This is a car that’s a product of the Japanese culture. Look around the streets of Tokyo and you’ll quickly understand that they know what a proper car is. S classes are common fare -as are countless BMWs. They’re worldly people the Japanese- consuming with the best of them. And for some time their own products have been doubted. It wasn’t that long ago when the thought of a Japanese car that could rival a German car was a joke. Now the LS threatens the S class and the newly global skyline coupe- Infiniti G35 to statesiders- has all but beaten the benchmark 3 series.
Yet the doubt continues. Especially when it comes to the sacred driver’s cars. Among many circles, the three letters GT-R are well respected, but not among all. Many still question whether the R33 or R34 ever turned in a sub-8minute Nurburgring pass. Many more doubt that a Japanese sports car can rival the engineering behind the great M3, much less any 911. And who would believe that a factory GT-R could handily beat a 911 TURBO around its own home track, the Nurburgring?
Construction wise, the car is made of steel and aluminum. Although the car’s on the heavy side at about 3,800lbs, it would have been much heavier without the extensive use of composites on the front end and aluminum on the doors, suspension, subframe, and elsewhere. Nissan’s partner Alcoa proudly shows it- you can see their logo stamped right into the doors. But the real technology is the steroid- no I mean carbon- injections into the chassis. And the only badge for that is the three letter one on the back that ends in R.
The very front of the car is a painted graphite color while the area below the front GT-R logo is texturized akin to a composite weave. The bottom of the car is color keyed (dark gray) to the sport wheels which are wrapped by custom engineered Bridgestone RE070R runflat tires. The front tires are 255/40/20 while the rear tires are 285/35/20. The wheels weigh about 26lbs R/24lbs F despite being 20″ in size thanks to Rays Engineering experience with forged wheel construction. They’re one piece and are specially built for the GT-R’s tires. Moving to the rear, you’re presented with four massive exhaust pipes matched up with a very-functional air diffuser and the signature GT-R tail lamps. The sides of the rear end as sharply as an exacto-knife and serve to heighten the aggressive stance- especially as you notice the crease running all the way toward the front wheel well. This crease meets the front wheel at a side air vent with a prominent GT-R logo - a fitting detail, like a cuff-link on a new suite, and a birthmark that’s blessed the car for over 40 years.
Speaking of ventilation and airflow, Nissan said that the priority for the GT-R was on cooling and downforce. Their chief engineer noted that on a car like the G35, aerodynamics are important….but on this, they needed to create downforce. To do so, air is channeled into the front of the car and at high speeds, pressurized zones are created under the car to help force the car lower to the ground. A rear spoiler contributes to the effect and helps improve stability at the car’s factory-rated and often tested 192mph top speed.
Cooling vents are aplenty: the entire front end cools the radiators, dual intercoolers, and massive oil cooler. One of the problems with turbochargers is the heat they generate at the turbine. It raises the temperature of your intake air which as you surely know restricts performance. The GT-R solves that issue two ways: first, it utilizes dual inter coolers for the intake. Second, the holes in the hood are followed by ducting which forces cold outside air onto the engine’s intake side.
Heat can then be ventilated out below the windshield out the sides of the wheel wells, or at the rear diffuser. I would have questioned the functionality, but when you close the hood and the engine is sealed within its second firewall, you can actually feel the air rush out it’s escape paths.
The high quality construction continues when you get inside the car for the first time. Close the door and you can feel the pressure change, despite the frameless doors. It feels like a more controlled environment than what you might get with the GT-R’s younger siblings, the G35 and 350Z. The very next thing you notice is something surprising: the refinement.
The GT-R teaches that sportiness doesn’t require one to sacrifice refinement. Leather runs a muck through the interior. Pretty much every surface that faces you is leather: the door panels, the dashboard, the driver’s command center, the steering wheel, the armrests, it goes on and on. The leather is a very high quality too- it’s at least as good as that used in the new G37, if not better. The other visible surfaces which aren’t leather are a soft textured rubberized material. This material seems to be everywhere that leather- or metal- isn’t. Overall the interior feels par with the Infiniti-M, that is to say it’s one of Nissan’s best to date. It also serves to elevate the car beyond its nearest competition that it completely outclasses: the M3, C63 AMG, IS-F, SRT8s, and so on. It’s obvious from the specs and clear on the outside, but by the time you sit inside it you’ve all but forgotten about them. It’s that good.
Like the exterior, the instrument cluster is not sexy. It’s functional. White numbers, red needles and raw information. The lighting is very precise and the labeling clear. The critically important current gear indicator is lit in white on a blue background. Being the GT-R however, Nissan wasn’t satisfied to stop there.Nissan then went and hired Polyphony, makers of the Gran Turismo series, to build the user interface on the Multi Function Display that accompanies the primary gauges. It shows. The gauges are all slick yet again highly efficient and functional. But it does more than just show a few gauges. It’s a touch screen and shows everything from in-car telemetry and recorded data to hard drive based navigation, television, auxiliary inputs, and a myriad of other modes and settings.
Overall the package works exceedingly well. But it’s designed to. The GT-R is a weapon, and a weapon Nissan is building for anyone to use. While it uses twin turbos to generate what is reportedly an underrated 480 horsepower, it matches that with an intelligent All Wheel Drive system to always put the power to the ground at the right places and right times. The transmission is mounted at the back of the car and mated to the rear differential. The entire package is setup in a way that reminds you of current generation fighter planes –backwards, but necessary to optimize efficiency. The computer is aware of everything and is constantly moving torque and managing hundreds of parameters to get the most out of the driver’s inputs.
In case you’re hoping for a six speed manual, don’t hold your breath. This car’s been engineered around the GR6 dual clutch sequential manual transmission. If a fun sports car is what you want, the Mazda Miata may be your best bet. You get those with stick and an open top. If you want a machine to perform, continue reading: Although the gate looks like your ordinary automatic, it’s not. The transmission actually uses two clutches to hold onto gears. Imagine two manual transmissions wrapped up in one. Accelerate in first gear and the second side of the transmission already has second gear ready. All it’s waiting on is the pull of the paddle to swap the two clutches. Two hundred milliseconds elapse from the time you pull the paddle to the time the car’s fully riding on the second gear. Lest you start to compare that to other cars, consider the following: this transmission is more efficient than true automatics including the best that Dodge, Mercedes and Toyota/Lexus have to offer. Also, when shifting, the GT-R’s transmission is always putting torque onto the ground, whereas sequential manuals from the likes of BMW and Ferrari are not. Mechanically, it has its competition beat here. The only other transmissions that can compete are the DSGs in Audi’s, Evo Xs, and VWs- all of whom deal with 300 horsepower or less…with the only exception being the Bugatti Veyron….
The technological tour de force continues from the AWD and transmission to the suspension and brakes. The suspension is manufactured by Blistein. It’s electronically adjustable and the computers adjust it continuously as they see fit. In casual or daily settings you can drive in the appropriate setting….but when challenged, flip the switch to R mode and the car will do whatever it must to grip the tarmac. The suspension becomes instantly stiff to reign full control on body movement and stay planted at all times.
The brakes are Brembo GT two piece 15″ rotors gripped by monoblock 6-pot calipers at front and 4-pot calipers at rear. They’re designed to stand up to track duty without issue and are fitted with custom compound pads and fluid. The rotors are multi piece to help dissipate heat while the calipers are designed to minimize flex and maximize stable consistent grip and bite on the rotor. The rear brakes are more impressive than its competition’s front brakes. Numbers could be thrown around about how quickly it stops from 60mph… But that’s not the most important bit- it’s the fact that the GT-R is built to perform consistently. Its offer is performance without fade.
But again, this is a package for anyone, anywhere, anytime to get the most of. On the interior, there are switches that allow you to switch the car’s suspension, transmission, and awd/traction control into race mode… or comfort mode, or daily driver mode depending on the needs of the moment. The transmission can even be left in auto mode where the computer will decide what’s best… or it can be put into manual mode where the skilled driver can make the call.
Emerging from the car you gain a new understanding of supremacy. The once-aggressive 350Z and G35/G37 now look tame. Same goes for the 3 series, C class, IS, and countless other cars. It even manages to make the M3 look ordinary. SRT8s look weak and almost fake next to it.
All of this is another way of saying the car’s thoroughly built. But that makes sense from such a thorough culture. No detail is left undone: from the bolts on the rotors to the factory flush door handles and even the unadvertised carbon fiber panels whose weave is left exposed -under the car… every last detail is accounted for.
And with that, what more can be said? This car is epic. Nissan themselves have promised the US version will be mechanically identical to the Japanese version which will be mechanically identical to the Euro and Australian versions. The only differences will be legalities ie where the steering wheel is and whether the corner lights are amber or clear. They’ve already announced a June release in the US. Worldwide, Nissan has the ability to make 1,000 GT-Rs every month -which isn’t a lot when you consider that they can (and do) produce over 10,000 G35s and 350Zs every month. Nissan makes so few not just to maintain exclusivity, but also because of the attention it requires to make one. Nissan has created a new build process just for this car- a process which involves hand making every engine and transmission- even though it will be produced in Tochigi where Nissan produces its Infiniti line of cars.
But this is no ordinary machine after all. It’s the epitome of thorough attention to detail and a resolve for dominance. The car is scary brilliant. Attempt to thank its head designer though, and he’ll bow longer and deeper than you. In a most humble, Japanese fashion, Nissan has done it. The GT-R is back, and it will be an anytime, anywhere, any place all weather killing machine the likes of which its competition is not ready for.
Ada///M.
