Sight at night, travel on long distances, shelter from the storm, peace of mind, everything we do is based on technology. Our civilization has been built on technical progress. Nowadays, all you have to do is wish, the rest is being taken care of by a wide array of complex systems that are part of a complicated network. But don’t be afraid, this infinity is all hidden behind a button. So, to be precise, all you have to do is wish and press that button. And your desire becomes reality.
However, the journey from the discovery of fire to space travel and beyond has been anything but smooth. Actually, technical advances are based on blood, sweat and tears. Competition and battle are the best ingredients for such developments. Here in the automotive world, this is how we got our modern supercars that join illusionists in defying the laws of physics and send dangerous corners crying home to those who built the road.
One of the most bloody duels we’ve seen in the last few years is the one between the Porsche 911 Turbo (S*) and the Nissan GT-R. *Before the S version arrived, the “standard” Turbo used to battle the Japanese supercar. These are both vehicles that like to juggle assets such as face-ripping performance and practicality in one hand, but each does it in its own way.
There is no way of introducing this, so I’ll just drop it here: the GT-R offers the same level of performance for half the money. OK, it’s nowhere near as luxurious, but I’ve got my helmet on right when it comes to cars like this, so I don’t care.
I’ll open the visor, so I can begin with my story. As you probably know, the 911 Turbo (S) likes to show off on the Nurburgring, posting laptimes that humiliate many supercars. However, back in 2008, when Nissan officially took the GT-R to the ‘Ring, they managed to set a laptime that obliterated the Porsche.
The GT-R’s brake discs hadn’t even cooled down completely, when Porsche started pointing fingers at the Japanese for cheating. You see, right after Japan’s feat flooded the media across the globe, the Germans (pun intended, this can be considered a battle between nations) got their hands on one, threw it around the Nordschleife then said that the result was pretty far from what Nissan has declared. We don’t know if Nissan cut the power and quickly swapped the tires with racing ones when nobody could see or if Walter Rohl was listening to orders instead of his instinct, but one thing is fore sure: War had been declared.
Ever since, the two cars have been fighting with every possible occasion (read: facelift or model year update of each of the two cars). And this is no wrestling match, but rather a Judo one (no pun intended).
However, it seems that, somewhere along the way, the German carmaker capitulated - A Porsche insider confirmed for autoevolution that the company’s customer cash-related arm, Porsche Leasing, has financed a... Nissan GT-R.
It all happened in Romania, in 2008, when Godzilla was still fresh meat. So, the GT-R was in its first year of production, when Porsche decided to help a lucky driver enjoy one. The price of the car? Over EUR115,000 at the time.
We are only talking about one example of Godzilla that was paid for with Porsche’s money, but considering the pride that is at stake, this is like throwing the first stone... and then emptying a tipper over that.
Fortunately, the war is only going to become bloodier. How come? Well, it’s simple. The upcoming Frankfurt Auto show will bring us a new generation of the 911 and it seems that Nissan is working to develop an even meaner incarnation of the R35 GT-R.
Last time when the Germans and the Japanese teamed up, things got really nasty for the entire world, so it’s only for the best to see them fighting against each other. Porsche, you're supposed to wave the checkered flag, not the white one, so drop it!
However, the journey from the discovery of fire to space travel and beyond has been anything but smooth. Actually, technical advances are based on blood, sweat and tears. Competition and battle are the best ingredients for such developments. Here in the automotive world, this is how we got our modern supercars that join illusionists in defying the laws of physics and send dangerous corners crying home to those who built the road.
One of the most bloody duels we’ve seen in the last few years is the one between the Porsche 911 Turbo (S*) and the Nissan GT-R. *Before the S version arrived, the “standard” Turbo used to battle the Japanese supercar. These are both vehicles that like to juggle assets such as face-ripping performance and practicality in one hand, but each does it in its own way.
There is no way of introducing this, so I’ll just drop it here: the GT-R offers the same level of performance for half the money. OK, it’s nowhere near as luxurious, but I’ve got my helmet on right when it comes to cars like this, so I don’t care.
I’ll open the visor, so I can begin with my story. As you probably know, the 911 Turbo (S) likes to show off on the Nurburgring, posting laptimes that humiliate many supercars. However, back in 2008, when Nissan officially took the GT-R to the ‘Ring, they managed to set a laptime that obliterated the Porsche.
The GT-R’s brake discs hadn’t even cooled down completely, when Porsche started pointing fingers at the Japanese for cheating. You see, right after Japan’s feat flooded the media across the globe, the Germans (pun intended, this can be considered a battle between nations) got their hands on one, threw it around the Nordschleife then said that the result was pretty far from what Nissan has declared. We don’t know if Nissan cut the power and quickly swapped the tires with racing ones when nobody could see or if Walter Rohl was listening to orders instead of his instinct, but one thing is fore sure: War had been declared.
Ever since, the two cars have been fighting with every possible occasion (read: facelift or model year update of each of the two cars). And this is no wrestling match, but rather a Judo one (no pun intended).
However, it seems that, somewhere along the way, the German carmaker capitulated - A Porsche insider confirmed for autoevolution that the company’s customer cash-related arm, Porsche Leasing, has financed a... Nissan GT-R.
It all happened in Romania, in 2008, when Godzilla was still fresh meat. So, the GT-R was in its first year of production, when Porsche decided to help a lucky driver enjoy one. The price of the car? Over EUR115,000 at the time.
We are only talking about one example of Godzilla that was paid for with Porsche’s money, but considering the pride that is at stake, this is like throwing the first stone... and then emptying a tipper over that.
Fortunately, the war is only going to become bloodier. How come? Well, it’s simple. The upcoming Frankfurt Auto show will bring us a new generation of the 911 and it seems that Nissan is working to develop an even meaner incarnation of the R35 GT-R.
Last time when the Germans and the Japanese teamed up, things got really nasty for the entire world, so it’s only for the best to see them fighting against each other. Porsche, you're supposed to wave the checkered flag, not the white one, so drop it!
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