Pulsar GTiR

Road Test: 1994 Nissan Pulsar GTiR
The Nissan Pulsar GTiR was introduced as a homologation special so that Nissan could enter Group A rallying. It was pitted against cars like the Escort Cosworth and Lancia Delta Integrale.
Equipped with the 2.0 Turbo SR20DET engine (same as 200sx), power was transferred to the road via ATTESA all wheel drive system. For its time, the Pulsar's performance was quite incredible - the sprint to 60mph is less than most current 'performance' hatchbacks, the 1/4 mile taking around 13secs!!
According to howmanyleft.co.uk there are only 28 GTiR's on the road in the UK, that means you're 36x more likely to see a Ferrari 458 on the road!!
Looks:
As other cars with a rally heritage, wings and scoops are present. To the educated, these features show the potential performance and bring back memories of forest stages.
To the uneducated, these features signify 'chav'.
The interior shows the cars age, but to be honest, this becomes insignificant once the the engine starts...
Driving:
Start the engine and the cavernous aftermarket exhaust comes to life with a sound best described as booming, from the inside it sounds much more purposeful.
Traction off the line is quite amazing, even for a 4wd car. The grip levels continue to impress on both road and track, even in the rain.
Whilst giving full throttle, the turbo sucks air in with a sound much like a plumber just before he says "it's gonna cost ya..."
Dip the clutch briefly to change gear and sometimes the Pulsar gives a nice pop or bang, you're guaranteed a few more on the over run.
Stats:
Power: 227bhp
Weight: 1,220kg
0-60: 5.42secs
Top Speed: 144mph
Costs:
Not many are up for sale at the moment, the ones we can find are priced around the £3k region.
Surely this is a massive bargain considering its pace and the current value of its original competitors?!
With normal driving, the GTiR returns 20-25mpg. Get that turbo whooshing and you might as well drill a hole in the fuel tank.
Video filmed with a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition with external audio - Olympus ME51SW
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/ 12grandauto