If you’re looking for plot, acting or sweeping panoramas of mountain peaks, you won’t find it in the classic video below. Called “The Run,” the video depicts a (relatively) high-speed run in a 350Z through the early-morning streets of Prague, Czech Republic. While some of the driving may look dangerous, the video was filmed under controlled conditions (closed or limited access street) and was used as a marketing piece by Nissan to highlight the launch of the 350Z. In other words, no street-crossing nuns were actually frightened in the making of this video.

The 350Z used in filming wasn’t exactly stock, either. The car had its airbag systems deactivated for high speed driving over bumpy and steeply crowned cobblestone streets. The driver had the benefit of a five-point racing harness to keep him in place, and airbags were used to supplement the rear suspension, which had to cope with the weight of several cameras. This was filmed in the days before you could stick a GoPro hi-res camera to your roof and call it done.

Enjoy six and a half minutes of driving bliss, and I recommend that you crank up the sound.

The 2012 Nissan GT-R. Image: Nissan

Just in case the current GT-R isn’t fast enough for you, Nissan is reportedly working on a horsepower upgrade for the next GT-R, due in 2012 as a 2013 model. If Japan’s Best Car magazine is correct, that could take the GT-R from its current 530 horsepower all the way up to 560 horsepower, which would make the car “noticeably faster” than the already improved 2012 version. Inside Line’s sources say that power bump may be exaggerated, but it’s clear that Nissan doesn’t want to be slower around the Nürburgring than a Corvette ZR1. As it stands today, the latest GT-R lapped the ‘Ring in 7:24.22, giving up two and a half seconds to the Corvette’s 7:19.63. No matter how much horsepower the next model makes, expect it to turn in a lap below 7:19.5.

Inside Line also reports that the Japanese-market-only Spec V version will disappear at the end of 2011. To no one’s surprise, there’s been little demand for a car that costs twice as much as a base GT-R, yet produces only marginal performance gains. Nissan is reportedly working on a lightweight version of the next GT-R to replace the Spec V, at a significantly lower price.

Source: Inside Line

When the new Nissan GT-R was unveiled in 2007, chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno promised that the car would never rest on past achievements, and that the GT-R would constantly be improved. His team set the benchmark by lapping the Nürburgring in 7:38.54, besting the previous record for fastest production car held by Porsche. Mizuno was a man of his word, and each production change to the GT-R resulted in subtle improvements to Nürburgring lap times. By 2009, the GT-R was lapping the ‘Ring in 7:26.70, an improvement of nearly twelve seconds in just two years.

Fast forward to September of 2010, when Nissan once again returned to the Nürburgring to test the 2012 GT-R. The new car boasted a 45 horsepower improvement over previous models, yet returned greater fuel efficiency. Already one of the most aerodynamic production cars, Nissan managed to drop the Cd from .27 to .26, increasing downforce by 10% in the process. The chassis was stiffened, and shock tuning was improved to aid both ride comfort and handling. Larger front rotors were added, and brake ventilation was improved to aid fade resistance. Even the wheels were lightened to reduce unsprung weight and improve handling. On an early test session, the car turned a lap time of 7:24.22, nearly 2.5 seconds quicker than the 2009 model. Further tuning should have produced an even more impressive lap time, but by how much? Check out the video below to see what happened.

Nissan has just become the official partner of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, so to celebrate they’ve filmed a series of ads pitting the Nissan Juke against Amber the bikini model. One video compares the curb appeal of both, while the second video shows which has the better curves, aerodynamically speaking. Since the funky-fresh Juke rocks a face that only a mother could love, the videos are more than a little tongue in cheek, complete with a leering announcer. Who wins the showdowns? We do! Enjoy the not-too-tasteless ads below.

Source: Autoblog

Let’s keep this simple: if you want to look at gorgeous, semi-naked women or read insightful reporting, go to Playboy.  If you want accurate information on cars and trucks, come to Automotive Addicts.  We don’t do the whole pictures of naked women thing (although we have been known to look at them admiringly), because it’s just not what we do best.  Likewise, when Playboy publishes a list of the “Hottest Rides” of the year, you need to read it with some skepticism.

Here are Playboy’s picks for the hottest cars of 2011, along with our feedback.  Some we agree with, others we don’t, but then again we don’t get big fat advertising checks from automakers.  Read on to find out what made the list.

Playboy’s 2011 Car Of The Year: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Not much to argue with here, and I’m glad to see a publication pick a car other than the Chevy Volt or the Nissan Leaf as car of the year.  I’m not a huge fan of the SLS AMG’s styling, since only the front 55% of the car looks good; the rear looks like the stylists just gave up.  Performance wise, the SLS AMG is the real deal, and its 6.2 liter V8 will run with the big dogs.  Zero to sixty comes up in about 3.7 seconds, and the gullwing coupe tops out at 197 miles per hour.  If you’ve got the coin, the SLS AMG will get you noticed.

Best Hybrid: The Honda CR-Z

This category really should have been titled the “Least Worst Hybrid”, since enthusiast driving and hybrids go together like Ellen Degeneres and Tiger Woods. Yes, the Honda CR-Z is hands-down the best hybrid (if you opt for the six speed manual transmission), much the same way as waterboarding is much better than having your fingernails pulled off with pliers. If I had an option for “C, none of the above”, I’d pick that.

Best Sport Sedan: Aston Martin Rapide

If the category was “sport sedan most likely to get you heels-to-Jesus”, I’d agree. I don’t know too many who can shell out the Rapide’s $200,000 price of admission, and I can’t help but thinking that kind of money would buy three Cadillac CTS-V sedans, or two Hennessey tuned CTS-V sedans. Give me the Caddy, in White Diamond Tricoat with Dark Graphite wheels, and I’ll use the $130,000 I save to pay for gas, tires and speeding tickets.

Best Sports Coupe: Cadillac CTS-V

Don’t get me wrong: I love the looks of the CTS-V coupe, but I can’t live with the concessions it asks you to make. The rear seat, for example, is for midget acrobats only. Full size humans with normal muscles and joints simply don’t fit back there, and the coupe’s added width actually makes it slower than the sedan (courtesy of parasitic drag, if you want some science). My pick? The 2011 Shelby GT500 Mustang. It’s the automotive equivalent of rough sex with a six foot tall Scandinavian blond; it doesn’t work well if you treat it nice, but throw it down, stomp it hard and it just comes back for more. Like the blond, it’ll either kill you or make you stronger, and you won’t care much either way.

Best Convertible: Porsche Boxster Spyder

Maybe I’m not a big fan of the whole “less is more” thing, which is why I have a hard time grasping the logic of paying more for a Porsche Boxster with a Pontiac Solstice folding roof. Yes, it’s fast, but it’s also impractical for the real world; I’ll pass, and opt for the STaSIS-tuned Audi R8 V10 convertible. It’s wretched excess in every way, and it comes with a real top.

Best Bang For The Buck: Mazda 2

This is a tough category, since so many automakers are making good, inexpensive cars these days. The Ford Fiesta is roughly the same as the Mazda 2, and both need a serious infusion of horsepower to be appealing to enthusiasts. The Chevy Cruze has potential, if and when Chevy builds a Cruze SS version. Until they do, sign me up for the Hyundai Sonata Turbo as the best bang for the buck. Where else can you get 274 horsepower for a sticker price in the mid-twenties?

Best SUV: Jeep Grand Cherokee

This is another tough call, because the best depends on your expectations. If you use you $40,000 SUV for serious off-roading and plan on tackling the Rubicon Trail just as soon as you have two weeks of vacation saved up, then your best choice is Playboy’s pick. If you live in the real world and spend 90% of your time on-road, with occasional trips to the beach and up to your uncle’s mountain cabin, my pick would be the new Ford Explorer. It’s still capable of going off-road (except for the whole rock-crawling thing), and it’s much better on road. For the vast majority of SUV buyers, it’s simply a better option.

Best Commuter: Nissan Leaf

I’ve never had a job where the Nissan Leaf would have been a sensible choice for commuting. Most of my drives have been 50 miles or so round trip, which may or may not exceed the Leaf’s range, depending on traffic, road conditions, weather and electromagnetic disturbances in the upper atmosphere. I don’t want to spend the last ten miles of my commute wondering if I’ll make it home, so a pure electric car makes no sense to me. Give me a Chevy Volt, and I’ll go as far as I can on batteries every day. When the batteries run down, the generator fires up to ensure I’ll get the rest of the way home. The Volt is comfortable, it’s relatively entertaining to drive and (above all) it’s practical. I can’t say the same for the Nissan Leaf.

Best Plug-In: Chevrolet Volt

I already picked the Volt for “Best Commuter”, so I can’t pick it twice. Instead, I’ll select the Tesla Roadster 2.0 for “Best Plug In”, because it’s currently the only electric car worth drooling over. I still don’t think it’s worth the price, and it’s still too heavy to be a real sports car, but it is a step in the right direction. For now, that’s as good as a plug in car gets.

Most Likely To Succeed: Hyundai Equus

I couldn’t agree more with Playboy’s pick in this category. I’ve driven the Equus, and it’s good, very good. Once you get past the Hyundai name, the Equus will make you wonder why spending $10k to $30k more for the equivalent Lexus, BMW or Mercedes was even a consideration. Hyundai knows what’s riding on this, and they’re going to make every effort to do things right the first time. World class luxury for the price of a well-equipped Lincoln? Sign me up.

[source: Playboy]

All of you Carbon Fiber junkies come and join me on the Nissan GT-R bandwagon as a Japanese tuner Original Runduce hints at a full carbon-fiber wide-body Nissan GT-R R35.

The final details of the wide-body carbon-fiber Nissan GT-R are a secret for now except from what we can see in the sketched image. Rumor has it that this GT-R will feature over 600hp and make a debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2010 in January.

What is your take on an all-carbon-fibered-out wide-body GT-R? My first thought is that it better have some better wheels than the ones in shown in the sketch. Hit up the comment section below!

[sources: bornrich via carscoop]

2013 Nissan GT-R Artist Rendering

Just about every car enthusiast loves the Nissan GT-R but as far as ownership goes, well, that’s another story. Either way, car enthusiasts love to hear the latest buzz about the infamous Godzilla “supercar” from Japan. The recent rumors that have been circulating for some time now will tell you that the next generation Nissan GT-R (2013 model year) will be a Hybrid. According to InsideLine, the 2013 Nissan GT-R will still use the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 plus a new battery powered electric drive powertrain as found in the 2009 Infiniti Essence Concept.

The total power from the new GT-R Hybrid should be about 600hp and the added weight from the setup of 2 electric motors would be shed in other places to keep the GT-R a worthy sports-car that can still shatter performance records.

It is also speculated that the Nissan GT-R Hybrid would cost upwards of $100,000usd and get 25 to 30 miles per gallon. With coupling in the electric drivetrain in the next GT-R, we expect performance numbers to only get better considering the added/instant torque you get from electric motors.

Do you think this is a good idea? What are your thoughts on a Nissan GT-R Hybrid?

[source: InsideLine]

JD Power and Associates has identified the 2009 Nissan Altima as the “Highest Ranked Midsize Car in Initial Quality”.  The Initial Quality Study is designed to be a predictor of long-term durability and measures owner-reported problems that occur during the first 90 days of ownership. Responses from 80,930 new-vehicle owners were collected from February to May 2009 and spanned 245 models.  The 2009 Nissan Altima received the lowest number of problems per 100 vehicles among midsize cars. The JD Power study also gave the Altima the highest possible rating in Fuel Economy Range and high scores for seating capacity and horsepower.

The Altima has been rolling off the Nissan assembly line since 1993 and is proof that practice makes perfect.  Small wonder that Altima is Nissan’s best selling model and this is sure to continue with more standard equipment and color options than ever before. With four Altima coupe models to choose from and a selection of five sedan models, there appears to be something for everyone. Standard features across all Altima models include, power windows, locks and mirrors,  Intelligent Key, 60/40 split/fold rear seat, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, 16-inch wheels, and speed-sensitive variable intermittent windshield wipers.

Nissan offers a selection of optional packages for the 2009 Altima as well.  The technology package includes a navigation system with a 6.5-inch color monitor, backup camera and monitor, XM NavTraffic with active traffic information.  The convenience package includes alloy wheels, power driver’s seat auto on/off headlamps and steering wheel audio controls.  The premium package includes a Bose audio system, satellite radio, auto-dimming rearview mirror, leather seats, dual zone auto climate control and Bluetooth hands free phone system.

Beyond the proven durability and bounty of extra features, the 2009 Altima has also been proven to be one of the safest vehicles on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted crash tests on the 2009 Altima Hybrid Sedan and Altima Coupe.  The Hybrid received the agency’s highest rating of 5 stars for both frontal and side-impact testing. The Coupe received 4 stars in the frontal testing and 5 stars in the side-impact testing. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also conducted crash tests on the 2007-2009 Altima and awarded it the Institute’s highest score in frontal offset crash testing.

All and all the Nissan Altima is one great car for the money, durable, adaptable and safe.