Test drive Nissan Skyline compartment 2002 - 2007 sedan
Application for the future
In front of me is Nissan’s car, the legendary Skyline GT -R, in the configuration of M SPEC. Its peculiarity is that it appeared as a result of the attempts by engineers to give the Skyline GT-R model a more calm nature of the move due to the special design of shock absorbers that can suppress even frequent fluctuations in small amplitude. Well, of course, there were no designers who decided to give the salon an exquisite look due to the use of genuine leather as finishing material. Journalist Kavamura Yashiko, leading automobile reports, claims that in addition to visible differences, there are some points that cannot be ignored in the new configuration of this car.The next generation GT-R prototype?
Nissan Skyline GT-R in the ATS of the R34 series, or, in other words, the modern Skyline GT-R car will be produced after the upcoming complete modernization of the entire Skyline lineup. Such a decision has already been made. However, it seems that those details that are so habitually perceived as unchanged attributes of Skyline, that is, a in-line 6-cylinder engine and round double rear lights will be a thing of the past with the current basic model of this car. But what then will the new version of GT-R look like if the company itself says that work on it began as if from scratch?
Or maybe the features of the future generation Skyline GT-R are distinguishable now, in the modification of M Spec? I am sure that in this machine all the ideas that will then be implemented when launching a new car will be implemented. Therefore, we will try not to miss anything that distinguishes this machine from the basic configuration.
Equipment M SPEC is similar to the equipment of V Spec II. The 4WD drive is complemented by the ATTESA E-TS PRO ATTESA E-TS PRO. Ahead and back under the machine you can see the front and rear polyurethane diffusers. The guide of the air flow plane is also provided. The hood is not made of carbonate, but from aluminum alloy, as in the base model.
Calm work of the suspension
Features of behavior on the Skyline GT-R M SPEC road, the representative of Nissan tried to explain as follows. He suggested comparing it with the V SPEC II modification already removed from the sale. According to him, if V SPEC II is subordinated to one goal: to win at least one tenth seconds per circle, then the M Spec is set a different task: she must be sure of at least a tenth, even on a hundred circle and be able to go through the whole distance, preserving Leadership in the race. It is from this angle that all the improvements of this configuration have been made. The car used special shock absorbers that extinguish small and frequent oscillations (Ripple Control Shock Absorbers), and there are special leather seats in the cabin, which have increased shock -absorbing properties, which helps against sharp blows.
Indeed, the ride in the Nissan Skyline GT-R M SPEC is perhaps the most comfortable in the entire history of the existence of GT-R. When you enter the uneven road, the suspension only shooks slightly - and this is limited. Often, even a temptation may arise to name such a move elegant. Perhaps this is true, and the word elegance will be determining for future generations Skyline GT-R. But this does not mean that the car really has soft legs. Not at all! And a considerable contribution to the formation of such a perception of comfort is made by seats of increased softness. By the way, these seats are individual assembly and tightening, the best experts of Japan work on them. Therefore, the monthly volume of production does not exceed 100 pieces (or 50 sets).
As I already noted, even with shallow fluctuations in the wheels, the movement remains smooth. Imagine that you are moving along the public road and are already used to such smoothness, but then suddenly the car goes to the site with road surface defects. The driver of the rhinestone feels how the earth literally begins to tremble under him. And just the feeling that the wheels are firmly holding onto the ground, gives the driver the opportunity to once again feel the stability of the car controlled by him. And if I were personally offered to choose something from the Skyline GT-R lineup in the back of the R34, I would no doubt take a modification of M Spec. I was painfully struck by the obedience of the car. So struck that I even began to doubt whether I felt anything like this before.
As on the V SPEC II modification dashboard, the tachometer has an auxiliary scale with a smaller breakdown for a range of less than 3000 rpm. Handmade seats, covered with genuine leather, have an internal heating of the seats. At the level of the shoulders of the back of the seats, there are rough inserts that prevent the body to slip through the roll of the machine in corners. The headrests are common for all GT -R series cars, with embroidery elements.
Skyline for the future generation
Skyline GT-R M SPEC operational characteristics are largely associated with the name of the leading engineer of Nissan. We will call him conditionally Mr. M. So, at present, he is carrying out the general management of the development of the next generation Skyline, which should soon appear on the market. This means that you can easily guess that the main ideas laid down in the M Spec modification will become determining for the new generation of Skyline. In other words, the current Skyline GT -R M SPEC is a prototype of the future generation of Nissan Skyline.
Author: Kavamura Yasuhiko (Kawamura Yasuhiko)
Photo: Namba Kenji (Namba Kenji)
Specifications Nissan Skyline GT-R M SPEC
Length / width / body height: 4600 mm / 1785 mm / 1360 mm.
Wheel base: 2665 mm.
Mass: 1580 kg.
Drive: full (4WD)
Engine: 2.6 liters, 6-cylinder in line, two upper distribution camshafts, 24 valves, turbo with a cooler. Power 280 hp at 6800 vol./min., Maximum torque - 40.0 kg/m at 4400 rpm.
Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission.
Basic price: 5.950.000 yen (~ $ 56700). The car on which a trial trip was carried out costs 6.188,000 yen (~ $ 58900), since it is equipped with DVD navigation.
May 2001
Source: webcg