Now, in the real world, all of this excitement will cost you more than just the $71,000 MSRP -- plus the almost inevitable dealer mark-up. The GT-R has an insatiable appetite for refined liquid dinosaur (we don't know what type of *****-footed pansy squeezed out the EPA's fuel efficiency numbers of 16 city/21 highway), so for the record, this glorious red GT-R drank three tanks of high-test gasoline and a quart of synthetic oil under our watch. The first two tanks were consumed at the rate of 11.68 mpg and 11.71 mpg. The last went down at a more leisurely 16.42 mpg. Yeah, that was mostly highway driving. Obviously, brutal does not equate to frugal.

Nissan engineers have successfully delivered a nauseatingly fast vehicle that devours acceleration and track records. Its handling belies its weight, and its cabin is deceptively comfortable. Yet, however absurdly amazing the Nissan was, we found ourselves continuously looking for its soul. We wanted to find a bad habit, an ill mannerism, a vulnerability that would prove the car was mortal. Instead, we were met with methodical and highly accurate electronic systems that double-checked our every move to deliver exactly what our human inputs were requesting. Curiously, each time the push-button starter would fire the engine, the incessant feedback the GT-R offered to us was robot-like mechanized perfection.