07 Nissan Skyline 350GT - old car Nazi buys MODERN motor
Discussion
"The train came out of the tunnel and into the Snow Country."
(Yasunari Kawabata )
More of the Snow Country in a minute. I have moved to live and work on a tiny island in a hot place where it never snows. The steep and twisty hill roads here would be fantastic ski runs if snow ever happened. Most people here drive left hand drive SUVs, despite the fact that the island is a fragment of the British Empire, and so drives on the left. This is because the island is very close to the American Empire.
I hate driving steep and very bendy roads with ditches on the nearside in a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side, and the lights aimed the wrong way (no one switches the LHD lights across) . Also, I do not like SUVs. I am shipping out a 1983 Series III Land Rover (SWB with Safari Roof and tropicalised cooling system) in August, but need a car until then.
The solution? OMG RHD JDM Fast N Furious AWD DRFT WPN YO!
2007 Nissan Skyline 350 GT saloon - imported from Japan after Hurricanes Irma and Maria (which trashed most of the cars on island). 3.5 litre V6, five speed switchable auto, AWD system that is mainly RWD but feeds power to the front wheels as needed.
High mileage, but I suspect mainly Japanese (smoooooooth) motorway miles as the salaryman or salarywoman drove back and forth between Tokyo and the family place up country.
Snow Country? I think so. The tyres are Yokohama Ice Guards.
Build quality is like old school German (before German cars became naff). The engineering seems pretty strong. Note 180 mph speedo on an island where the top limit is 40 mph and the longest bit of straight road is under a kilometre. But this car FLIES up the steep and twisty hills.
I bought it from a copper! From another copper I bought a hilarious Kawasaki Ninja-ette (bikes are limited here). From yet another copper I am renting my house on top of the highest mountain on the island. My old dad always said that buying a car from a copper is either the best thing to do or the worst thing to do. There is no middle ground. My dad went one better and in the 70s would buy ex police cars from the local force. We had several pale blue Fords that had holes in the headlining. They seemed OK, although I was never too sure about the leopard skin print nylon seat cover in the back of the (Hogwarts edition avant la lettre) Ford Anglia. Cop shocks, cop tyres, cop motor - is it the new Bluesmobile, or what?
I HATE all modern cars, but I have to admit I like this one. Hellz yeh, it even has a reversing camera.
PS:When you press the starter button, a very cool Japanese robo-lady says something in Japanese. She may be saying "**** you, Westerner idiot!", but she sounds awesome.
(Yasunari Kawabata )
More of the Snow Country in a minute. I have moved to live and work on a tiny island in a hot place where it never snows. The steep and twisty hill roads here would be fantastic ski runs if snow ever happened. Most people here drive left hand drive SUVs, despite the fact that the island is a fragment of the British Empire, and so drives on the left. This is because the island is very close to the American Empire.
I hate driving steep and very bendy roads with ditches on the nearside in a car with the steering wheel on the wrong side, and the lights aimed the wrong way (no one switches the LHD lights across) . Also, I do not like SUVs. I am shipping out a 1983 Series III Land Rover (SWB with Safari Roof and tropicalised cooling system) in August, but need a car until then.
The solution? OMG RHD JDM Fast N Furious AWD DRFT WPN YO!
2007 Nissan Skyline 350 GT saloon - imported from Japan after Hurricanes Irma and Maria (which trashed most of the cars on island). 3.5 litre V6, five speed switchable auto, AWD system that is mainly RWD but feeds power to the front wheels as needed.
High mileage, but I suspect mainly Japanese (smoooooooth) motorway miles as the salaryman or salarywoman drove back and forth between Tokyo and the family place up country.
Snow Country? I think so. The tyres are Yokohama Ice Guards.
Build quality is like old school German (before German cars became naff). The engineering seems pretty strong. Note 180 mph speedo on an island where the top limit is 40 mph and the longest bit of straight road is under a kilometre. But this car FLIES up the steep and twisty hills.
I bought it from a copper! From another copper I bought a hilarious Kawasaki Ninja-ette (bikes are limited here). From yet another copper I am renting my house on top of the highest mountain on the island. My old dad always said that buying a car from a copper is either the best thing to do or the worst thing to do. There is no middle ground. My dad went one better and in the 70s would buy ex police cars from the local force. We had several pale blue Fords that had holes in the headlining. They seemed OK, although I was never too sure about the leopard skin print nylon seat cover in the back of the (Hogwarts edition avant la lettre) Ford Anglia. Cop shocks, cop tyres, cop motor - is it the new Bluesmobile, or what?
I HATE all modern cars, but I have to admit I like this one. Hellz yeh, it even has a reversing camera.
PS:When you press the starter button, a very cool Japanese robo-lady says something in Japanese. She may be saying "**** you, Westerner idiot!", but she sounds awesome.
Breadvan72 said:
Note 180 mph speedo on an island where the top limit is 40 mph and the longest bit of straight road is under a kilometre.
This is an oddity of an MPH converted KPH car... they would have been 180kph clocks originally. It's probably got an speedometer overlay and a KPH to MPH converter wired in 
rossub said:
DonaldTrump said:
Sorry to have to say this as I really enjoy your other cars, but sorry I can't find any love for this one.
Seconded I’m afraid.Have you tried driving without your seatbelt on? You may find the Japanese woman goes all dominatrix and demands you clunk click.
Only if I get a super hot French assistant. The Landy won't be here for ages yet. Because reasons. The Skyline is a stop gap. It looks prettier in the metal than it does in photos, and is a very good drive. I like the fact that it is totally not my sort of car. Much better than the horrible SUVs, most of which have rubbish 3 speed autoboxes without proper lockdowns for the steep bits. NB the hills here are REALLY steep.
I have another plan, that involves something (1) mad, (2) British, (3) 70s, and (4) associated with Royalty.
I have another plan, that involves something (1) mad, (2) British, (3) 70s, and (4) associated with Royalty.
To see the stickers that the Nissan had all over it had until yesterday, and to see the Land Rover, consult this thread -
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Breadvan72 said:
Only if I get a super hot French assistant. The Landy won't be here for ages yet. Because reasons. The Skyline is a stop gap. It looks prettier in the metal than it does in photos, and is a very good drive. I like the fact that it is totally not my sort of car. Much better than the horrible SUVs, most of which have rubbish 3 speed autoboxes without proper lockdowns for the steep bits. NB the hills here are REALLY steep.
I have another plan, that involves something (1) mad, (2) British, (3) 70s, and (4) associated with Royalty.
Does it usually come with a 3 litre Essex? I have another plan, that involves something (1) mad, (2) British, (3) 70s, and (4) associated with Royalty.
Stick a V8 in it. Manual o/d much better than auto.
JDM Yay! Later I will take a photo of the screen when it is scrolling Japanese WORDS. The radio still has a Fuji FM station dialled in. Reception is a bit fuzzy. NB Modern Cars are CRAP: this is because the enormoscreen lights up the sky at night, and renders the good headlamps useless. But at least I can watch the World Cup on it, maybe.
I have found where Hot Japanese Robo Lady lives. There is a weird gadget next to the driver's seat. If you press its buttons, Hot Japanese Robo Lady says Japanese stuff at you. She may be saying "Stop pressing those ****ing buttons, Jackass".
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