Mobil 1 10/30 engine oil, I think I heard. "Soft".

17. Negatives. 
a. No ashtray/rubbish receptacle. 
b. The passenger's door on this car needed firmish slamming both from inside and out; twice I thought I had shut it but... the warning light stayed on.
c. Watch the side steps getting in and out or you will scuff them with your boots... :chuckle:


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Oh, the wedding? Yes, it was fine! :chuckle:
Naka of the Crazy Nakabayashi brothers finally gets hitched. (Yes, he's got a 32 GTR which he races up at Aida.) (Yes, she is understanding about it... to some degree!) To the both of you: "Many Years of Happiness!!!" :thumbsup:


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

6. The left one of the little bonnet bumps... 








Left wing mirror view!
7.








Dash dials.
10.


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## thb_da_one (Nov 30, 2007)

Thrust said:


> 6. The left one of the little bonnet bumps...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What is the use of that bonnet bumps? It doesn't seem to be air intake as the turbos intake are in the front bumper...


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Reversed camera view out of the back window, car moving, 








Low boost, being overtaken by an M3 at speed








Park in the serice area for a coffee at 9:00 am on a MOnday, and...








people start gathering...


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

Cool shots Piers....so what are your impressions of the GT-R? Notice Sato-san had it in COMF mode....

Bonnet NACA ducts shot air down onto the turbines, there is a 90º duct attached to the bonnet to direct the air in that general direction.


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Evening light strikes the car on Sunday before we left,








Not sure whether to overtake this police car with three cops craning their necks to look at us...








Part of the blurb about the turbos:


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Translation of the above:

"Super short ex-manifold and ex-housing all combined in one, on this specially-shaped set of turbines. These are not the Garrett turbos that were on the R34, but IHI (Ishikawajima Heavy Industries) turbos, which have proved to be highly reliable on the racing scene. They have managed to shave another 22% weight loss over previous versions of this special set-up. The volume of air passing thru one of these is probably around about GT-SS class, we guess."


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

DCD said:


> Cool shots Piers....so what are your impressions of the GT-R? Notice Sato-san had it in COMF mode....
> 
> Bonnet NACA ducts shot air down onto the turbines, there is a 90º duct attached to the bonnet to direct the air in that general direction.


Dino, I posted my impressions before the piccies above! (Post #6) Or at least that was my intention.  I do have some more private thoughts, but they have not really mellowed yet so I'll need to suck on them a little longer. While I recover from the effects of the Champagne, the Gin & Tonic, the sa-ke and the lager, and passing heavy-footed in front of those Hiroshima fleshpots.  

(Generally very favourable, though. It's such a unique car I hope you will agree, that it's actually quite difficult to absorb it and come out with one definitive answer.) :runaway:


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## Dr. GTR (Dec 3, 2006)

Great write up and pictures, thanks very much for that!


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

Sorry Piers...missed that post! I guess you will have more impressions once the car can be used over 3000 rpm. That's where the fun begins!


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

DCD said:


> Sorry Piers...missed that post! I guess you will have more impressions once the car can be used over 3000 rpm. That's where the fun begins!


This is something I can say I firmly believe in!


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## kismetcapitan (Nov 25, 2005)

am I the only one here who, if/when taking delivery, would run it in very, very hard? Or do the plasma bore spray require a different approach?

2000km break in????? For anyone that hasn't lived in Asia, 2000km is a good 2-3 months of DAILY driving. Seems to me it's more of Nissan wanting to get the first batch out and try to keep people from flogging the machines as they check and see that their production lines are running properly and there are no problems with the cars.


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## doggiehowser (Oct 8, 2007)

Thrust said:


> Clarification. This car has to be run in before you can do what it wants you to do. We stayed at or below 3,000 revs for close to 350 kms. The boss said it was very frustrating. 1,000 km for the gearbox/trnasmission and 2,000 for the engine, or was it the other way round?


I was curious abt run in too since I also read that Nissan test drivers give each car coming off the assembly line a whacking to ensure the power performs as rated, to bed in the brakes etc. If a running in regime is needed, wouldn't those "tests" be bad for the engine?


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

These last questions are interesting and I am wondering whether Mr Sato may not have been given an early one which still needed running in. (Thus jumping the queue? This is pure speculation, though.) The waiting list goes till next April, I had heard, and this car is definitely the first one on the roads in this part of Japan... you should have seen the way people stopped and stared and fell silent and reached for their phone cameras. Those who understood, of course. 

97.5% of people plodded on by in total ignorance.


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## doggiehowser (Oct 8, 2007)

Thrust said:


> These last questions are interesting and I am wondering whether Mr Sato may not have been given an early one which still needed running in. (Thus jumping the queue? This is pure speculation, though.) The waiting list goes till next April, I had heard, and this car is definitely the first one on the roads in this part of Japan... you should have seen the way people stopped and stared and fell silent and reached for their phone cameras. Those who understood, of course.
> 
> 97.5% of people plodded on by in total ignorance.


Can't wait for the parallel importers to bring one in soon.

It'd take abt two weeks to ship out from Japan!


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Thrust said:


> Translation of the above:
> 
> "Super short ex-manifold and ex-housing all combined in one, on this specially-shaped set of turbines. These are not the Garrett turbos that were on the R34, but IHI (Ishikawajima Heavy Industries) turbos, which have proved to be highly reliable on the racing scene. They have managed (by combining) to achieve a 22% weight reduction over the traditional separate turbo layout. The volume of air passing thru one of these is probably around about GT-SS class, we guess."


Edit, upon re-reading the J, just discovered a blooper. Line 5 should read: "They have managed (by combining) to shave 22% off compared to the traditional separate turbo layout."

You won't see the old version here as I'm also amending the quote while I'm here! (Christmas wish. I wish this site would give us, say, 24 hours to amend posts, especially ones that urgently need it.)  :thumbsup: :clap:


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

doggiehowser said:


> Can't wait for the parallel importers to bring one in soon.
> 
> It'd take abt two weeks to ship out from Japan!


If you do manage to order one, you should probably allow 2 weeks to get it to the ship, and then assuming there is a ship sailing, from 4 to 6 weeks for it to arrive in the UK, and then from there registration etc., could take quite a bit of time on top, speaking realistically. It would take at least 3 months before you are driving it foot-loose and fancy-free on the roads of the British Isles.


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## REXtreme (Jun 8, 2004)

saw a black one being delivered to the nissan dealer near my house.

Very nice...


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## akasakaR33 (Oct 10, 2005)

Thrust said:


> ... you should have seen the way people stopped and stared and fell silent and reached for their phone cameras. Those who understood, of course.
> 
> 97.5% of people plodded on by in total ignorance.


Piers - EXACTLY! I saw one in Kamakura yesterday, and no one noticed... except me. But it was a silver one, I think they blend in or something.

The photos of the RED one - WOW! That color is really growing on me! I am really starting to like it... 

Uh oh, now I won't be able to choose (my color) if this keeps up...:chuckle: 

Aki


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

BTW Piers....is the 2000 km run-in something the Nissan dealer said the car needs? I saw the cars come out of the factory and be caned up and down the test track! One of the procedures for bedding in the brakes and clutches is to floor the throttle and brakes at the same time. After seeing this I really can't see the point of running the engine in?


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

DCD said:


> BTW Piers....is the 2000 km run-in something the Nissan dealer said the car needs? I saw the cars come out of the factory and be caned up and down the test track! One of the procedures for bedding in the brakes and clutches is to floor the throttle and brakes at the same time. After seeing this I really can't see the point of running the engine in?


Dino, let me check this with him in the morning... I agree that something doesn't add up.


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## Durzel (Dec 5, 2001)

There's two schools of thought about running in - some people believe you should drive the car hard straight away to bed the oil seals (or something), and that doing this means the car is faster/better in the long term, and there are others who strictly adhere to the manufacturers recommended running in periods. Like a lot of things you can't easily convince either party that they're wrong.

I personally err on the side of caution with these things, but having said that they would give the engine some abuse before it rolled off the production line to ensure everything worked correctly - so by that logic they're telling you not to thrash it when they've done that themselves already....

I suppose the only thing to worry about is that if the ECU logs everything if you did get an engine fault early on and Nissan were able to prove you went over a certain RPM for a certain period of time maybe they could refuse to cover the repair?


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Just had a quick look at his blog, as today is his day off and he's not answering his phone. He says that he is planning to run the car on the track at the end of this month, so he has to somehow do the 2,000 km before then because he is "going to do it right this time". One of the comments is from someone offeringto do the running in for him! This sounds to me as though he has asked Nissan how soon he can use in earnest it on the circuit.


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

OK, just got through and explained what everyone is saying here. Got a bit of an earful, (he's working on my engine on his day off...LOL) but to summarize:

Durzel is close to the heart of the matter.

The car arrived with 10 kms +/- on the clock.
What they did at the factory cannot be called running in. It's final checks and adjustments on the transmission, brakes etc.
'Running in' as used in the old days meant shaving off bits of ill-fitting metal within the engine and eventually flushing unneeded stuff out at the first oil change.
Today's engines are much more finely calibrated and fitted, so running in, in the old sense, does not apply to what he is doing.
Whenever you buy new machinery, however, be it a lawnmower of whatever, it's better to take it easy for a while before you thrash it, though.
Nissan recommends keeping the car under 3,000 rpm for 2,000 km for the engine, and 1,000 for the transmission.
He is going to make the effort to abide by their recommendation, even though by his nature he has generally ignored such dealer advice in the past. 

Hoping this puts the dog back to sleep!


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## doggiehowser (Oct 8, 2007)

That was very illuminating 

Thank you.

I want one.. BAD


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

You are entirely welcome. I enjoyed the whole trip, and it was fun collecting all the little bits of info and piccies for a thread. Here's hoping you get one and you get it soon! My finances won't stretch that far, however hard I pull on them... :bowdown1:


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## murano3 (Mar 23, 2005)

Great write up - thanks for sharing ...


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## doggiehowser (Oct 8, 2007)

Thrust, have always been curious abt the default settings for the suspension, traction control and gear changes.

Are they "sticky"?

I mean if you set them to R mode, drive around, then turn the ignition off, and turn the ignition on again, does it remain in R mode the next time?


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

doggiehowser said:


> Thrust, have always been curious abt the default settings for the suspension, traction control and gear changes.
> 
> Are they "sticky"?
> 
> I mean if you set them to R mode, drive around, then turn the ignition off, and turn the ignition on again, does it remain in R mode the next time?


No, we found the suspension reverts to default. Can't say about the rest...


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Discovered a couple of touches done for a photo shoot they had last night.


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

Looking good with the stickers!:thumbsup:


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

DCD said:


> Looking good with the stickers!:thumbsup:


 Dino, can you answer doggiehowser above concerning how many of the settings revert to default when you restart the engine?


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## Pharoahe (Mar 11, 2006)

On the blog of Taito san, I saw there were changing the rims. Am I right in understanding that they were trying to put some 19" rims to the car?

Does Sunline have more plans to 'update' the car?


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## DCD (Jun 28, 2001)

They all reset including the transmission....


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## Perra (Jan 6, 2002)

Nice pics, Thrust!

Here´s another view on running in:

Break in secrets



/P


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Pharoahe said:


> On the blog of Taito san, I saw there were changing the rims. Am I right in understanding that they were trying to put some 19" rims to the car?
> 
> Does Sunline have more plans to 'update' the car?


He won't say what was happening exactly. A certain company arrived to shoot some frames. 20" fit but they are very expensive, so he imagines that people will want 19" wheels for it. The rotor/discs are the same size at 380 F & R. The calipers are so large that you have to be really careful not to hit them when removing the wheels, he says.


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## alfcanada (Dec 8, 2007)

hey Thrust, 
Can i ask you about the speed limiter?

Did you disable it or are you living with the 180kph limit that the car is said to come with?

is it true that it's GPS linked?

cheers!


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

alf, it's not my car! 

The rumour/rumor here is that the speed limiter can be disabled by those that know how, (not me) and yes, it is GPS linked. It recognizes when you enter most of the tracks/circuits in Japan and switches itself off inside the boundaries, I've heard.


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## alfcanada (Dec 8, 2007)

thanks mate .... i'm about to get one here in Singapore and i'm wondering if the GPS will switch it off outside of Japan ... any clues?

via an importer from japan that is ...


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

My guess is that GPS won't work outside Japan unless it's bought and programmed locally through a regular Nissan dealer. I hate to think what it's programmed to do when it goes abroad. But some Japanese do occasionally take their car abroad on a carnet, to Korea for example, so it's not likely that the car will go into self-denial mode or anything. Perhaps you should ask your importer to get it disabled... ?


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## [email protected] (May 16, 2003)

*wheels*

MCR testing wheel fitments











Service


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## alfcanada (Dec 8, 2007)

Thrust said:


> My guess is that GPS won't work outside Japan unless it's bought and programmed locally through a regular Nissan dealer. I hate to think what it's programmed to do when it goes abroad. But some Japanese do occasionally take their car abroad on a carnet, to Korea for example, so it's not likely that the car will go into self-denial mode or anything. Perhaps you should ask your importer to get it disabled... ?


thanks a bunch mate ... i'm hoping the speed limiter wont' work out here ... but if it does work, i'll have to go searching for an importer that can disable it.

cheers!


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

*Hands-on impressions. Part One*

Played around with starting a new thread, but there are so many new ones everyday, thought I'd resurrect the old one. Apologies. :bowdown1: 

Originally I was asked to go to TAS for Friday and Saturday and help with translation, in exchange for meals and a bed in a hotel somewhere. On Saturday the boss asked if I could stay another day and drive the R35 back for him on Sunday night. Hmmm... this would mean throwing away the non-refundable return air-ticket and taking on the responsibility of driving an 8 million yen car all night with little or no sleep at an age when most people are thinking of retirement homes. The answer had to be a firm 'no'. :chuckle:

I thought I'd try and get to the bottom of the transmission whine affair and various other loose ends for my own personal satisfaction. Business before pleasure is my motto anyway.  

5 pm on Sunday and the dismantling crews move into position. Auld Lang Syne plays, the security staff chase out the last remaining pervos, and the giant external shutters open. Two and a half hours of frenetic activity and the hall is empty. It's dark outside where all the heavy transport is waiting. Cars have been pushed, driven, forklifted out, and we are standing in the freezing wind with the van packed, the transporter loaded, and the R35 still parked, lights on and engine running half obstructing the exit road at the odd angle where the Work wheels people left it. I don't dare touch it until I am sure they want me to really drive it.

Suddenly they hand me an ETC highway card and credit card for petrol/gas. No explanations on how it all works. We're off! 

Straight into a massive traffic jam. It takes a good hour to get to the Wangan, but I use the stops and starts to get a feel for things, set the Navigator (750 km, ETA 4:30 am) and Fuzzbuster and fiddle with the hip-knob that gets the driver's bucket into a comfy shape.

Onto the Wangan and now I gotta share this with someone. Can't believe this is happening to me. I phone a few of the Tokyo crowd to tell them where I am. (Hands-free, naturally...) Onto the Shuto Expressway. Dino is the only one who answers!!! "Oh, is this the first time you've actually driven one?" Should have seen that coming, grrrr... 
(Sorry Dino! :wavey: )


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

*Part Two*

I tell Dino that if I crash and wing my way to heaven, (or to Oz to escape the debt-collectors) he will know he was the last person to hear from me! :banned: 

On the way out of the Salon and stuck in the traffic I had heard a lovely deep crackling growl pulling up alongside. Flicking my eyes right there was a line of bestickered show cars sliding past, deliberately blipping their throttles; one is the Top Secret V12 Supra! The driver will have been looking this way for sure.

Back on the motorway and I notice that the whine in the rear gradually blends in with general highway noise. Above 70 kph and you can hear it, but by 100 kph it's merged. The noise at low speeds as I said on Dino's thread the other day sounds a bit like a dentist's drill, but it also has the sound of a hiss-tight Japanese motorcycle engine, you know when you start it up from cold. It really didn't bother me as a passenger, although as a driver and after everyone's comments I was more conscious of it.

After a couple of hours we stop for Yoshinoya's rice and beef bowl. I try not to eat too much as I know tonight will be a severe test. The boss asks me if I've played with the paddles yet? No, I reply, realizing that I haven't really dared play at all and noticing for the first time the tension in my shoulders.

Petrol flap on the right. OK. The attendant and I get down on the concrete on our hands and knees in zero conditions looking frantically round the front seat for the button, or switch? or lever? to open the fuel flap. Then he touches the flap itself and it's a push and open type...

Back onto the motorway and 600 kilometers left. The boss has told me to drop back away from the transporter in case he throws a stone. The phone rings and he's telling me to keep up! Where are you? I can't see you! Hmmm, this constant measuring of the distance, not too close and not too far is sleepy work. Manage to work out the cruise control, but it took about ten or fifteen minutes. At least the mental exercise keeps me focussed and awake. I begin to realize that as with most J cars, it wouldn't set at anything over 107 kph. Which is why it wouldn't work even when I was sure I was pushing the right combination of buttons and switches.  Another limiter that someone will want to cut!

There's a tunnel coming up, brightly lit! I discover that each throw sideways of the gearknob goes from Auto to Manual to A to M, always the same direction. The pointed ear-shaped paddles lie behind the wheel. Left paddle works the down shift. Right up. I drop her from 6th to 4th and give her a bit of Wellington. Slides past the transporter and I know the boss well enough to know he will be excited to see her from that angle, from outside, on the road, a piece of himself down there looking exactly as he has arranged her. He'll be looking at arch clearances, and wheel silhouettes and rear LED effects and overall impression. He'll also be running a constant evaluation of my driving and general trustworthiness, so I play it by the book. Nothing silly. Beginning to wish I owned this car so I could really have some fun. :chuckle:


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

*Part Three*

By now it's about 2:00 am and the sleep is kicking in hard. I have bought cans of coffee and stacks of 'Black' caffeine gum, and menthol sweets, and I'm opening and shutting the windows, it's freezing, and trying to sing to myself but nothing is working. I desperately need to sleep. The boss phones and asks how I'm doing. "I'm sleepy as hell." I reply, deciding that "I'm fine, no worries!" may be a good Japanese reply, but occasionally I am allowed to be a Westerner and give an honest reply. The only thing that seems to work is groaning out loud. Suddenly he winkers left and we pull in somewhere. He's all-out. We crash for some sleep and I am out like the headlights.

A banging on the window and: "We'll take it all the way from here." He's off. But I need more petrol. The truck is long gone. I need to get a bit of a move on to catch him up. Now I get to play a bit. Got a reason! :chuckle: 

Suddenly the phone rings. "The road surface is sparkling with ice. Be careful ahead!" Hmmm... this car was designed for slippery roads, after all! :squintdan :smokin: 

Then the snow starts. It gets quite heavy for a while, but it's not settling so as a man hardened on the roads of New England winters nothing to really brag about. I start imagining how I will explain how it happened. I lost control on a bend and ... but by then I have caught up. In Japan most people can't deal with heavy rain or snow and slow right down. They lose momentum and then everyone gets stuck.  

7:30 am Monday morning. A National Holiday. Coming of Age Day. Adults at 20. Girls in kimono and blokes in ill-fitting first suits. We pull in to the garage and the drive is over. The boss and his wife bow and thank me for the weekend help. The black rims are covered in salt, and the bottom of the car is probably scratched from those ice chunks fallen from long-distance truck/lorries. ("Be careful; this car is low!" he had said.)

I'll run you to the airport, he says. (That's where I had left my car in another life, on Friday morning.) We take a mountain road and he shows me how he uses the paddles. I can see he loves the car, even if he mutters oaths about the barriers to tuning. So that's how you do it on the track! Brilliant. The car handles so well on these twisting roads. 

(There's more, but ... I've written enough for one day. Thanks for reading this far if you've managed it on a Monday morning! 6:30 pm, Japan)


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## akasakaR33 (Oct 10, 2005)

Piers - otsukare-sama deshita! And nice write up!

Tell the boss I said hello and that I'm working on getting the stickers for him!


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

You got it, Aki. Thanks, and good to see you again.


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## Pharoahe (Mar 11, 2006)

Always nice to read your writeups. :thumbsup: You sholud start writing for a magazine


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Pharoahe said:


> Always nice to read your writeups. :thumbsup: You sholud start writing for a magazine


Thanks Jeroen... er, magazine? Interesting thought. Maybe one day, when I learn how to write!


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## REXtreme (Jun 8, 2004)

Nice to see you at TAS. 

WOW. 

I like the fuel finding dilemma.

Sounds like the old days in my Canberra --> Brisbane 1400klm runs.
My best was 12 hours in an OLD FC only stopping for fuel.

Then sleep for a day.

I can only imaging how ragged you were. 
My body is still sore from raoming TAS with 10kg of catalogs.

I can feel a gym membership coming.

Russ.


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Hi Russ! Canberra to Brisbane in 12 hours! Wow. These ten hour Japan drives are OK, during the daytime to a certain extent anyway, but in Japan sleep seems to be a discardable option, so they use the nights generously. Burning the candle at both ends. I asked the boss this morning whether he'd be going home to sleep or does he have a bunk at the garage. No, just a regular day of work, he answered. 

(I was home by eight am, straight into bed and didn't wake up till 2:30 this afternoon. Nutters...)


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## doggiehowser (Oct 8, 2007)

Thanks for the write up Thrust.

Dreaming abt the day when I can do the same


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

doggiehowser said:


> Thanks for the write up Thrust.
> 
> Dreaming abt the day when I can do the same


I hope your dreams come true, Doggie, and soon! Fingers crossed :clap: 

Coming off the motorway this morning and onto regular roads, I was reminded again what a pleasure this car is to drive. The steering feels so light and responsive. It's good in each of its various roles, but feels distinctly different in each. This is what I find hard to put my finger on and therefore hard to describe. It's a new concept. 

The semi-automatic box is something to get used to. You put it in first (or reverse) and nothing happens. You rev gently and still nothing, and then suddenly there it is. I was told that people who are used to driving an automatic may make an immediate negative value judgement, but they are very differently behaving pieces of machinery.

Yes, I would very much like one too!


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## Pharoahe (Mar 11, 2006)

Is that your Skyline in the back of the new GT-R Piers?


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

Yes, sadly. 

It got put back on the back burner in the preparations for TAS. Exedy have promised to come up with some rare interface bits between their clutch and the sequential by late January. Then it's just the legwork/armwork and the roll cage to go in and she'll be ready for some trackdays.


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## Pharoahe (Mar 11, 2006)

Thrust said:


> Yes, sadly.
> 
> It got put back on the back burner in the preparations for TAS. Exedy have promised to come up with some rare interface bits between their clutch and the sequential by late January. Then it's just the legwork/armwork and the roll cage to go in and she'll be ready for some trackdays.


So the engine is up and running?


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

You must have missed the year-end update over on the main thread? The engine is running in the picture! Unfortunately Tomei changed their frontpipe specifications ever so slightly, so the join was a logistical nightmare in such a short time. As a result we are looking at a longer term solution, a whole new handmade exhaust system to carry those gases...
http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/upload/38564-first-driving-impressions-34-a-12.html


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## Bean (Oct 12, 2001)

Nice one bud


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## Thrust (Jun 8, 2004)

I see the boss has finally got his act together and created a full titanium exhaust system for the R35. Looks pretty nice. Was supposed to have been on display at TAS.


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