Meet Skyline
Man and Supra Man, two caricatures of today's import scene
who are not too far from reality
Skyline Man doesn't care much for fashion, not that
you would consider him unkempt. Resplendent in a Polo Sport
shirt and neatly-pressed linen, Skyline Man
yearns for the heady days of International Group A racing,
the series that spawned his beloved GT-R.
Tackling an open piece of road spells heaven for a Skyline
Man, before stopping briefly with his equally well-groomed
professional partner for a bite to eat in a rural bake house,
ensuring not to drop any sprouts onto his trusty X-trainers.
GT-R flour mats are expensive and hard to clean, you see.
Skyline Man is about driving, exploring the limits of his
track-bred car, while its media-hyped aura makes a bold
statement of his intent.
Supra Man is altogether different. He uses cable to
watch re-runs of Miami Vice, and rarely, if ever, misses
a show. Supra Man likes making his own statements, cutting
an image, a bower bird of the automotive world, if you like.
Sporting fine Italian jewelry to match his designer hairstyle,
it is obvious to all that Supra Man 
works
out at least four times a week. He couldn't have it any
other way.
You will find Supra Man far from those tortuous stretches
of tarmac; he has nothing to prove here. Rather, he prefers
spending time viewing his trusty steed from the confines
of a café, tasting his latte, and enjoying the trappings
of Supra ownership. Supra Man knows all about the opposite
sex, and at any given time you can catch him low-riding
the strips with one of 3-4 potential dirty bangers. Cunningly
enough, Supra Man is able to fill his slacker with a mix
of both 'doof-doof' techno and Barry White. He rarely leaves
empty-handed, and credits the Supra as part of his success.
With such distinctly different purposes it's hard to
see how Supra Man and Skyline Man could ever come head-to-head.
The individuals may never meet, but their cars both stake
a claim at being the most muscle-bound of Japanese performance
cars in the $AUS50,000 - $70,000 price bracket. As the number
of the R33 GT-Rs and JZA80 Supras imported into Australia
increases almost daily, the line is starting to blur. Sometimes
you may spot a Skyline Man in a Supra, or vice versa. The
choice then comes down to one perception, so which car can
best ignite the driving passions of a keen, performance-hungry
public? It's a question that needs answering.
Possibly the showiest of
R33 GT-R Skylines is the LM 'Le Mans' model. Forget about the 400R,
there are simply not enough of them around, they're essentially
the Nissan equivalent of the unicorn. The LM is where it's
at for the best mix of both pace and style within the confines
of the R33 chassis. Although mechanically
identical to the V-Spec upon which it is based, the LM came
in lurid colours (only a small collection), with different
wheels and a Recaro interior to set it apart. If a GT-R
could ever tempt Supra Man, then this would be the one.
The rest of the recipe is a list of ingredients you have
been reading about for years:
RB26DETT twin-turbo 280ps engine,
ATTESA-Pro 4WD system,
HICAS four-wheel steering, large front-mounted intercooler and
Brembo brakes. This Skyline GT-R proved you can have your
cake and eat it, too. It really is possible to go extremely
fast, without diminished reliability, or an excessively
impractical body shape. There's no point in telling the
Europeans to sit up and take note; they already have.
Possibly the most underrated of the true Japanese performance
cars, though, would have to be the RZ Supra (that is the
Supra TT in the US - ed), in Australia, at least. Both the Japanese
and the Americans are quick to sing the praises of the resilient
and highly potent 2JZ-GTE 3-litre sequential twin-turbo
engine. It's torquey, more flexible than the RB26 and in
modified form has turned American import drag racing on
its head. Teaming up with a Getrag six-speed transmission
gives it an additional cog over the Nissan - a significant
buying point for some. On the flip side, the Supra lacks
the highly sophisticated 4WD system of the GT-R, putting
all its considerable power through only the two rear wheels.
Before continuing, we'd like to thank Pedro (an interesting
hybrid of the Skyline and Supra men) from Motor City Imports;
without his help, this comparison would not have been possible.
That Pedro had both the immaculate LM and Supra RZ in his
yard is a credit to him and his team of buyers. With all
sorts of interesting cars arriving (such as a black V-Spec
II R34 GT-R … mmm), it's worth dialling (08) 8367 5775
when you're seeking something sweet.
