Nissan GT-R 2015 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.

Nissan has confirmed the driver lineup for their single-car assault on the 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour with Nismo Global Athletes Alex Buncombe, Wolfgang Reip and Katsumasa Chiy making their second apperance at the endurance race.Rick Kelly, who drove with the team in the 2014 12 Hour isn't returning for 2015 due a scheduling clash with the V8 Supercars official pre-season test at Sydney Motorsport Park.The Nissan squad lines up against the likes of Bentley, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz in the GT3 A-class at the front of the field.We never got to show the full potential of the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in 20142015 marks Buncombe's third trip to Mount Panorama in 12 months, with the Englishman partnering Todd Kelly in the Nissan Altima for the Bathurst 1000 where the pair finished 7th overall.Buncombe says the team has unfinished business after last year's race."We never got to show the full potential of the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in 2014," he said."I can't wait to get back behind the wheel, especially as the flowing corners and long straights at Mount Panoramaare just what the GT-R loves."Reip, who is only in this third year of professional racing after winning the 2012 Nissan GT Academy Europe, completed the first fully-electric powered lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe in 2014. Reip piloted the innovative Nissan ZEOD RC during warm up for the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race.I would say it is as hard as the NordschleifeThe 28-year old Belgian likens Australia's famous scenic drive to Germany's Nordschliefe."It’s very difficult mentally; I would say it is as hard as the Nordschleife. I have raced on both and I would say that althoughBathurst is shorter it is just as challenging,” he said.Katsumasa Chiyo returns to Australia having spent the 2014 season in Europe driving a Nissan GT-R as part of the Blancpain Endurance Series as well as both the Nürburgring and Spa 24 hour races.Chiyo says he has learned a lot over the last 12 months and is "really looking forward to racing again at Bathurst for the revenge". The Nissan squad's 2014 race was cut short on lap 59 when Chiyo, blinded by dust, collided heavily with a spun Ferrari at the top of the mountain, near Brock's Skyline.The accident rendered the Nissan GT-R undriveable, however all involved escaped serious injury.The 2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour runs February 6-8 at Mount Panorama.

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 Nissan GT-R Nismo will get its official debut tomorrow at Tokyo motor show, but images and details of the car have already leaked on to the internet via a now-deleted posting by Car and Driver.The information showed the GT-R Nismo's twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 engine will deliver 441kW of power and 650Nm of torque -- a rise of about 37kW and 22Nm over the current GT-R. The information didn't detail whether the peak figures have moved from 6400rpm and 3200-5800rpm respectively, but the extra output has reportedly been squeezed from revised intake and exhaust systems, bigger turbos and new timing.An optional track pack with carbon-fibre body pieces, new rear spoiler and front splitter plus manually-adjustable Ohlins suspension is reported to improve the handling and trim the GT-R's weight by 65kg. It's said to have helped the car to a scorching Nurburgring lap time of 7:08.69 -- still well behind the Porsche 918 Spyder's record of 6:57, but costing considerably less.

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’s next generation of the GT-R supercar will feature a hybrid drivetrain, according to a fresh report from the UK. Speaking with Autocar, Nissan sales and marketing boss Andy Palmer  confirmed the expected technology shift, with the R36 GT-R likely to gain performance and efficiency improvements similar to the hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder, LaFerrari and McLaren P1 supercars. "There is an inevitability about electrification of all cars in the future, and there is the very real prospect of enhancements coming from this and ending up on a sports car like the Nissan GT-R," Palmer says. "The electric systems can fill in the gaps in the torque curve and offer genuine performance gains, as well as lowering emissions. It’s win-win, and I’d expect to see some form of hybridisation on the next generation of car." The existing R35 generation has racked up a long list of achievements since its 2007 arrival, including several giant-slaying Nurburgring lap times, and the current 404kW/628Nm version’s 0-100km/h acceleration figure of 2.7 seconds. However, the twin-turbo 3.8 litre V6 returns a not-altogether PC combined fuel figure of 11.7L/100km. Porsche has demonstrated that such figures can be relegated to history with its 918 Spyder, boasting an incredible combined figure of 3.3L/100km.  The next GT-R is expected to appear some time in 2015, but in the meantime Nissan will take the wraps off the Nismo-tuned version of the current model at this month’s Tokyo motor show, where a fastest-yet Nurburgring time is expected to be announced.  Palmer hinted that former F1 driver Sebastian Buemi was used to set the latest time. "He was flat-out in places that other people brake in. His lack of experience at the ‘Ring didn’t hold him back." Palmer also confirmed that the GT-R Nismo will follow the regular GT-R’s tradition of annual model-year spec revisions, which will likely see the ‘Ring figures continue to fall. "We hope to offer improvements with each model year, enhancing things like the aerodynamic capabilities and engine each time," he says. "The benchmark of that will be our ‘Ring time, and we expect to see it come down each year." This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn    

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  

The development and launch of the current R35 Nissan GT-R was an epic achievement for the Japanese automaker. After all, Nissan was able to design and engineer a sports car capable of outperforming exotic supercars with pricetags twice as high, as well as make it seat four adults in relative comfort and be easy to drive every day. A series of updates has kept the car competitive but eventually a successor, an R36, will have to be launched. Though it was previously thought the successor wouldn’t arrive until 2018, giving the R35 a 10-year lifespan, a new report is claiming that we may see the R36 as early as 2015, as a 2016 model. Speaking with Motor Trend, a Nissan representative confirmed that a new Nissan GT-R would be launched for the 2016 model year, which, given Nissan’s cadence for the GT-R, would mean a reveal late in 2015. No other details about the car were revealed but there’s a strong possibility it will introduce some hybrid technology. A trademark application from Nissan for a new "R-Hybrid" label recently surfaced, suggesting the automaker is planning to launch a new range of high-performance hybrids. Marking the new R36 as the first R-Hybrid model would be a great way to promote the technology. Moreover, rivals such as Honda and Toyota are planning high-performance hybrids of their own, so it wouldn’t be completely surprising if Nissan followed suit. But before the arrival of the alleged 2016 GT-R, Nissan will launch a new GT-R NISMO for the 2015 model year, potentially the last update for the R35. This car is expected to be revealed later this year and promises to deliver some epic performance figures, just like its predecessors. Stay tuned for an update. www.motorauthority.com