The word from Japan's BestCar magazine is that Nissan has delayed the launch of the GT-R V-Spec in Japan from this fall to sometime later this year or early 2009. The reason for the delay hasn't been divulged, but as a stop-gap measure, Nissan will be releasing an Evolution or S-Tune version fitted with several of the parts developed by NISMO and fitted on the race-spec version of the GT-R that campaigned in Tokachi 24-hour enduro.
The launch of the Evolution/S-Tune model will coincide with the release of NISMO's line of performance parts, due out later this month, and will include suspension upgrades, new aero parts, wheels and tires, along with a revised ECU and a new exhaust system. Look for an official announcement from Nissan on August 20th.
Nissan's motorsports arm, NISMO, will bring a race-prepared GT-R to the Tokachi 24-hour race on July 20th and 21st equipped with NISMO tuning parts that will be available to consumers later this summer. The car is being prepped by both NISMO and MOTUL, the Japanese French specialty oil manufacturer, and the modified GT-R will benefit from a special blend of the brand's high-performance oil.
The GT-R won't be packing additional ponies, with power still pegged at 480 PS (473 hp) and 434 lb.-ft. of torque. However, the curb weight of the racer has dropped from over 3,800 pounds to 3,527 pounds. Masami Kageyama (former Formula Nippon racer and SuperGT pilot) and Tetsuya Tanaka (2008 Super GT GT300 driver) will be handling the tuned GT-R around the track at Tokachi.
The team's director, Taro Kumagai, points out that this is the first time a production-based GT-R has been raced, and that the aim of the campaign "is to complete the race distance, testing both the performance and reliability of the car." There's no word yet on what performance parts will be released and whether they'll find their way into NISMO-certified dealers in the U.S. We'll let you know.
After protests by California auto dealers, the head of California's Air Resources Board (CARB) said she is willing to discuss modifying one aspect of the state's stringent emission regulations. Mary Nichols, CARB Chairwoman, told reporters at an SAE Government/Industry meeting that she is open to "regional" standards for tailpipe emissions, rather than the current standards that create state-by-state standards.
As it stands now, automakers need to cut tailpipe emissions 30 percent by 2016, per regulations established by California in 2002. With 13 states adopting those same requirements and more in the process, a patchwork of regulations is emerging nationwide. Automakers, and auto dealers, have argued that such a trend could force some brands to stop selling vehicles altogether in places like California, because it's too cost prohibitive to build different versions of the same car to meet a multitude of standards. Some also speculate that consumers would just go buy larger vehicles in neighboring states with less stringent regulations. A regional approach to emission regulations might protect auto dealers from watching their business walking out of the state, but we're certain that the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers that represents most major carmakers in the U.S. will continue arguing for California's standards to be disregarded in favor of the more stringent national standards set forth in our nation's new energy bill.
The second round of the SuperGT Championship wrapped up over the weekend, and for the first time in ten years, one team sat atop the podium for two consecutive wins. The XANAVI NISMO GT-R, piloted by Benoit Treluyer and Satoshi Motoyama, took the GT500 class win in Okayama, despite being saddled with a 100 kg weight penalty after winning the first race of the season. The last time a team was able to land first place two races in a row was in 1998 when the another Skyline GT-R won the first and third race of the season (the 2nd race was cancelled due to poor weather).
In the GT300 race, the No. 43 team running the ARTA Garaiya took its first win with a new chassis design, followed by the Yunker Power Taisan Porsche and in a surprise 3rd place finish, the No. 77 Cusco Dunlop Subaru Impreza made its first appearance on the podium after struggling with reliability issues after utilizing a new all-wheel-drive system.
In California, home of the strictest car emissions regulations in the U.S., cars produced before 1976 do not need to undergo smog testing. California State Senator Dean Florez has proposed legislation that would remove that exemption for cars registered in the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.
What would that mean if it were passed into law? It would mean that as of January 1, 2009, any car registered in a rather large swathe of central California -- from the 1974 Maverick to the 1929 Model A -- would need to pass every current and future smog test. If it didn't, it couldn't be driven.
It is theorized that the move comes because state authorities have missed their air quality goals and are now looking at targeting a tiny fraction of cars. Living in LA, we can't speak for Central California, but most of the pre-1976 vehicles we see here sound and run better than the glut of 80's Toyotas puttering down the streets. What vintage car owners fear is that if the legislation becomes law in the San Joaquin Valley, then it's only a matter of time before it gets adopted everywhere.
