If the GT-R's engineers had wanted to silence all these rude noises, they certainly could have.

WSJ: Nissan's Mad Scientists Grow a Bluntly Boffo GT-R | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

But the GT-R doesn't make you oath and curse like a Viking as the 911 does.

WSJ: 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S Review: A Magnificent First Stab | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

Pricing on low-volume imported sports cars is always mysterious, and there's no easy way to calculate the ROI on the GT-R.

WSJ: Nissan's Mad Scientists Grow a Bluntly Boffo GT-R | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

The Nissan GT-R, for instance, is a hellacious piece of machinery and, by the numbers, quite a bit faster than even the new 911.

WSJ: 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S Review: A Magnificent First Stab | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

The point is, the GT-R's rawness is deliberate, an artistic choice.

WSJ: Nissan's Mad Scientists Grow a Bluntly Boffo GT-R | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

It will never transcend the constraints of its weight and size, and it certainly isn't the dynamic equal of a Porsche 911 or Nissan GT-R.

WSJ: 2013 Jaguar XKR-S Review: A Genteel Tourer Goes Rough-and-Ready | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

When you press the GT-R's Start button, pumps and lubrication circuits come noisily to life, the forged crank twirls and the aluminum pistons of the 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 pick up the rhythm.

WSJ: Nissan's Mad Scientists Grow a Bluntly Boffo GT-R | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil

Not so the GT-R.

WSJ: Nissan's Mad Scientists Grow a Bluntly Boffo GT-R | Rumble Seat by Dan Neil