R31 Skyline coupes would make for great pickup truck conversions

"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty) 12/30/2013 at 01:49 • Filed to: skyoriner

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Night (/Morning). Please don't kill me.

Milky > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 12/30/2013 at 01:58

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JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Milky 12/30/2013 at 02:02

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I would be really pissed if I saw one, but let's be honest: it could have made for a damned nice ute. GTS-1500R, anyone? :P

Milky > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 12/30/2013 at 02:10

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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 12/30/2013 at 02:16

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There's plenty out there. Certainly a former bosozoku car could lead a much more dignified existence as a custom shop ute instead of a disgrace.

Milky > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/30/2013 at 02:24

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BLAnF;AJKBSEFLJHFN ENOUGH ELITIST CAR ENTHUSIAST CRAP! Not entirely directed at you, but damn thats the one thing I hate about Oppo. I'm sure the owner of this car has just as much fun with it as I do with my car.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 12/30/2013 at 02:28

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Then likewise, this guy would certainly enjoy his ute-ified R31 a ton, correct? If not him, then perhaps another?

Milky > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/30/2013 at 02:33

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True, but that bozo is always created but the ute is not.

That actually brings up another thing I don't get about oppo, the El Camino love. Also I think you got kinja'd.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 12/30/2013 at 02:38

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Well I don;t get the FR-S love. I get the ute love because of silliness. I love ridiculousness. Too many cars are appliances. But the bozo look is too far and too impractical to drive in my book. It's an ironic look - you copy the silhouette race cars by making a car that can't be driven hard. At least, I wouldn't drive it hard. The one you posted would have pipes bending everywhere and a front body piece that would just snap off and possibly do a lot of damage to me or my car if I had an off. I can;t imagine heavily stretched tires hold up well to high g-loading either.

Milky > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/30/2013 at 02:51

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I think you're missing the point of a bozo car. Its the same as those exotics in London. Something extravagant to be seen in. Not everyone is interested in a cars cornering G's.

Also I Just crept on your most over rated car post …. you really don't like all the love the twins get.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 12/30/2013 at 03:27

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Eh, I guess the goal of "getting looks" there is a parallel but not much beyond that. Namely because the looks the supercars get are to be looks of envy and jealousy of either the car or the driver. Meanwhile the bozos are meant to get looks of hate and disgust. But back to my original point - you defending the bozos is no different from someone defending an R31 ute. In both cases, the car is chopped up and turned into a different creation. It will suit some tastes and not others.

And no, I don't. I feel like I sort of have to be a reality check since everyone seems to hump their wheels as if they've been forced to drive a CVT yaris all their lives. Good =/= perfect. Mindless praise will ensure they stay as they are and they will be mediocre in very short order. It was a breath of fresh air but if the market for these cars are hot then we need another challenger or two in that segment to ensure a good car. I honestly believe the FR-S is the "beige" sports car. It is exactly what toyota would make if toyota made that type of car. It's predictable, safe, and probably decently bolted together. It just doesn't feel special from behind the wheel though. I don't care for the old Datsun 510 but I think I would like Nissan's potential competitor. I would LOVE to see ford make an SVO new mustang that is basically a lightweight stang with a boosted 4-pot. It would be a size above the FR-S but it would actually be liveable as well as having a solid base to work with and a stout power figure off the lot. VW's mid engined basic sports car could be interesting if they ever make it, but my hopes for that are low. Now if they made a now honda beat? I'd set a new speed record getting to the dealership to plunk down a deposit. The chevy is a wild card in my mind. I'd guess they would go one of two ways - as good as the FR-S but cheaper and not any better in performance or feel, or go full on hot-rod and call it the nova or something and give it a next-gen ecotec turbo motor. Maybe wind up the 1.4L turbo like they've been talking about. If they could crest 220 or 230 with it that would be an impressive piece of kit.....But none of that will happen if people just suck the toyobaru's dick and ignore the competition the car already faces from other segments. Perhaps by having a few other players, cars like the GTI and the WRX and the pony cars might evolve in other ways to differentiate themselves from these base spots cars. Hence, I feel the need to be vocal and remind people that the car is very far from perfect and the only way it will ever get better is to admit that it has room to grow and perhaps try and figure out where that should happen.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 12/30/2013 at 09:29

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Challenge Accepted

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 12/30/2013 at 10:17

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It's... it's... beautiful!

Milky > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/30/2013 at 11:49

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Yea your point about bozo's vs the ute was spot on, thats why I was trying to ignore it and not admit defeat on the internet lol.

But as for the FRS, I feel like you're the only one that doesn't love the way it drives. From all the reviews I've watched it gets an insane amount of love. I personally love how they didn't go for numbers and went with a car that feels drifty (I don't know how else to say that). Probably need to mention I've never driven one, but my friend with a Miata test drove one and he liked it a lot.

As for the competition, I'm 99% sure that VW bluesport thing is never going to be made, considering how old that concept is now. When it comes to the big 3, I just don't know if there is enough room in their product line ups for 2, 20-something-k sports car. Esp. since the new Camaro and Mustang are going to be lighter, and we all ready know the Mustang is getting a 4cyl. Hell maybe Dodge can get that miata/alfa platform thats coming out and make the Demon/Razor they have always wanted to do.

Also I'm the resident #RWDFanBoy so the GTI just doesn't do anything for me.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 12/30/2013 at 12:46

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I know I'm not alone since I've heard others echo my sentiments on here but usually we end up buried under a sea of "You just don't get it!" comments. Yes, I get it, it slides. Guess what? So will all the pony cars that you can get in that price bracket.

My biggest beef by a country mile with the FR-S is that price. I understand they used a new boxer engine for better weight balance and whatnot, but really? 25k base price? Really? I mean, REALLY? If they changed nothing else and priced it down to 20k, I'd drink the kool-aid. If it was maybe a touch more but had the WRX turbo boxer, I'd be all over it. But no, the BRZ sits on lots priced almost as much as the WRX......Good job subaru. I fear that after a year or two, sales will fall pretty hard as the people who wanted one already got one and everyone else looks at the sticker and walks away. These cars can be enjoyed by more than just the hardcore enthusiasts if priced and built correctly.

The one benefit of that is if it somehow works, then it does mean there will be a spot for such a car in the Big 3's lineups. If I was GM, I'd make the V6 in the camaro a bit more powerful or do away with it entirely and use a smaller sports coupe beneath it with a turbo 4 to get fuel numbers high enough to let the camaro stick around. Slap some opel badges on it and call it the manta in europe. If they do it correctly, it could be a magical money printer. Problem solved. I agree that ford should just stick to making the mustang lighter and using their turbo 4. It's a great motor that will keep costs low. I'd be curious how expensive lightweight hood, roof, and trunk would be if they offered it as an upgrade package. Probably 1500 or more but if it saved over 50 lbs and if they let you get some ultra light wheels they might be able to close the weight gap. I don't think ford has any need for a smaller sports coupe unless they make it a two seat roadster. Dodge showrooms NEED a car like this. Some sexy italian body on a boosted version of their own next-gen four cylinder would be a good fit for dodge's "performance" bend.

From VW - bluesport as-is is dead, but they keep saying they want to do something so it's a wild card that I wouldn't ignore if I was an automaker. I bet money toyota lit a fire under some engineers' butts by saying VW could launch their bluesport roadster and put them in a pickle. At this point, an audi/porsche 30-40k base price roadster is more likely though. While on the topic of Euros, a fiat spider would be interesting though.....Maybe make the fiat could be the 2-seater roadster version of the dodge? Make the dodge the FR-S competitor and the fiat the miata competitor? That might actually net a viable global sales number to justify building a platform for it.

But having thought about this for a while, the true dark horse in all of this could be.....KIA! Think about it - hyundai has the veloster and the genesis coupe. Kia sorta wimpers out in terms of performance with their "sporty" model being the Forte Koup and the less said about that, the better. But maybe they could build an FR-S competitor. Naturally aspirated inline 4 base engine with an optional turbo. Kia probably could save enough costs to get the base price to 20k or less. Keep the genesis coupe for hyundai and maybe use their 1.6L engines instead of the 2.0 to try and boost fuel economy and differentiate it from the GC. It would not surprise me if a business case could be made for such a car. It might not be "as good as" the FR-S and certainly material quality will be a bit lower but if it heats up the segment then I'm all for it.

Of course, they've made no such plans but if they do - remember that I called it.

Milky > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/30/2013 at 13:59

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I'm very curious as to why you think the Mustang is close enough to a FRS as is, and just needs to lose a little weight, but the Camaro needs a whole other car beneath it?? I thought it was essentially fact now that the next Camaro is going on the ATS platform, which means smaller and lighter.

But I also was disappointed in the FRS's price, esp. since both the pony cars are 23k AND the Miata starts 23k. I'll also agree with the Dodge sentiments. They're essentially just a sporty brand now and there definitely is room under the Challenger in their line up for something sporty. Because we all know these are muscle cars, not sports cars.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 12/30/2013 at 14:20

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There is room underneath the camaro because they've done it in the past. The fiero, solstice, and cobalt SS have all done just fine as cheap speed beneath the bigger brother camaro....Well not necessarily fine, but somewhere in the halls of the tech center there was a viable business case made for them. But now, chevy has nothing while ford has the fiesta ST and Focus ST. They're not RWD but be reasonable for a second - numbers do matter. Why have three cars in the 20-27k price bracket that are basic performance vehicles meant to be used everyday? Another model would be a farce in those showrooms. Not only that, it would either have to ride on its own platform (HUGE MISTAKE TO DO SO) or shorten the mustang platform. It wouldn't be a 100% apples to apples comparison, but if it is priced the same as the FR-S and has a similar goal in mind, then the mustang can surely reach down with a more basic model just as easily as the Boss 302 and GT500 reach up in the market.

Milky > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/30/2013 at 14:41

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Ehh I'm not sure those cars count as underneath the Camaro. Mainly because 2 were sold in different showrooms. But Chevy does need another hotted up version of a regular car aka sonic or cruze SS. I'm surprised they haven't done that yet with the following the Brobalt SS has.

But I think just give us a slightly hotter version of the 2.0t in the Camaro, and you know they have to be considering that because the Mustang is doing it.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 12/30/2013 at 14:47

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I have no doubt that they could put an ecotec in the camaro, but I don't know how confident they are of the camaro in Europe where they would be aiming that car. I think the mustang has a bit more presence there in terms of lore and street cred so it might not end well for them to push the camaro in Europe. Meanwhile, Opel has had a number of assorted coupes with 4 and 6 cylinder engines over the years so if they made a coupe beneath the camaro they can sell it here as a chevy and in Europe as an Opel and try and use some of the brand equity over there. They leave the camaro as the brawny, blue-collar pony car that flips the bird at hybrids (even though behind the scenes it was engineered to be much greener than almost all cars made 10 years ago despite being a performance coupe) and maybe use that to their marketing advantage. It sounds stupid, but they might be able to spin the "our pony car doesn't use 4-bangers" into a decent ad campaign. If dodge could do the "Our sedan is MANLY" ads and sell the charger like hotcakes then maybe there's something there.

But all of this is just potential strategy. Perhaps the next 1LE camaro will be a stripped down turbo-4 powered car? I guess I could see it. Would make for a fun SCCA class - turbo-4 powered FR-S, Mustang, GC, Camaro, and more!

Milky > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 12/30/2013 at 23:56

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That would be a sweet SCCA class …. but I think they should do a one make series like the Miata for ….

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 12/31/2013 at 00:15

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Dude, I've told my friends time and time again they should do spec lolcar. When they show the standings during the race, there will be a color box next to a driver's name. The solid color will be for the car body and they'll have either a border or a stripe down the box to indicate off-center stripe color.

It would be a dirt cheap racing series and give some surprisingly entertaining racing. I once got air at a AutoX when I took a "dirt line" but missed the apex by about 4 feet.......Don't ask. But nothing makes a statement quite like skying a cheap chevy coupe on your way to a decent showing. They also take one hell of a beating. I abused mine for years before it finally gave up and admitted defeat. They also have a sense of revenge. Making fun of it made it want to beat you. The owner of a highly tuned V6 mustang found that out the hard way. Nothing makes your front splitter seem more useless than being beaten by some POS 800$ chevy running mismatched tires front and rear. I felt sorry for his sponsors too.