More of a fraud

The problem what I have with this car is that it's meant to be bought like a pair of Italian shoes. Not really practical, not pretty but expensive, hence it's a fashion statement. I'm talking of course of the Nissan Juke.

The mere existence of it annoys me. It's a forceful try of Nissan to make a hip car for the "young" parent. And they did this by having it star in some funky commercials with it being under water and skydiving. Now that is some great marketing right there. Granted, it does look different and combined with those funny commercials it was destined to end up being a fashion statement. It looks big as well and you sit a little higher up than in a sensible car, which appeals to people who think sun glasses should be the size of microwave ovens. And it's classed as a crossover. Please. The only thing it can cross over are some pebbles on a roadwork site.

I've actually got a family member who just bought a Juke second hand. I wasted so many hours trying to convince here that there are better cars out there and at a cheaper price. But her mind was set on a Juke so it was a lost cause. I said the VW Golf is cheaper and bigger, but no. I said the new Opel Meriva is very innovative and different like the Juke, but no. So now she drives around in a brown Juke. 

Nissan pulled off the same stunt that BMW did with the new Mini. It's fashion. You could have bought a warm fuzzy beanie when instead you came home with a fedora. It's not as warm or as simple, but at least it looks good (or so you think). 

But at least my family member says it's good to drive.

This is the Nismo tuned Juke. 197 hp is not enough to make it go away.

I'd have the Opel Meriva instead. Look how happy the kids are to see it. 

Should it stay the R8?

When people who find out that I'm a car enthusiast - or car nerd if you prefer - they always ask me what is your favourite car..... in the world? Good for you if you got that reference. I always think a bit because I do not want to answer Audi R8, but i always do.

Looks stunning in white.

The thing is that I actually don't know what else to answer because it's such a perfect car. It looks fabulous (not in a gay way), it has great performance and has a great noise which makes it the perfect super car. I don't really care about the V10 version of the R8 - even though it has a hundred more horsepower than the original V8 model - because then the R8 becomes a cheaper Lamborghini Gallardo. And who wants that? 

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera and a woman.

I've thought about saying that my favourite car is the Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera but I don't really feel comfortable with that answer. Saying that your favourite car is a super car from Italy is like saying your favourite band is Coldplay. It's a bit mainstream. Don't get me wrong I absolutely adore the Gallardo, I even think it's better looking than the R8 but I still don't want to put it as my #1 car.

Lancia Stratos with the legendary Alitalia colours.

One car that I also put high on my list of all time great cars is the Lancia Stratos. I usually state this car to be my favourite classic car. I think that many European car bores - and why not some Americans too - would name this car their favourite. Its glorious body, its fantastic 2.4 litre Ferrari engine and its success in rallying is a hard combination to resist. Actually, you would have to have a heart of stone not to like this car.

Well, here are my favourite cars that I came to think of in the 30 minutes it took me to write this little post. Here are some pictures of cars that I think could be someones favourites. And do feel free to comment on what your favourite car is.

Jaguar E-type

Nissan GT-R

This car has to be someones favourite. Ferrari 365 GTB/4 (Ferrari Daytona)

Godzilla

Why the Nissan GT-R is great.
I’m constantly pestered by my friend about my love for the GT-R even if I never have or probably never will own or even drive one. There are only a few cars in your lifetime that you spend your valuable time in class dreaming of instead of listening to the professor talking about his bath sponge or something.

It all began for me with the Skyline R32 the first of the GT-Rs. I saw it on the telly in a cartoon being driven by an awesome anti-hero, for me he was the coolest guy ever and so the car was the coolest ever. Later in life I decided to look into it and found out that there were quite a few of GT-Rs around and that they were quite popular especially in japan where they are regarded as gods.

They have the road and track pedigree equal of any European super car. All other cars in the same performance range are miles from the GT-R in terms of value to money, you simply can’t go faster cheaper. This does not mean low quality…no... the opposite. Every detail from the body to the engine is crafted to perfection, the whole body is crafted to move wind to the spoiler and every engine is handmade! Of course some sacrifices are made to keep the price from going to the skies but these are small and really irrelevant to the overall experience.

It has recently gotten a huge amount of hate dropped on it, people think it’s boring and no fun. Too mechanical, too quiet, it has no soul and all that. If you think that then I have news for you: this car is not for you! This car is for people like me who get a boner from science and technology. It is about perfection being anal about every little detail to perfection, every detail is crafted to perfection; that is what the GT-R is about.

Call me a fanboy if you want. I do not care. The Nissan GT-R is one of the greatest cars of the 2000s and one for the ages. It is a mark for other companies to strive towards and view as an example of greatness.

R32. R33, R34

And the Nissan GT-R (R35)

-Jontsuy