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October 20, 2010
An Ultimate Daily Driver: Stagea RS260
By Ben Schaffer
The Real JDM
I’ve always had a bit of a crush on the Stagea wagons with the GT-R RB26DETT motor. Something is undeniably awesome about driving what is essentially a GT-R wagon! It was always somewhat surprising to me that Nissan decided to have GT-R powered wagons produced in the first place. I’ve always found it to be an odd choice that such an epic motor as the RB26 is found only in a wagon and of course the GT-R itself. You’d think that they would have perhaps used the RB26 in a convertible variant and especially in a sedan competitor to the Toyota Chaser, yet they chose only a wagon over those more conventional options. Perhaps that particular point in itself defines a Japanese and European desire for fast wagons whereas in the US fast wagons are an oxymoron. What else could better explain this and the fact that the Audi RS6 Wagon features a twin turbo Gallardo related V10 motor, yet there is no Audi in the US whatsoever that utilizes that incredible V10 twin turbo power plant reserved solely for the European RS6 wagon.
March 2, 2009
Stagea: the GT-R Wagon
By Ben Schaffer
The Real JDM
I’ve always had respect for the Nissan Stagea. This often overlooked gem of the tuning world is Nissan’s only other car that ever received the GT-R’s R34 spec RB26DETT engine. The GT-R powered version Stageas were not very common but the Autech RB26 version did indeed exist as a regular production vehicle by Nissan and enough examples were made in Japan to allow for healthy aftermarket support. As I was browsing through my old photos of Tokyo Auto Salon 2005 I came across two fine examples of well tuned RB powered Nissan Stageas. The two cars were both produced in collaboration with Takeros which a wagon specialist for aero parts. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Two more pics after the jump!
