According to Prestige Motorsport, the new R35 GT-R can now be imported legally under SEVS!

However, compliance is as far as 12 months away (2009), and prices are expected to exceed AU$100,000 for the new Nissan supercar. Regardless, this is a big fist in the eye of Nissan Australia, as enthusiasts will now be able to grab the new car directly from the JDM without Nissan Australia’s interference!

[Source: Prestige Motorsport]

Popularity: 61% [?]

Totally awesome. Watch the GT-R take the 997 to task around Tsukuba. All said and done, Nissan’s built great competition for the Euro’s with the new R35. Still, insane JDM car fan as I am, I would still take that sexy 997 for a drive. And maybe never come back

Popularity: 50% [?]

The awesome photographers over at CarAdvice have captured the second GT-R to land in Australia, belonging to an unknown (and well-to-do) enthusiast. Rumoured to cost around AU $150,000 (A very hefty premium even on the US $69K price-tag for the GT-R in the USA) the GT-R cannot be road registered in Australia, courtesy of Nissan Australia.

Nissan Australia execs, we are glaring at you right now. Fix this debacle and let us import them, or bring them here!

Popularity: 58% [?]

The Concept RA has appeared in Detroit looking like a cross between the new Lancer EVO and (perhaps) the latest generation USDM Mitsubishi Eclipse, or even an Audi TT.

The strictly concept only (Sorry, guys and girls) Concept RA sports a 2.2 litre, DOHC 16-valve 150kw/201HP/420nm high output, clean burn diesel engine, as part of Mitsubishi’s new drive towards eco-friendly performance sports cars.

In order to achieve low consumption while not sacrificing performance means the Concept RA features Mitsubishi’s proprietary MIVEC variable valve control technology, an all aluminum space frame, variable diffuser/variable geometry turbocharger, peizoelectric injector system and also sports some impact resistant, recyclable plastic resin panels as part of it’s construction.

Environmental features include a new catalytic converter system that combines a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), NOx trap catalyst (NTC) and diesel particulate filter (DPF) in addition to the highly efficient 2.2 litre clean burning diesel.

Of course, the Concept RA sports Fulltime 4WD, Twin Clutch SST Transmission, and the new S-AWC (Super-All Wheel Control) most notably seen on the new EVO. As mentioned before on IJ, S-AWC is a combination of existing technologies, Active Center Differential, Active Yaw Control, ABS and Active Stability Control.

Unfortunately though, all this is to be shelved as the car is designed purely as a concept, and won’t challenge either Honda’s offering in the new CRZ (CRX) or Toyota’s rumored new ‘AE86’.

Popularity: 57% [?]