A large air dam, a long hood, and a flat windscreen - the front almost threatens the one daring to look at it. The clefted front spoiler seems to consist of nothing else but air inlets, and almost appears to touch the road. Staring back at you through narrow, clear, and canted headlights this car looks like a samurai ready to fight.

And ready it definitely is. Standing on 245/40 ZR18 Bridgestone Potenza RE040 tires (developed specifically for this car), the GT-R ducks low above the ground, its extensive wheel-housings making it look even wider than it actually is - in reality the R33 is just 5mm narrower.

Understated? Certainly not! Overstyled? Maybe! But aggressive the GT-R surely looks. The design of the side is more supple in style though, with the low-profile Potenzas on 18-inch six-spoke alloys and the emphasized fenders underlining the coupe’s sportive body-lines. Although it is 7.5cm shorter than the R33 (4.6m), the GT-R's profile still looks very impressive - even without resembling the front’s aggressive styling.

This is mostly true for the car’s rear as well. The adjustable rear wing and carbonfiber underbody diffuser (only for the V-Spec) not only distinguish the GT-R from the sedans and standard coupes, but also aid its high-speed stability considerably.

Featuring four seats and a decent trunk, the Skyline GT-R is actually one of the few top-performers that are quite useful in normal day driving. The interior is simple, but tastefully styled, with all controls in easy reach. Even up to speeds in excess of 75 mph the cabin stays remarkably quiet and, apart from the bucket seats, could easily be mistaken for that of a luxury coupe. Even passive safety is paid tribute to with standard driver’s and passenger’s airbags, as well as optional side-airbags.

But this car is also prepared for sportive driving. The bucket-seats wrap the driver like a second skin and give him perfect lateral support even during tight cornering, in addition, they are not less comfortable for long-distance rides, as well. The sportive touch is underlined by aluminum applications in the center console and for the boy-racers among us there even is a 5.8”dash-board display, substituting for the gauges of previous GT-R versions and providing all necessary (and unnecessary) information about the car which can even be downloaded after the ride.