It also happens to be the start of the Japanese financial year. This is the most anticipated car in recent Australian automotive history.

While most manufacturers try to build anticipation into a new car, with Godzilla it's the the reverse. It is the buyers driving the anticipation in anticipation of driving the car.

The anticipation is understandable. The new GT-R is different from previous models in that for the first time it not a derivative of the Nissan Skyline.

And, it will show a clean set of heels to all previous Godzilla's, on that daunting stretch of tarmac called the Nurburgring. In testing, this latest supercar from Japan lapped the famous track in 7 minutes 29 seconds in stock standard garb. That's about 30 seconds faster than the previous GT-R R33 and light years in terms of distance.

Nissan spent A$450 million developing the GT-R platform. Just 1000 cars a year will be produced, about 200 of those coming down under. Current Australian pre-orders of 150 leave only 50 to be snapped up. Nissan is calling it the `ultimate supercar that can be driven by anyone, anytime, anywhere.'

In an understatement Nissan Australia's managing director and CEO, Dan Thompson, talking at the MIMS, described the car as `extraordinary.'

The throbbing heart of the new Godzilla is a 3.8 litre, twin turbo V6 engine shooting out a Magnumesque 357 kW of power and 588 Nm of torque.

Mated to this power plant is a new six speed paddle shifter with full auto function and using the faster-than-hard change, dual clutch system.

“The Nissan GT-R has already joined the ranks of the world's great supercars,” said Mr Thompson.

“We believe this car resets some of the existing benchmarks by combining performance, ease of driving and value for money to create an automotive icon never previously seen before in Australia.”

The car will come with two trim levels, GT-R and GT-R Premium. V8 Supercar fans will see a lot of Godzilla with the GT-R becoming the safety car for the 2009 V8 Supercar Series. The GT-R comes with standard leather and synthetic suede heated from seats, aluminium pedals, multi-function meter, dual zone climate control, Bluetooth connectivity, and a seven inch colour monitor. GT-R adds 20 inch black alloy wheels shod with Bridgestone REO70R high performance run flat tyres, while the interior has revised seat facings in red and black trim. A Bose audio system is also included, should you not wish to take into the under-bonnet symphony.

GT-R was launched on the Japanese market in 2007 and has achieved sales of 4800 and more than 2000 have been sold on the US market since 2008. Prices in Australia are $155,800 for the GT-R and $159,800 for the GT-R Premium.For those looking for even more value if they order their cars before launch date, Nissan are holding the 2008 price at $148,800 and $152,800 respectively as long as the cars are collected before June 30, 2009.