» Get the best price on a new Nissan Leaked images and details before official launch proceedings failed to spoil the release of Nissan's long-awaited GT-R at last week's Tokyo motor show. Indeed, such was the attention focussed on the Nissan stand that other local heroes barely earned a mention.
But the wait isn't over yet. Though the GT-R is confirmed for Down Under, Australians won't be able to purchase the GT-R until 2009 or at best late '08. It will be priced from around $150K.
Equipped with a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 good for 353kW, the GT-R is another one out for a piece of Porsche's pie, but for almost half the hot 911's cost. Nissan is marketing this relatively accessible high performance two-door 2+2 as a "multi-performance supercar" for "anyone, anywhere, anytime".
Nissan says it identified three qualifiers for supercar status: 300km/h-plus top speed; maximum power-to-weight ratio; and sub-8min lap time at the Nurburgring.
Senior vice president of design Shiro Nakamura told the assembled media that like many performance cars, the GT-R "looks like it was designed in a wind tunnel".
For the record, its Cd is 0.27, the 0-100km/h sprint is managed in 3.6sec on its way to a top speed of 310km/h and Nissan's test drivers clocked a 7min38sec lap of the 'Ring (with the Kesselchen corner wet, apparently!).
The GT-R is Nissan's most powerful production car to date. Nakamura said that rather than rely on previous generations of Skyline, the new supercar builds on the performance persona established by the Z lineage. He argues the coupes' strong following over the years and models has helped legitimise Nissan as a luxury sportscar maker and supports the GT-R's release in a critical market.
The GT-R's 'VR38' twin-turbo V6 is all-new, and in the tradition of builders like AMG, is hand assembled by a single "craftsman" in "a special Nissan GT-R 'clean room' area of Nissan's Yokohama plant". It matches the 911 on power but misses on torque. Nissan suggests its 588Nm, from 3200-5200rpm is more tractable, however, making the GT-R easy to drive befitting its "multi-purpose" role.
The engine is rumoured to be designed to produce significantly more power than its current application and has been 'detuned' for production of this first new-generation GT-R.
The company says the engine satisfies Japan's U-LEV standards. It uses advanced plasma-sprayed cylinder bores for weight savings, as well as other benefits such as better heat dissipation.
Published fuel consumption figures (12.2lt/100km) were gleaned during testing and therefore are not yet official. Nonetheless, Nissan is claiming best-in-class efficiency.
The GT-R features an all-new rear-mounted dual-clutch, six-speed transaxle developed with Borg-Warner. Working in conjunction with Nissan's ATTESA ET-S all-wheel-drive system, the 'GR6' gearbox incorporates a GKN Driveline electromagnetic centre coupling, Borg-Warner hydraulic control system and dry-sump lubrication.
Drive is transferred to the rear-mounted transaxle and then apportioned front and rear. The mechanical limited-slip rear differential is incorporated in the main gearbox housing, but a separate carbon-fibre driveshaft runs forward from the transaxle to the front differential.
The drive system is rear-biased but up to 50 per cent of torque can be channelled to the front wheels as necessary. The split is varied continuously with sensors measuring speed, lateral and transverse acceleration, steering angles, tyre slip and projected and actual yaw rates.
The four-wheel drive system also interacts with the GT-R's Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC-R). The antilock brakes feature hardware by Italian specialist, Brembo. The GT-R's fully floating ventilated discs (380mm in diameter all around) are squeezed by six-piston 'Monobloc' calipers up front and even the rears get four-piston units.
The GT-R's transmission boasts both auto and manual modes (there are the requisite steering-mounted paddle shifters). The former includes three modes -- sports-oriented, predictive R, Normal and Snow -- with manual offering only R and Normal.
Other electrickery includes a drive set-up switch boasting what Nissan describes as video game interactivity. Settings for the car's transmission, dampers and stability control can be adjusted via a row of dash-mounted switches.
A multi-function meter is located in the dashboard, displaying details for driving (braking, g-force, et al) and mechanical information. Displayed items include a gearshift map with a log of 'eco-driving'. The unit was developed in part by the producers behind the Gran Turismo racing games for Sony PlayStation.
This application of video graphics and the fact the GT-R "looks like it's from Japanese animation" is the "extreme expression" of the Nissan brand, says Nakamura.
The GT-R's heritage loaned the latest R35 model some styling cues such as the round taillights but it is not based on the sedan/coupe Skyline models before it. Thus it's a true 2+2 coupe only, complete with edgy, robotic styling that could only be Japanese.
The interior features all the mod-cons, including an exclusively-configured 11-speaker BOSE audio system. Rear space is divided by a neat centre console, and by Nissan's own admission, best resigned to children "or jackets" only.
Rolling on 20-inch wheels, the GT-R will come with run-flat tyres for want of enough boot space for two golf bags. Bridgestone and Dunlop have designed and produced bespoke rubber for the super Nissan. In true race-car fashion they are inflated with Nitrogen ex-factory.
"We don't want GT-R to be anything like a Ferrari or Porsche, or in the midst of a particular trend. When we design a normal hatchback we have to follow a trend, but with the GT-R we have a lot of heritage," says Nakamura.
"Not just its performance but also the shape of the GT-R expresses modern Japanese culture… It's not a normal design for a sportscar. It's boxy and looks rather mechanical. No-one other than a Japanese maker could produce this car, and nothing other than a GT-R could use this design."
In Japan, the GT-R will be offered in three versions. The standard 'GT-R' is priced from Y7,770,000 with the GT-R Black at Y7,927,500 and the top-of-the-range GT-R Premium selling for Y8,347,500. It's likely that the Australia edition will be a single 'full-specification' model.
The GT-R was always for less 'stuffy' buyers than the 911. In the new model's case that means baby boomers, says Nissan -- even if by now it's the PlayStation generation that can claim to have 'driven' the elusive monster most.
Australia and the UK were allocated some of the earlier Skyline GT-R models but this generation is the first time the USA and Europe will receive delivery via official Nissan channels.
The GT-R will be produced in left and right-hand drive versions in Japan. The home market is the first to get deliveries with the USA the next cab off the rank around April 2008. The availability of Japanese-model RHD early in the piece suggests private import examples could make their way Down Under well ahead of first 'official' local deliveries some time in early 2009.
Nissan Australia has already warned that such vehicles may not qualify for the same level of warranty protection as official imports.
Look out for the Carsales Network's first drive impressions of the GT-R next month
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