Is the GT-R an "Exotic"?

Is the GT-R an Exotic?

  • Total voters
    93
Fantastic production car, unbelievable performance for the price. Outrageous maintenance costs, no soul, looks like nothing special, even though it is, not an exotic!
 
Beast - Definitely
Engineering Marvel - Some say so
Exotic - Not in my eyes.
 
This should be in "off topic".
 
No way.

I say no way to any Porsche that looks like a 911 also.

"Exotic" is like "porn"... You know it when you see it. And car enthusiasts are a POOR judge. As for Concours D'Elegance, really almost anything could end up there if car enthusiasts find it interesting.

"Exotic" to me means the car is an event for nearly anyone. People see it and just know it is special.

ANY modern Corvette is pretty much disqualified because there are a million of them (including the ZR1 which looks like a C6 with a body kit). Any modern 911 is disqualified for the same reason.

I remember on a drive I was part of, a $180,000 GT2 was parked next to a Ferrari 308. The GT2 might as well have been a Kia Sportage. Outside of car fanatics who knew what it was, no one gave a shit at all.

The NSX just barely qualifies as an exotic, if you ask me, much less the GT-R which to 99.999999999999% of the world looks like a giant 2 door Nissan sedan. They dont care if it can do 0-60 in 1.5 seconds and is 900HP at the crank. Almost anyone you ask that is just a normal person would say "THAT car is $80k?!?!?!" Try it! I have

Park a F308 next to it and ask what they'd rather own. Unless it is a 12 year old boy drunk on a 72 hr Gran Turismo 5 marathon, they are going to jump in the 308 without hesitation and find it odd you'd ask. Thats a fail on the exotic test, in my opinion.
 
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I personally think the word "exotic" is placed on too many non exotic cars. I prefer to call them all supercars which is the catagory 95% fit into. I want pure raw power and speed. That does not sound exotic.
 
No.
An exotic has to be very high performance (for the time), rare, and look like and exotic or have an exotic brand. GT-R fails in the last two categories.

A Bentley is an exotic (by brand, rarity)
An NSX is an exotic (by performance, rarity, looks but not brand)
A Lambo Diablo is an exotic by all measurements
A GT-R is rare (currently since new), very very fast, but lacks an exotic brand and exotic looks. It's the 2008 Supra.
 
Hell Yes (to me at least).

Reason is simple:

1. Super ultra rare, not many people know that the allocation for US is only roughly 1500~2500 cars per year. Ironically, it is quite a bit rarer than NSX at the moment. It will still be rarer after 5 year production run. In Socal, I see NSX, Ferraris, M3, Lambos, you name it, I see them daily, they all look nothing special to me any more, except E92 m3, super cool looking car. GT-R I might see it once a week if I am super lucky and I look hard too.

2. It looks unreal in person (100 times nicer than pics)

3. First Japanse sports car with "hyper" performance

4. There are not many cars that can attract this much attention, discussion, jealousy, envy, etc. Greatness come with hate. NSX also is a car that fall in this category.

5. Ford GT is made by Frod, NSX is made by Honda. Therefore, it is not about brand.

6. A lot of well known celebrities that can afford anything own GT-R as well. Aaron kwok, Leon Lai.

7. GT-R raised the bar and forcing other car makers to catch up much the same way as how NSX forced Ferrari to make improvements on their cars.

8. The way it is built, material they used, giant size brakes, ultra fast chassis, attention to detail.

9. Because I say so:biggrin:, haha, this is non-factor.

10. Ever seen 599 GTB driving next to you, behind you, creeping up in your rearview mirror? I had experience of that. The presence is so amazing, it was so spectacular, nothing like it. GT-R is the only car I can think of that come closest to have that kind of presence.

11. Cutting edge design from 4 different angles, the lines, first of its kind, not a Ferrari, Porsche, Corvette look alike wannabe.

12. Even in a NSX forum, it seems like every other topic is about GT-R. Enough said, time to change this forum to nsxgtrprime.com

Conclusion: above are just my opinion. I do not think Porsche 997 Turbo is an exotic car either, therefore, GT-R is probably not exotic car either. However, there is no doubt that it is a "Super Car" and freaking rare.

See what Jay said about it, too bad it is ugly color:
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Some mega wealthy guy's parking garage in Hong Kong, 4 floors, he own two GT-Rs, that is only Japanese sports car I spoted in the garage, there are obviously a few cars probably belongs to his servant or staff:
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Just wanted to point out that you said "Hell yes" but then by the end admitted it is in no way an exotic :tongue:

I'd say celebrities don't count in an even bigger way than car enthusiasts don't count. I mean really... They buy toys and burn out on them just as fast. I really dont care about rich guys in Hong Kong (or anywhere else) either. That guy most likely just buys everything as an ego boost and the GT-R is the latest toy. If the mags werent gushing over it (with all of the Godzilla BS), he wouldnt own it. And in any event, THAT guy would probably also say "well obviously this thing isnt exotic! Its a shitbox Nissan thats really fast!" since he owns an Enzo. About half of my social circle have more money than sense and I wouldnt consider them a barometer for anything at all.

As far as rarity, we shall see. I think Nissan will make as many as they can sell. If there end up being "low allocations" it will be because no one wanted it (just like the NSX) Once Jay Leno and the Hong Kong millionaires are out of the way, lets see how many people will REALLY pay $80k for a 4000lb 500hp Nissan Altima (kind of what it looks like to me)

Besides, "rarity" is CERTAINLY not a sole criteria of whether something is exotic anyhow. There are a ton of cars that are "rare" due to production realities but no one would call an exotic.

Personally, I think the GT-R actually looks WORSE in person, but looks are subjective.

To me, the GT-R is designed to appeal to the PlayStation generation and I think it does that really well. I think it sort of marks the end of the sports car, though, in many ways and I almost feel myself becoming one of those old timers who felt the *NSX* wasnt "engaging enough". IMAGINE what they think of the GT-R!

I suspect that for the next rev it will have 1500hp, no steering wheel or pedals... just a HUD and a dual shock attached to a USB port. You press the "on" button, and then select "go fast" from the pull down menu and then you kick back, watch Fast and Furious 3, and then after the car (er... you) is finished street racing for the day, you auto-upload your "kills" to various forums.

You then pick "home" and take a nap. :D

I'd rather take a slower car that looks like a work of art, is engaging, and actually has personality.

The GT-R is a video game. It looks like it drove off the page of some crazed manga and is about to transform into an 11 story robot and fight aliens. For some, that is exactly the appeal, but its tough to call it exotic. Its like a REALLY expensive and more refined EVO.
 

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Looks/Style:
It doesn't have the sleek lines that exotics usually have. It doesn't have the low slung mean demeanor that you would have in exotics. It's a giant brick with power. It looks nice, but not as jaw dropping or eye catching as a F430 or Gallardo. Exotic cars usually represent elusiveness and desire and that should show in the style of the car. GTR doesn't really ooze that either.

Performance:
It should be able to take a corner as if it's on rails. Stop at the drop of a dime. Take off as if it were a fighter jet. Okay so not to those exaggerations, but it should definitely be a something that would destroy most normal cars on the road and maybe even edge out most supercars of today. Yes the Gallardo probably will get eaten up by a GTR in some places, but that just shows how powerful and performing the GTR truly is. But an exotic should be able to be put on a track and feel right at home.

Rarity:
It's a relatively new car. Given that there are already a number of them in Toronto and Vancouver, and I'm sure Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal are housing a few. (Ottawa I believe has 1, but I don't know for sure). Either way, after a few years, this car will be sold used for pretty cheap. (It is said that less than 8000 should be produced each year (wiki rule of thumb))

Price:
Exotics are expensive. They're pricier to maintain and keep. The GTR from my understanding does fit this bill. However it's base price alone doesn't really set it high enough to be considered a exotic.

Heritage:
The car should come from a long line of other supercars. Miura's and Espada's weren't considered Exotic's then, but definitely the elite of the cars. I believe that eventually cars without heritage, supercars will become exotics over time. (McLaren F1, Koenigsegg CC, Pagani Zonda). The last two are the best supercars of today but once the company builds a reputation they will become exotic. I feel heritage is an issue as it has the appeal, the worth, the want of it. People can see a car and want it, but people who don't know cars see the car and absolutely know what it is. It is well known. Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Rolls-Royce. These four all have heritages and even though someone may not know cars, they know what these four are. Nissan doesn't really have this, the Skyline may have had it, but the GTR definitely does not. This may include racing heritage, but usually does not.



For Exotic after thinking about it, I believe it falls down into these 5 categories. (Obviously this will be disputed)

Although the GTR fits the performance and rarity criteria, I don't believe it passes the other three.

Supercar: Definitely.
Exotic: No.

P.S. No. I don't consider the NSX, Ford GT, Dodge Viper, Chevorlet Corvette to be exotics either. Great cars, and the last 3 are definitely supercars, but not exotic.


drtruong said:
If it is not exotic, then why it is in Meadowbrook Concours d’Elegance-the exotics.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125986
Click to expand...



Because at the same time, it would look weird next to cars where it just destroy's in terms of performance. Even though it's not an exotic you'll park it next to exotics because that's where it sits. Similarly you'll park Corvette's, Vipers and NSX's in the same spot. They have some of the qualities in the end, and you'll tend to park it next to it's competitor's. The GTR's competitors for the most part, save a few, are mostly exotics.
 
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mlambert890 said:
Just wanted to point out that you said "Hell yes" but then by the end admitted it is in no way an exotic :tongue:
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I did that on purpose. I am a human just like everyone else, I have emotions. My initially reaction was "hell yes". However, I did try to put emotion aside and think of car that is closest matched to GT-R and its true competitor, it was 997 Turbo. Therefore, I came up with my conclusion in end of previous post.

mlambert890 said:
As far as rarity, we shall see. I think Nissan will make as many as they can sell. If there end up being "low allocations" it will be because no one wanted it (just like the NSX) Once Jay Leno and the Hong Kong millionaires are out of the way, lets see how many people will REALLY pay $80k for a 4000lb 500hp Nissan Altima (kind of what it looks like to me)
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Dude, did Jay busted your little ego? Give the man a break.

It is a $85~$90k OTD car, the market is somewhat limited, combined with the fact that it is not a Italian or German, only a true enthusiast will pay that kind of price for one. Not many will buy a Nissan when they can get a used 360 modena for that price or M3 for $15~$20k less or pay a bit more and get F430. Remember Honda could not even give NSXes away with the dirt cheap $799 lease deals not because the car wasn't worth the price.

Everyone is entitle to their own opinions, prejudice without valid points is about as low class as it gets. You used the word "I think" a several times, perhaps get the fact straight first. The maximum factory capacity of building GT-R motors is 27 units per day, that is just the motor alone and holidays are also a factor, that is just motor alone. I wish I am wrong, as I am in market for a GT-R, but I don't want to pay the new MSRP of $80K+, I like the old MSRP of $69k without mark up. The cheapest used one near my area is $74k. That is why I don't have one yet. I am wishing for the price to fall, no luck so far, maybe in winter I will have better luck.

I actually don't like to compare NSX to GT-R. I look at it from a different point of view. I like to eat Sushi, but I don't want to eat sushi everyday. Sometimes I want some yaki-niku or shabu shabu. One thing that really devalued my NSX experience is how biased some of the NSX owners actually are. They are very sensitive even when no one is making a comparisons. They will somehow make a comparison and defend NSX whenever there is a car discussion not even related to NSX.

There is no need to tell me about the advantages of NSX, because I have one and it has been 7 years in case you did not noticed, I know it is great and I know its strength and weakness.

mlambert890 said:
I suspect that for the next rev it will have 1500hp, no steering wheel or pedals... just a HUD and a dual shock attached to a USB port. You press the "on" button, and then select "go fast" from the pull down menu and then you kick back, watch Fast and Furious 3, and then after the car (er... you) is finished street racing for the day, you auto-upload your "kills" to various forums.
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urr, ok:confused:

Amazing, I guess this is what happen when NSX prices have fallen so hard, that any kid who are in market for a brand new loaded Civic can get one, maybe not a perfect one, but they can get one if they want.

mlambert890 said:
I really dont care about rich guys in Hong Kong (or anywhere else) either. That guy most likely just buys everything as an ego boost and the GT-R is the latest toy. If the mags werent gushing over it (with all of the Godzilla BS), he wouldnt own it. And in any event, THAT guy would probably also say "well obviously this thing isnt exotic! Its a shitbox Nissan thats really fast!" since he owns an Enzo. About half of my social circle have more money than sense and I wouldnt consider them a barometer for anything at all.
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Did I asked if you care or not, why admit it?

Dude, your post is a classic example of extreme prejudice and full of assumptions. You should calm down and read it over, you are making all NSX owners look bad. It sounds like your ego is bigger than the HK guy you mentioned above, the dude actually could be the most humble guy in the world. Your post is arguably most distasteful post I had ever read on Nsxprime.
 
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I guess I'm in the minority when I voted yes. Admittedly it is ugly looking, but it's also hand made, limited production, higher priced (relative to all other Nissan cars) and has a lot of performance. Although I realize everyone has their own personal definition, I looked around and came across this website that has a small article on exotic car definition. I'm sure there are other sites or magazine articles that also have similar definitions and criteria, but the one thing I thought was interesting was the definition of "exotic." Taken from the first paragraph

'The term "exotic" ALONE by definition means, in its purest form, "strikingly strange or unusual".'

I think we can agree, it does look strange and unusual.


http://www.examiner.com/x-9044-Exotic-Car-Examiner~y2009m7d17-Exotic-Cars-101-What-does-the-term-Exotic-Car-mean-by-definition
 

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