Godzilla Vs The Beast Of The Green Hell

All that separates the AMG GT R from the Nissan GT-R is a hyphen. In practice, Gavin D’Souza assures you, it’s so much more than just that.

- Gavin D’Souza

To say I’m being unaccommodating is an understatement. Hell, I’ll admit I’m being downright selfish at this point too. For one, it’s high noon on a blistering hot day, and on top of that, we only have a precious few hours with this dream duo (it’s a comparison test anyone with a basic knowledge of cars and the alphabet would be dying to do) before they’re loaded into separate trucks and packed off on lonely journeys home. Kuldeep, camera plonked in his lap, sulks away in the passenger seat, and not even the wildly fluctuating G-forces can turn his frown upside down. All he wants is to stop and take a photo and I won’t let him .

THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN

Sorry, but this is my first time having a proper go in a Nissan GT-R and, though I’ve heard every single excited rave, from my colleagues and elsewhere, now that I’m actually at the wheel myself, it is astounding me more and more with every passing metre. I know this road very well; I know the long straights, the blind corners, the crests, bumps and braking points. But even after I’ve recalibrated my limits to accommodate a 570hp super-coupé, I keep finding room to push them some more. This car is unbelievably easy to drive fast. The steering is smooth and not too heavy, yet turn-in is rather sharp, the grip is so tenacious that you’re well aware that a mere mortal like yourself could never unstick it, the power is progressive and easy to dole out, and the ride is so absorbent, it simply takes everything in its stride and lets you get on with the business of going very, very fast. The incredibly detailed, PlayStation-derived readouts on the touchscreen (oil pressure, boost pressure, G-forces, the works) are flashing away in the background, but I’m having way too much fun to take my eyes off the road and look at them.