This year, the all-new Nissan Z and the 2024 Nissan GT-R in the local market—and there’s no better place to try out these sports cars than on a racetrack. We join Nissan Philippines for a track day with these latest tarmac terrorists, and also drive them back to back their previous iterations for good measure.
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Dig cars?
Read more about cars and motoring here: http://www.topgear.com.ph
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TopGearPH
Tweet us: http://www.twitter.com/TopGearPH
Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/TopGearPH
Join us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@topgearph
#topgearph
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BEBE7G6444LM5ZWI
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Over the last couple of years we have been blessed by several JDM performance
00:05 models over the years. You've got Honda Civic Type R and the Toyota's GR models
00:10 but you could say that the car that opened the floodgates for JDM
00:14 performance cars in the country would be this one, the Nissan GT-R and we're also
00:19 really happy that a lot of manufacturers are letting us play with them on the
00:24 racetrack. So Nissan has brought us over to Clark International Speedway to take
00:28 the new GT-R out for a spin and as a bonus we're also gonna be driving the
00:33 new Z.
00:36 But before we head on to the actual cars right outside we're actually in the sim
00:51 room where we will virtually drive the 370Z and the GT-R around a simulated
00:57 version of the Clark International Speedway. Now I just finished my lap and
01:01 what's counted here is the first lap so there's no practice laps or whatever. As
01:05 you can see I'm already making excuses and truth be told I did quite badly and
01:10 a couple of laps and of course I got the hang of it but since the first lap is
01:15 only counted yeah the times aren't great but at least I was able to have a feel
01:21 around Clark International Speedway with these rather powerful sports cars.
01:26 Of course a Nissan event wouldn't be complete without a mention of its heritage.
01:30 In this case Nissan brought out a couple of examples of the early Z's as well as
01:36 a couple of GT-Rs, Skyline GT-Rs to be exact. Now we're gonna start with the Z's
01:42 first and this is a 240Z or a Datsun 240Z or a Nissan Fairlady Z S30.
01:49 S30 being the chassis code. This one came out in 1969 it had a straight-six
01:55 engine and a big deal at the time was a five-speed manual transmission. Most cars
02:01 had like four speeds or some even had three speed manuals at the time. Now by
02:06 today's standards the horsepower figures don't sound too impressive made about
02:09 150 horsepower but if you're gonna go back to 1969 or 1970 you have to realize
02:16 that your average Japanese family car made about 60 to 75 so 150 in this thing
02:22 was an absolutely huge deal. Okay so you're probably wondering what we're
02:27 doing beside another S30 or S31 era Nissan Fairlady Z. Well that's because if
02:34 you haven't noticed it has a different front end. Now that is what they call the
02:38 G-Nose and it was primarily for motorsports because that droops new
02:42 front end was a little bit more aerodynamic than the standard Z models
02:46 and of course the hood is longer and you're also gonna see headlight
02:51 extensions all the way right at the front. Alright now we move on to the
02:56 Skyline GT-R range and obviously what we have here is an R32 GT-R but actually
03:02 the GT-R name dates all the way back to the late 60s with a Hakosuka Skyline
03:08 or the box Skyline and at the time Nissan's intention was to enter a car
03:14 for its GT racing series over in its home market and given its success they
03:19 ended up making a second generation in about 1972 or 1971. However during that
03:26 time the oil crisis hit and the second generation Skyline GT-R only made 197
03:33 units. It took a while before Nissan would bring back the GT-R name and
03:37 technically this is the third generation Skyline GT-R, the R32 and recently
03:42 Nissan just went all out with this. They gave it all-wheel drive, a turbo straight
03:46 six and basically every tech you could throw at it in 1989. Now of interest is
03:53 its all-wheel drive system or what they call a Atesa and Atesa isn't just some
03:58 random term that Nissan came up with. It's actually an acronym and it stands
04:02 for wait for it Advanced Total Traction Engineering for All Terrain and now we
04:09 come to the last car on display here the R33 Skyline GT-R. Now the R33 does get
04:15 some flack from Skyline enthusiasts and GT-R enthusiasts. Some people would call
04:20 it a boat because it was so big compared to the R32 but one thing people forget
04:25 is that the R33 was actually even more dominating in the motorsport scene
04:31 especially in its home market of Japan and at the same time it was one of the
04:36 first cars to lap the Nurburgring in about eight minutes. I know a lot of cars
04:42 do seven minutes these days and about seven minutes thirty but if you're gonna
04:47 go back to '95 when this car was first introduced, eight minutes was almost
04:51 unheard of. That's how big of a deal the R33 GT-R is and people these days just
04:59 make memes about it being a boat of sorts but really if you dig deeper about
05:04 the R33 and know about its legacy you're gonna have a lot of respect for this car.
05:09 Now like the R32 it has a 2.6-liter straight-six, the RB26, and on paper it
05:18 says 280 horsepower but actually that's just to comply with the Japanese
05:24 regulations at the time. In reality it was easily making more than 300, same
05:29 with the R32 actually. Now the reason for that was a gentleman's agreement that
05:35 was set sort of in the 80s and in the 90s that you know cars are becoming more
05:39 powerful and whatnot and the 280 horsepower figure is just to appease
05:45 the Japanese government. Of course Japan finally got rid of that gentleman's
05:50 agreement which is why we have nearly 600 horsepower in today's GT-R. Now for a
05:56 little bit more Z appreciation, Nissan Philippines actually set up this little
06:00 theater. It's actually in the paddock and it's essentially a compilation of clips
06:05 from the past from the 60s, 70s, and even the 80s and we recently greeted to a
06:11 rather nostalgic view of the 90s as well. Now basically what's going on here is a
06:16 little bit of an explanation of how the Z was formed and also the fans of the Z
06:21 along the way. And obviously there's some popcorn inside so I might as well pop
06:26 back inside and continue watching. Alright guys so it's time to go on the
06:32 track and the first car I will be driving is none other than the new Z. So
06:38 the engine is smaller this time around but it packs a bigger punch thanks to a
06:41 pair of extra turbos. So from 3.7 liter v6 naturally aspirated we are now using
06:48 a 3 liter twin turbo v6 and let's see how it goes on track. So with me in the
06:55 new Z today is none other than George Ramirez who has driven this car around a
07:01 couple of times already. For now we're gonna take it a little bit easy, give
07:07 some impressions on this car and the way I'm driving it
07:14 you know it's not even flinching right now this car is chilling on the racetrack
07:21 and what I can tell you is that it's got bags of grip. Of course I dare, I dare not
07:27 to turn off the traction control or the stability control because I don't want
07:32 to be the guy who wrecks it.
07:35 Of course you don't need to. Yeah. It allows, I put it on sport mode so it allows quite a lot of rotation.
07:50 Okay so for comparison I am also going to drive this the 370Z. So this one
07:56 doesn't have a turbo engine and it has a 3.7 liter v6 naturally aspirated but
08:01 makes less power than the Z that I just drove earlier. Alright so comparo time.
08:07 And in the car with me is Stefan Ramirez. So hi Stef. Hello. Actually me and Stef go quite a way back.
08:18 Way back in college actually. I don't know if Stef trusts me with this car. Of course I do.
08:26 This takes a bit while longer to respond. Well it's NA.
08:34 But throttle, feel, pedal you mean? A little bit. Yeah. This is a 2020 I believe. Yeah it's a 2020 model.
08:44 Good. Go to the outside. Brake in. Stay out. I'll leave you on manual. Yeah.
08:52 Start your turn in. Apex on the right. Squeeze.
09:00 I don't want to say it's slow but you feel the difference between this and the 400. Oh for sure.
09:11 Medyo malayo dude. Yeah for sure. But you put in on two more turbos. That's true.
09:19 Onto what would almost essentially be the same engine just with turbos. Yeah.
09:25 And now for the GT-R. The well okay the Z is the main event but this is also a main event.
09:32 And we're gonna take it out on the track. This is the 2024 model but before we do that we actually have to gas up.
09:38 So see you in a bit. Alright so now with the GT-R. Oh my god.
09:47 Okay I actually had to lift off there man. I had to lift off there. Oh my god.
09:54 So I wasn't even able to introduce my instructor for the GT-R. It is Jaime Ramirez.
10:00 And he is gonna take me on a guided lap here because I am going to need it because this is the most powerful car I've ever driven on a race track.
10:07 And brake. Okay so far my impression is it's it's easy to drive but the speed is overwhelming.
10:19 I'm gonna lift off early man. I'm sorry if our viewers are gonna call us wusses or call me a wuss.
10:30 You guys try driving this thing on full throttle.
10:37 And for our final car it is the pre-update Nissan GT-R. And yes this one does have gas this time around.
10:46 So let's just do let's just compare notes compared to the 2024 model and see what's what.
10:54 And in the car with me is none other than Luis Ramirez.
11:00 Because the other GT-Rs scared the living crap out of me I am going to rely on Luis' instruction to keep me not scared.
11:12 It's still as yeah it's still as hugely explosive as the 2024 model truth be told. Thanks.
11:24 From from those impressions I don't think Nissan really had to update it because this thing is this it's still hugely hugely insanely fast.
11:34 Especially on the straight and the grip the grip on this thing is gonna ease into the throttle.
11:42 Okay I'm gonna lift off early Luis because I am a wuss.
11:52 It has been a great day at the track here and we are really thankful for Nissan for lending us these cars out to go do some laps.
12:02 And it's not just the latest versions of the GT-R and the Z that we're able to drive today.
12:07 It's also the previous versions of the Z and the GT-R.
12:11 So just a quick recap of each car that we've driven today. So 370Z still a solid car.
12:17 I mean yeah it's pretty old already but my god the way this one drives.
12:22 Nissan says it's not a totally new car but they changed like 80% of it and that 80% almost makes it feel like a totally different machine.
12:31 That's mainly because of its twin turbo engines and personally I think the new Z would be my favorite in this batch.
12:39 Now for the GT-Rs I will admit that the 2019 model scared the shit out of me because the rear was just really wiggly.
12:48 That's not the fault of the car that's really more of my skill set but hopping into the 2024 model it's a whole different ballgame.
12:56 I mean it feels similar in a way but there's just a little bit more confidence when you're just slamming on the throttle and corner exit.
13:04 But all in all great cars no matter what and when it comes to performance there's no doubt that Nissan definitely knows what they're doing.
13:12 And to those people who do end up buying the new Z or the GT-R, I just have one request.
13:18 For the love of god please bring them to the racetrack because you guys have no idea what you're missing when it comes to the abilities of these cars.
13:26 [Music]