Nissan’s virtual Porsche

An American webmag says the forthcoming launch of the new Nissan Skyline GT-R is "The most eagerly awaited supercar launch of the century" - an audacious claim when the century is barely out of nappies.

What, you may wonder, is getting them so worked up?

Perhaps they are among the millions of devoted enthusiasts who are habitual drivers of a Skyline GT-R but have never actually sat behind the wheel of one. Since it first appeared in 1994 in the computer game Zero 4 Champ R, the Skyline GT-R has been the car of choice for video gamers worldwide and is a

constant presence in the Gran Turismo series.

More probably they are members of that claque of petrolheads for whom the Skyline GT-R is an object of awed worship - the car which achieved the implausible feat of making a Nissan as desirable as a Porsche or a Ferrari.

Several generations of Skyline GT-Rs have appeared since the eighth, codenamed R32, became a legendary apparition in illicit night-time street races in