Page 2 of 7

ROAD TRIP!

Since we wanted to give the GT-R the full treatment, Dan Sharp, videographer extraordinaire, accompanied me on the trip, with strict instructions not to point the camera at the speedometer. By 6:30 a.m. we were loaded, with all manner of gear stuffed inside the car: video camera bags, still cameras, briefcases, a cooler, tripods galore, audio recording equipment and the two of us, of course. There was plenty of room in the car, actually, with its trunk surprisingly roomy, and the rear seat demoted to overflow cargo duty (like it's really good for anything else).

We were hoping that by heading out early we'd beat any traffic, and were soon proven correct. Heading north on Interstate 15, it became clear that the GT-R already has quite a following. Literally. The first was an early '90s Celica that had clearly seen better days, its young male driver flogging it mercilessly up the Cajon Pass in an effort to stay with us as we cruised, clearly wanting us to show off the ultra-Nissan's capabilities. Who are we to deny him? I cracked open the throttle and poured on the power, watching him disappear behind us. Yet to his credit, he wheezed his way back up to us, eventually passing us when we got to the flat straight section that runs through Victorville. We let him go; Interstate 15 is much more heavily patrolled than where we were headed. Besides, if we were going to get a ticket, it wasn't going to be from showing up some kid in an old Toyota.

While jumping on the GT-R's throttle is definitely fun, we quickly learned that doing so was going to mean frequent fill-ups at the pumps. After not even 200 miles, we made our first stop in Baker, Calif., topping off our half-empty tank before heading into the desert.

We could have saved time by staying on the Interstate, but what's the fun in that? There are great roads out in the desert - smooth, flat, lightly traveled roads - and we wanted to take the path less traveled. Our first diversion was California Route 127, otherwise known as Death Valley Rd. It twists its way north into the hottest part of the hottest place in North America, and here we were behind the wheel of the hottest car in North America.

The road itself winds so gently around the surrounding countryside that you hardly notice the bends, nor do you notice that you've let your leaden foot push ever so slightly downward until the speedometer is reading more than 100 mph. Oopsie. Going fast is one thing, but going fast and still feeling like you're going slow is the mark of an exceptional automobile.