Nissan’s iconic GT-R is back

To understand what the GT-R means to Japan, one needs to delve deep into the myth that is the car. A model that started out life as nothing more than the Skyline saloon back in the 1960s, it captured the imagination of the Japanese public however when, in its first race outing, it placed second to a racing Porsche 904 GTS. And then there was no looking back. But the real forerunner of this car was the 1989 R32 GT-R, a coupe that had a turbocharged straight six, computer-controlled four- wheel drive as well as four- wheel steering (called Super HICAS). This, along with later versions, the R33 and the R34 racked up race win after race win. Then came the tuners, who on a regular basis got more than a 1000 horsepower from the GT-R. Unlike other Japanese performance cars, it had both massive power and thoroughbred handling, both in one package. It ranked as one of the greatest performance cars in the world, no reservations. And that’s exactly what Nissan has engineered the new car to be. A world beater.

The philosophy behind the new GT-R is the same. Sports coupe body, as against low-slung supercar, high-tech four-wheel drive and turbocharged six-cylinder motor. But God, or Godzilla in this case, is in the details.

To say that Nissan has been totally obsessed by the GT-R project, would be grossly understating it. Even for the Japanese, the GT-R project scaled new heights of compulsive insanity. To take on the Germans and Italians, Nissan replicated parts of the Autobahn and the old Nurburgring race track in northern Japan, complete with signs in German and picnic areas! Then the test cars were shadowed everywhere they went by 911 Turbos and Nissan claims the GT-R is faster over the ’ring than the 911 Turbo, a massive massive bragging right despite the fact that the car is more than 100kg heavier but makes the same amount of power. Then, as with a lot of competition machinery, you can adjust everything on the car, from dampers, to the four-wheel-drive system to stability systems. The steering wheel looks like it belongs on an F1 car, with buttons and switches all around and no stone has been left unturned to give this car the best that is available.

Each motor for example is hand-assembled by a qualified race mechanic, Nissan beds in the massive Brembo brakes for each customer, the driveshafts use carbon-fibre to keep them light, the tyres are filled with nitrogen to keep the volume stable under extreme heat condition, the doorpads have been softened to allow for ‘painless’ hard cornering and Nissan has tuned the exhaust and the airflow so that you can now have a chat at 300 kilometres an hour. Then there is a Audi/VW-like DSG twin clutch six-speed transmission, the engine’s cylinder bores are plasma-coated for more efficient heat dissipation, a scavenger pump improves oil flow during cornering and a collector tank within the fuel tank does much the same for fuel flow. That’s not all. The electronic stability control package uniquely helps you corner faster, the dampers use information from 10 sensors to help get the right damping force, the car is classified as a Ultra Low Emission vehicle in Japan and even the paint has been specially formulated to handle stone chips at 300 kilometres an hour.

Priced from Rs 28 lakh in Japan, the GT-R is great value and available in right-hand drive. If you are keen on owning one, Nissan says it would love to help you import the car into India.