I think since it was the staple car of The Fast and the Furious, and it roasted the Ferrari (not to mention the other Supras with 1,000+ hp) it came to prominance.

-Chris

 

Well the latest body Supra was produced from what: '93-'98? There has to be a large population of them with 5 years or so of production unless they were made in small numbers. But I can't see the yearly production numers being THAT small

-Chris

 

Sure were a ton of '55-'57 Chevy 150, 210 and Bel Air models, as well as a good number of the '67-'69 Camaro. Those are only two examples of mass-produced cars that have some universal, timeless appeal. Good lines are good lines, regardless of how many are available. Sure, you'll see some clapped-out ones, but that doesn't change the appeal of one that's done right.

 

Well put

 

Kinda my point I guess--our car has a predecessor and that car is so ungodly badass and idolized that I think we won't ever see the prime let alone it is here on its own and not in Japan. To us its this new great thing, but in Japan there is a model before this one that is so untouchable that the new Skyline has to be one that they don't highly value. I think the G35 will be a cool car in 10 years because of the styling, but won't be sitting in national car shows as "all original" and be praised for being stock. The car has the cool factor nailed, but the cars that are going to be timeless are those that are straight from Japan.

Supra's are cool, but caught too much attention in FATF. Movies have a habit of that (67 Shelby Mustang GT500 AKA Elanore--now built daily by www.uniquemotorsports.com). Most Supra's are built by the average Joe with too much money to spend on HP but not the right mix. I saw a bi-turbo Supra locally that was scary fast on the highway, pushed well over 700 HP, and couldn't break out of the 13's. The old joke that is still true: what does a 300, 600, and 900 HP Supra all have in common? They all run 13's Unless built correctly they have more than enough mods to put the power out, but connecting with the road makes them tough to drive 0-80 MPH.

The early 90's turbo cars I am talking about are the Pontiac Grand Prix TGP, Sunbird GT (or whatever it was), and the 2.2L/2.5L 8-valve Dodge, Chrysler and Plymouth cars. Read here for more info on the Chrysler turbo cars: http://www.xmission.com/~dempsey/perform/ The Grand National/T-Type/GSX were all mid-late 80's. Those early 90's cars are so badass (ever ran into a turbo Daytona??? LOL) but absolutely respected by so few. Even my previous cars...2001 GTP and 2000 GTP (Pontiac Grand Prix GTP, supercharged with an Eaton M90 and push 240 HP stock) are not respected at all and never will be. Spend a grand on one and you'll get low 13's easy. 11's are common place for stock bottom ends and 9's are possible with a good turbo setup. The motor is bulletproof and lacks only a good transmission, but can be modded so many different ways to be monsters yet no one respects them. I gurantee you 95% of the people here would laugh at one when they rolled up next to it (stock or FI) thinking it's an easy race. Guess what--a couple grand (costing way less than FI for the VQ) and they are running mid to low 12's and would wax you. Kids at the age of 18 can now afford them and the mods and the upkeep (slim to none unless you grenade the tranny doing 200 FT burnouts) and you would never expect the car. I think the GTP should be timeless due to the brute power they have--but hell they don't even get recognition now.

I can say the G does turn heads stock and most people know what they are and respect them greatly (even their power--which is OK but nothing to drop your jaw at). Sadly I just don't think it will last.

 

My point EXACTLY.

Thinking 355 was that fast to start with.

At the 1000hp mark it's a built engine wiht TENS of thousands in mods, so the starting point is all but meanlingless.

I've seen TONS of American Cars do more with less. BUT they dont get the crazy fan-boy following.

 

"I think the G35 will be a cool car in 10 years because of the styling, but won't be sitting in national car shows as "all original" and be praised for being stock."

Me neither. They just won't last that long in stock form. It's also not going to happen to any modern car short of an exotic. The only people who will care about an OEM '04 Corvette in 25 years will be the Corvette nuts. Anything after '69 is just a well-kept car and a classic only by technicality.

FWIW, after spending several years in the '55-'57 Chevy circles, it became extremely obvious that there are two different types of old Tri-5 enthusiasts: The OEM ***** and the street rodders. Being on the street-rodder side, I never did understand spending so much time and effort to turn a rust-bucket back to OEM condition. Come on, they looked good but the original mechanicals suck ***. If you happen to find an all original example that's great, but only because they're so F'n rare.

Japanese cars are on a different scale. The only reason an OEM condition car will be favorable is because it hasn't been F'd up by some ignorant kid... ...but chances are high the buyer will modify it himself. But I don't think the author is asking if it will become a classic like one of the Tri-5s. That's simply not going to happen. Very few will last 50 years without disentegrating.

Something to consider are "classics" such as the '32 Ford, '33 Chevy, *****'s Coupe, etc. These aren't anything special in stock form, but they provide one hell of a canvas when starting a project. I can find pics of these cars that most of us would drool over, yet the OEM design would turn the heads of only the most hardcore restoration buffs.

Anybody can put the car back to original. It takes a real man to cut it up and turn it into something special.

 

LOL no kidding! It is a strict line there and both stay far from the middle.


I guess I should have further elaborated. They are not going to sit in a car show stock or modified and have a crowd of people around it except for the few thousand that owned one and loved it at some point. Like it or not we are not normal...most normal people consider them cars that get them from point A to point B while being stylish and sporty. There are only few that modify them.

 

So with all this being stated, basically the only reason the Supra is coveted is because of a movie (along with Eleanor)?

Thanx for all your opinions. This is EXACTLY what I was looking for

-Chris

 

I wouldn't say thats the only reason. Some enthusiasts love the Supra b/c its ease to mod and the iron block. Taking that into account and knowing that a Supra can be 10+ years old and still turn heads...you can say the lines are timeless. I'm not in love with the Supra, but it has gained my respect as an auto enthusiast. And for the record...I've never seen any of the FATF movies.

 

Well the aluminum wing didn't make it because it was:

A) Functional
B) Good looking


I don't know if that was 100% it. The Supra following happened before the movie no doubt...but probably got alot of fan boys into it. Then again, that movie made being an import owner OK. I don't remember fart cans before the movie...do you?

 

The bulletproof block was another point I was gonna make

-Chris

 

There is a chance-- Theres nothing really like a G35 out there.

Its really JDM at its finest... Allll the ricers want it

 

the G coupe is already a timeless piece...

became and instant classic, just like the RX-7, supera, nsx, 300ZX, oh cant forget the evo

 

Depends on what 'Classic' means to you.

Classic like the 240Z? Not likely

Classic as in 246GT Dino or an Austin? Don't think so

Classic similar to the KPGC110? Likely. Then again, majority of people even on this board wouldn't know what the KPGC110 was.

It'll be a classic Infiniti though. People will remember the G35 just as people still remember the first Infiniti Q45....... For people who actually know how to spell 'Infiniti' correctly anyhow.