WE ALL know about the new Nissan GT-R that we’re going to get when it lands in September. But how about the version of the GT-R we really want?
Nissan has pulled the wraps off the Nismo-badged version of the updated GT-R, featuring a more aerodynamically enhanced body wrapped around a 441kW/652Nm 3.8-litre V6 engine that features a pair of large diameter high-flow turbochargers more at home in GT3 race cars.
Other Nismo tweaks to the body include a more rigid bonnet that won’t deform at high speed, a wider, deeper grille built into a carbonfibre bumper that’s designed to suck in more air, and improved airflow around the front wheels.
“Overall, the car’s new shape generates more downforce than any other Nissan production car to date, which in turn results in exceptional high-speed stability,” Nissan says.
The stiffer body structure allowed the Nismo engineering team to stiffen up the suspension’s shock absorbers, springs and stabilizers to enhance cornering ability via a driver-selectable mode.
“The GT-R Nismo emphasizes the ‘R’ in its nomenclature,” the car’s chief product specialist Hiroshi Tamura, who is also in charge of the regular GT-R program, said.
“Its direct ties with racing makes it at home on any racetrack, providing the highest levels of excitement and exhilaration for the driver” he said.
“With the 2017 GT-R as a starting point, the new Nismo version has become a more well-balanced machine, with not just increased performance, but a heightened premium feel overall.”
As for price, the track-hungry Nismo edition’s extra tech would see it easily eclipse Nissan Australia’s current range-topping GT-R model, the $182,500 GT-R Black Edition.
The bad news is, Australia is still unlikely to get it.
Nissan told Wheels recently that after years of waiting, it was still to gain approval to bring the Nismo performance sub-brand to Australia, adding that plans to inject more excitement to the brand were long overdue.
Nissan’s Yokohama head office announced in 2011 that it was planning to roll the Nismo sub-brand out globally, but so far the plan has failed to spark here.
However, Nissan Australia is aware that GT-R enthusiasts are likely to want a bit more from the current GT-R range. In light of that, we’re expecting to receive a Nismo-tuned Track Edition of the GT-R, possibly as early as when the fresh-faced version unveiled in New York hits local showrooms in September.
