Nissan GT-R 1993 News

Nissan's performance arm gets green light at long last for Australia, with $300k GT-R to launch in 2017.

While Holden are set to start a V6 revolution by strapping a six-cylinder turbo into a Commodore when the "Gen 2" era begins, it appears Nissan will resist calls to put a Skyline GT-R on the grid and extend the reign of the Altima.News Corp Australia has been told Nissan, who come off-contract at the end of next year, will soon recommit to the sport and continue its four-car assault beyond 2017 by signing a new multi-year deal with Nissan Motorsport Australia.But despite popular demand and a new set of rules that have made a return possible, Nissan will not unleash the GT-R — the giant-killing car known as "Godzilla" that dominated the early 1990s.The 90-page "Gen 2" document has been sent to Nissan HQNissan will stick with the four-door Altima sedan.The 90-page "Gen 2" document has been sent to Nissan HQ in Japan with NISMO bosses set to examine the document."Nissan has been in discussion with V8 Supercars for some time regarding the technical regulations for 2017 and beyond," Nissan said in a statement."The next major step in our decision-making process is to work with NISMO in Japan on closely examining the Gen2 V8SC Technical Regulations so that we can evaluate our options."

Nissan is considering unleashing a monster, revealing that Godzilla is in line for a V8 Supercars return.

Godzilla got a dose of steroids for the Tokyo motor show, with Nissan debuting the Nissan GT-R Nismo, and the full details and images confirm the leaked information we brought to you yesterday.The GT-R Nismo's twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 engine will deliver 441kW of power and 650Nm of torque -- 37kW and 22Nm more than the current GT-R's 404kW and 628Nm -- although Nissan hasn't yet revealed whether the peak figures have moved from the 6400rpm and 3200-5800rpm rev bands respectively.Work on the engine has included revised intake and exhaust systems, upgraded fuel pump, bigger and harder-breathing turbos drawing on the GT3 race car, and improved individual ignition timing for each cylinder.The underpinnings have been given a decent going-over for imporved stability and handling, with new specially-tuned springs and custom-developed Bilstein DampTronic dampers front and rear, and three switchable settings: Comfort, Normal and (track ready) R.The front's double-wishbone has specifically-developed links that increase castor trail to improve performance and stability in high-G cornering and straight-line blasting, while a 17.3mm hollow rear anti-roll bar raises stiffness while trimming weight.Large high-rigidity bolts boost the wheel-hub attachment stiffness, and adhesive bonding in addition to spot welding increase the body shell's rigidity under load. Nismo 255/40 ZRF20 front and 285/35 ZRF20 rear tyres developed exclusively for the car wrap the black six-spoke wheels inspired by the GT500 race hero.Other race-inspired features add to the aggression and improves aerodynamics and road-gripping: a carbon-fibre wing, wider front bumper and engine undercover strake keep the drag to 0.26. The cockput gets ergonomic carbon-fibre backed Recaro seats, an Alcantara-wrappped three-spoke steering wheel -- with centre marking -- and red stitching to set off the carbon finish accents.The GT-R Nismo is said to have already logged a scorching Nurburgring lap time of 7:08.69 -- still behind the Porsche 918 Spyder's record of 6:57, but costing considerably less and claimed to be the fastest "volume production car" to date -- while fitted with the optional pack that trims 65kg and adds manually adjustable Ohlins dampers. The Nissan GT-R Nismo will go on sale overseas early next year, but there is currently no plan to bring it down under.

The next generation R36 GT-R scheduled for 2015 will use a hybrid system – which means we’re likely to see more track warfare break out as Nissan challenges the current king of the Nurburgring, the Porsche 918 Spyder. When the current R35 GT-R launched, Nissan triggered a series of lap time skirmishes with Porsche at the renowned circuit, as both brands repeatedly beat each other’s Nurburgring times, with Porsche famously accusing Nissan of cheating. In September, Porsche’s newly released 918 Spyder used a hybrid system to return a thundering 6 minute 57 second record lap. The ball is now in Nissan’s court, with Nissan’s motorsport branch NISMO leading development of the upcoming R36 GT-R. If Nissan falls short of the task, Ron Dennis has already vowed to claim the record with the McLaren P1 – another recently released hybrid hypercar. Last week, Ferrari’s own V12 hybrid hypercar, LaFerrari, was caught hot on Porsche’s lap time tail at the Nurburgring trying to shake up its German rival’s dominance. The NISMO version of the current generation R35 GT-R has also been testing at the Nurburgring, although Nissan is not saying what time it has achieved yet. Due next year, it will be the send off for the GT-R before the hybrid next generation takes over. Nissan’s vice president Andy Palmer told Autocar the brand is very happy with the time that former F1 driver Sebastian Buemi has achieved in the NISMO GT-R. "He was flat-out in places that other people brake in. His lack of experience at the ‘Ring didn’t hold him back," Palmer said. But without a hybrid drivetrain, Nissan may need to wait until the next generation GT-R for a chance to reclaim its glory. Palmer confirmed that Nissan will continue to use the Nurburgring as a benchmark for performance progress. This indicates the brand takes Nurburgring times very seriously, despite already being quicker than similarly priced competitors. The current $170,800 GT-R uses a 404kW, 3.8-litre twin turbo V6 to combat supercars that cost – in some cases – in excess of a million dollars. Kinishi Tanuma, lead developer of the next generation Nissan flagship supercar has already stated he wants the GT-R quality and value improved, hinting that the new model will remain relatively affordable. At a similar price as the current car, the next GT-R may not need to be king of the ring to prove its worth. But with Tanuma focusing on quality, NISMO has partnered with Williams Formula one team to focus on performance. When it arrives, the R36 GT-R may just steal the Nurburgring thunder from the million dollar supercar party one more time.  

Nissan recently confirmed that its next NISMO model will be a more extreme version of the GT-R, and now we have the first spy shots of a prototype of just that car, caught while undergoing testing on Germany’s Nurburgring and some of the race track’s surrounding roads. The GT-R NISMO will be the flagship of Nissan performance partner NISMO and is expected to make its debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show in late November before hitting showrooms next spring, as a 2015 model. Helping with the car’s development is none other than the Williams F1 Team, well, the team’s technology offshoot, Williams Advanced Engineering. Their area of expertise is aerodynamics, simulation and material science (read advanced composites). A massive GT wing is seen in some of the shots and there are also new spoilers located around the car. Engineers have also added new intakes at both ends and it looks like the exhaust tips are new. Lighter weight and improved aerodynamics will be key to the car’s performance. NISMO product chief Hiroshi Tamura describes the aim of the GT-R NISMO project as being the pursuit of “pure” performance. Look for a stripped-out cabin, carbon fibre panels and plenty of handling mods. However, there will also be a healthy boost to power levels from the car’s twin-turbo V-6. The 2014 GTR is producing 406 kW r but this GT-R NISMO is tipped to have more than 425kWh and be capable of setting a new production car lap record at the Nurburgring (the GT-R’s current ‘Ring time of 7:18:6 is outmatched by cars like the Gumpert Apollo Sport, Lexus LFA and Dodge Viper ACR). In this initial round of testing the prototype has already achieved a sub-7:30 lap time, according to our photographer. The GT-R NISMO has even been reported to be capable of accelerating from 0-100kmh in approximately 2.0 seconds, faster than any production car in history, though the actual figure is more likely to be a Bugatti Veyron-like 2.5 seconds. Nissan has also said the GT-R NISMO would draw on lessons learned from racing the GT-R in various motorsport categories around the world, particularly in GT3 competition. In fact, Nissan’s GT-R NISMO GT3 race car is said to have directly influenced the aerodynamics package of the new model as well as the chassis. Look for the car’s six-speed dual-clutch transmission and suspension to have had significant work done. The car looks to be much closer to the ground than the regular GT-R, suggesting a very aggressive tune for the suspension. The wheels, brakes and exhaust are also NISMO-specific items. We’ll update the story as development progresses and stay tuned for the 2015 Nissan GT-R NISMO's full reveal in the coming months. www.motorauthority.com  

In the world of supercars, there are battles and then there are “battles.” This is one of the latter. In this rather dry and yet superficial look at the Nissan GT-R's snow-driving capabilities, Nissan sets up one heck of a straw man--or snow man, as it were. Testing slalom, acceleration, and braking ability in the snow (skip to 3:50)--on a common set of Dunlop tires, to make it fair--Nissan pits the GT-R against an Infiniti FX and a Nissan 370Z. Yeah, that makes sense... It seems Nissan is trying to show how practical the GT-R is with this video, even in the hands of a young staffer. The woman tasked with driving the GT-R to provide a “normal driver's” perspective owns a Cube, but only drives once or twice per year. Total. Yeah, that makes even more sense... The video gets even funnier when snowy hill starts are attempted on a 20% grade. As you might expect, the GT-R annihilates the competition. The poor 370Z rolls back down the hill, front and rear wheels spinning in opposite directions. To be fair to Nissan and the GT-R, the twin-turbo supercoupe proves its snow-driving mettle. The GT-R's balanced weight, low centre of gravity, and all-wheel drive system make for a capable snow car. Of course, the Audi R8, Lamborghini Gallardo (but maybe not the Aventador), and Ferrari FF--even the Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible--are, too. Not to mention the Subaru WRX STI, E63 AMG all-wheel drive, and a horde of other all-wheel drive performance cars that might have made a better comparison point. Or, say, attempting a top-speed record for a stock production car on an icy lake. That would have made sense. www.motorauthority.com

Bentley's exploits in high-speed ice driving are well-known--and officially recognized. But for Nissan of Europe, the official Guinness certification apparently wasn't as important as going flat-out on Lake Baikal in a bone-stock GT-R. You see, the claim made with this video is for the unmodified production car ice speed record. Bentley's ice speed record runs were made in a specially-modified "ISR," (Ice Speed Record) Continental Supersports model, in the hands of Finnish rally champ Juha Kankkunen. Top speed: 330 km/h. Not long after, another Finn, Janne Laitninen, piloted an Audi RS6 to a top speed of 331.7 km/h on ice. Now, the Nissan GT-R, in the hands of Roman Rusinov, has crossed Lake Baikal's gorgeous crust of ice at a speed of... 295 km/h. That's not nearly as impressive as the cars modified to hit top speed on ice, but on the other hand, it looked like one hair-rising ride in a showroom-stock street car.  

...developed together with its in-house tuner and motorsports partner Nismo. The first of these have already been revealed in the form of the Nismo 370Z sold in the U.S. and other select markets, and more recently the Juke Nismo, which goes on sale in Europe early next year, followed by the U.S. and Asian markets shortly after. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Nissan is also looking at more serious forms of tuning, particular for its performance models like the 370Z, GT-R supercar and a possible new front-wheel drive sports car. Using the ‘RS’ moniker, an abbreviation for Rennsport, the German word for motorsport, Nissan is thought to preparing a series of packages that will go a step beyond the suspension tune, mild power upgrades and aero aids of the standard Nismo kits. Speaking with Auto Express recently, Nissan’s product planning chief Andy Palmer hinted at RS versions of the GT-R and Juke, as well as the next-generation of the 370Z due in 2014. “The RS cars will be much more track-focused. You’ve seen the Juke-R, so maybe that would be a good place to start,” Palmer said. The latest comments tie in with those of GT-R chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno, who recently stated that Nissan’s participation in the 2012 Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race with a stock GT-R was to help further develop the car over the remainder of its life. Mizuno himself hinted at more capable version of the GT-R with his comment, “By changing it to a racing specification to be implemented in the future, no matter what kind of super high performance feature or a new version is developed in the next five years, the durability and reliability in varying conditions can be verified in this race. I would like to make a promise that all this will be reflected in future GT-Rs." Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too long to see the RS-spec GT-R as Nissan is expected to launch the model sometime next year. Stay tuned for an update. Pictured above (and below) is a GT-R fitted with some official tuner parts offered by Nismo. Released in 2008, the parts include adjustable dampers and stiffened springs, racing-style bucket seats, forged alloy wheels by Rays, and a titanium exhaust. www.motorauthority.com