For those looking for any updates to Godzilla, you might have to wait for 2013 before getting anything from Nissan. Looks like Nissan’s milking its replacement cycle before they make any signficant updates.

Nissan made quite the impression on almost everyone from ordinary gearheads to motoring journalists and even those in motorsports and the industry.

For its price, Nissan has almost achieved the perfect track car with the GT-R shaming even the likes of Porsche. It was too menacing that Toyota even decided to go back to the drawing board with the Lexus LF-A.

So from today until 2013, we’re pegging that Nissan will just have to resort to tuners and perhaps official tuning packages from in-house Nismo to keep stoking the GT-R fire.

Nissan VP Andy Palmer told PistonHeads that the new GT-R will most likely be an evolution to the car, retaining its twin-turbo V6 and a rear transaxle configuration.

Source: PistonHeads

And you thought that there’s little room for improvement for Godzilla. Not in the hands of tuners. Check out this rally-ready Stillen-tuned Nissan GT-R which will be seeing action in this year’s Targa Newfoundland.

The car gets 611 bhp – 131 more than the standard GT-R. It trims the car’s 0-60 time down to 2.9 seconds from 3.4 seconds of the standard car with launch control. Now that’s zippy.

For added race refinements, the car is put on a diet with panels replaced with carbon fiber bits. A new air intake and exhaust plus a new boost controller help increase the power output. The car also has a fully adjustable suspensions and uprated brakes to help it deal with stopping and cornering.

The Targa Newfoundland is a 1,400 mi long road rally held over a period of seven days. This particular GT-R will be driven by the Stillen boss himself – Steve Millen.

Source: Autocar

The Nissan GT-R is still quite the supercar specimen and despite the worldwide financial crisis, it still remains to be one of the ultimate track machines to buy for those who can afford it.

It might not be the king of the ‘Ring anymore (edged out by both the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the Dodge Viper ACR) but the folks from Nissan aren’t showing any signs of slowing down in their quest for ‘Ring glory. They expect the soon-to-come GT-R Series II to trim down its 7:29 lap time by 5 seconds.

The Series II will feature upgraded suspensions, a retuned gearbox, tires with more grip, and 5 more horses under the hood.

Four to five seconds off its previous lap time means that it still will not be good enough to trump the ‘Vette but a faster GT-R? That would surely put the pricier Porsche 911 in its place. The GT-R might not have the same pedigree but it would surely put a smirk on any GT-R driver’s face when lined up with 911s on the starting grid.

Source: Leftlane

Let’s face it, fellow gearheads. The crunch has everyone reeling all over the world. Even in the supposedly resilient Japanese automotive industry, automakers are declaring loses and job cuts. For enthusiasts there also the grim news of the Acura/Honda NSX being either shelved or binned. And that raises the question, will we be able to anticipate any other Godzilla cars from Japan any time soon.

The Nissan GT-R has proven that it is quite a great track car, putting cars twice its price to shame. But if you’re one who thought the Aston Rapide and the Lamborghini Estoque were great ideas, then you might enjoy the prospect of a four-door GT-R that they plan to release in 2011 to be released as an Infiniti. Oh and for those looking for something larger, how about a GT-R based SUV?

For minicar enthusiasts, Honda is also set to unleash an all-new two-door Beat. In addition, an S2000 coupe, is still slated for a 2012 debut at the latest.

For sportscar lovers, the Toyota-Subaru has been shelved but the Lexus V10 LF-A is still on course. Mind you that Lexus has been quite cautious on how they could make the LF-A the definitive Japanese supercar. And with the GT-R already in the market, Lexus has their work cut out for them.

Now we could just hope that these projections still stay on course.

Source: Inside Line

Godzilla just got more reptilian! The COBRA N+ Tuning division at Germany’s Cobra Technology and Lifestyle has come up with a tuned concept for the popular Nissan GT-R, even if sales of the basic GT-R won’t start in Europe until the first quarter of 2009.

The all-wheel drive sports car will be powered by a twin-turbo V6 engine that can turn out 478 horsepower. The Cobra people have made a 2.2 psi increase on the turbo boost. They also tweaked the ECU and attached a couple of sport air filters. These additions help increase the car’s power to 543 horsepower at 502 lb.-ft. of torque.

Additionally, the team is developing an exhaust system with stainless steel tubing and high-flow catalytic converters that should reduce backpressure and help add even more power to the car. The GT-R’s exterior has been heavily customized for aerodynamic performance, while the interior has been modified with leather-and-alcantara-finished carbon-fiber racing seats and six-point harnesses.

The Nissan GT-R COBRA N+ Tuning concept also sports custom yellow decals to further highlight the car’s customized look. With the upgraded features and performance parts, the car should be able to turn some heads and turn out some pockets—especially in the UK.

Source: Motor Authority

There have been leaked details regarding the V-Spec variant of the 2009 Nissan GT-R sports car, showing a focus on trimming the car’s weight by way of an extensive use of carbon fiber. What is more apparent is the lack of any real performance upgrades over the standard GT-R model.

With carbon fiber all over, the GT-R becomes an ultra-light speed demon. The front seats, rear shelf, brakes, rear wing and grille are all made out of carbon fiber. Additionally, the all-aluminum 20-inch wheels help in reducing the vehicle’s weight.

There is an optional mid-range over-boost for the twin-turbo engine. The 3.8-liter V6, however, has the same top output of 473 brake horsepower—so there are really no upgrades on this front. At least the suspension gets some improvements, in the form of a new high-performance Bilstein Damptronic suspension system.

Despite the minimal performance tweaks, the carbon-fiber makeover contributes greatly to improving speed and aerodynamics. According to Nissan, the GT-R V-Spec was 2 seconds faster than the standard GT-R, based on lap times at Japan’s Sendai Highland Raceway.

Source: Autocar

The Nissan GT-R won the Most Advanced Technology Award in the 2007-08 Car of the Year Japan awards held in Oiso, Japan.

The COTY Japan judges noted that the GT-R combines “powerful performance and clean emission.” The fusion of materials in the body of the GT-R is among the facets of the car that wowed the judges. Carbon, aluminum, and high-grade steel were all used to make the sleek and sophisticated body. The unibody monocoque chassis is made from steel, while the front substructure and rear diffuser are both made out of carbon fiber, and the double-wishbone suspension is made out of aluminum. Another aspect of the car that captivated the jury was its double-clutch transmission and its independent transaxle 4WD—a first in the world.

While the GT-R impressed the judges with its efficiency and amazing body, the car only managed a third-place finish in the overall Car of the Year Japan award, trailing the Citroen C5 and the titlist Toyota iQ.

The Nissan GT-R is expected to be launched in Europe later this year. A souped-up limited edition V-Spec will be launched in Japan in February of 2009.

Source: 4WheelsNews

Now this idea may really seem odd to a lot of people. How can you get what is essentially a two-door car and slap on two more doors. Well, many might not know it but the Nissan’s GT-R started out as a four-door vehicle. And, with the emergence of four-door cars with supercar power, this sort of makes sense.

With this move, Nissan is hoping to attract a wider market since the car, with all its performance, will be able to boast of practicality and luxury. The GT-R’s wheel base will be extended from 5.9 inches to 7.8 to accommodate the additional doors. It is also likely for Nissan to use what will be developed in this effort to future projects.

As for the power figures, it was initially speculated that the car will be a tamer version of the current 480 hp V6. However, Nissan is leaning towards using the 5.0L V8 from Infiniti FX50 which will generate 420 hp. The engine is likely to be mated to a 7-speed automatic.

With these, figures, the car wouldn’t likely be going toe-to-toe with the Porsche Panamera, Lambo Estoque, and the Aston Martin Rapide but the car will surely be a choice for those looking for luxury and performance. Comes with a price though, with an initial estimated price of $100,000. Nissan plans a debut some time late 2010.

Source: Inside Line

Little news gems you find in online forums. Adding to our growing list of WTF! Moments is this pretty messed up Nissan GT-R. Some guy in VWvortex Forums just posted pictures of this Nissan GT-R literally with its face off.

Here’s what they had to say about the car:

A good friend is into finding fixable (i.e. just barely legally totaled) cars at auction, so he does a fair amount of searching… Well, he e-mails me last night with this little gem….

Quote, originally posted by Auction-watching buddy »

Car is at an auction yard in Nashville and up for sale tomorrow (10/14). Bids are sealed so I can’t tell how much it sells for. 349 miles on the clock and damage is estimated at $55,000.

Well, $55,000 worth of damage for a car that I assumed to have been retailed at $69,850 is pretty f*ckin’ messed up. But if the car retails for $500, that might not be a bad deal at all. Considering that the new GT-Rs have gotten a 10% price bump, you might be able to salvage something from this wreck.

We have to apologize for sporadic and late posting of news here on AutoJab. We’re currently working some other efforts over at our home – Bloggy Network. Rest assured, consistent updates will be back ASAP.

Now, I just can’t let this newsbit pass since it’s about one of my favorite cars as of late – Godzilla with four wheels – the Nissan GT-R. And it’s getting some flak from Porsche with the German automaker claiming that Nissan cheated when they set the GT-R’s then-record-breaking lap time around the Nurburgring.

Porsche engineers have been running tests with the 911 around the ‘Ring and claim that they couldn’t get within 25 seconds of the GT-R’s 7:29 lap time. For them, that kind of time is impossible if it was a regular production car and that Nissan probably used a different set of tires.

Well, let’s get the facts straight. Porsche purchased a US-spec Nissan GT-R and raced them against the standard GT2 and a 911 Turbo. At the hands of Walter Rohrl one of their engineers, the Porsche cars beat the living hell out of the Japanese supercar.

Maybe, the GT-R is really just built for the Japanese. They set the lap time with ex-F1 Toshio Suzuki behind the wheel. Or maybe the GT-R just hates German drivers. But come on, in the hands of the Stig, the Porsche 911 Turbo clocked in 1.31.0 around the Top Gear test track and the GT-R clocked in at 1.19.7.

Then again, this just builds up the controversy whether Nissan was really tuning their test cars for better performance over the production ones.

A couple of my friends are really big toy collectors and one of them collects Transformers toys though not one of them are really car enthusiasts. Well, I do prefer the bigger machines, though I have to admit that collectibles still amuse me.

Just check this Tomy Nissan GT-R Transformer toy in 1:24 scale. I have to agree with some takes that this doesn’t look too impressive and awesome in robot form. Perhaps it’s the whole front jutting out like a massive hunk of chesticles. Hey, they managed to point the front end down with the Bumblebee toy. In car mode, they say that it also doesn’t look sleek and stylish as GT-R should due to some unpolished gaps and seams.

For those of you wondering why this thing looks a bit like Optimus Prime, it’s because Optimus Prime’s called Convoy in Japan. Pretty lame for him to be a GT-R though. He’ll always be that runaway semi to me. Probably explains the chesticles too.

Now this is the Nissan GT-R pumped up with steroids and inoculated with performance-enhancing nanobots for good measure. Damn. This is why tuners should rightfully play Dr. Frankenstein with cars. Sure some purists would frown upon what they do but tuning is all about squeezing out a car’s full potential.

And now even the automakers themselves are discouraging out-house tuning. Nissan just made some changes with their warranty cards stating that modifying the 2009 Nissan GT-R will void the car’s warranty. Perhaps this was done to appease the Japanese government’s drive to keep modded cars off streets.

But this latest tuned GT-R is the big kick in Nissan’s nuts. Enter the Power House Amuse Phantom GT-R – arguably the meanest and fastest GT-R out there. The tuning house successfully added 129 more horses and 138 lb-ft more torque from the 3.8L V6 twin-turbo. The grand total – 602 hp and 571 lb-ft of torque – figures that would put even proper thoroughbreds like Ferrari and Lambo to shame.

To achieve these numbers, they took out the GPS-based speed limiter and the ECM was retuned. The car sports a full titanium exhaust. The additional power enables the car to reach redline in a split second. And since you can’t add so much power, the suspension system is modified with stiffer springs and threaded sleeves. To shed some more weight, the car sports Recaro carbon-Kevlar racing seats.

This is Godzilla with psychosis.

Source: AutoWeek

WTF! Moments are usually reserved for those situations involving great cars and mishaps. No crashes and collisions in this one but I guess everyone will agree with me that this is a total travesty. Nissan has decided to bump the price of the Nissan GT-R by 10%.

One of the main appeals of the Nissan GT-R, aside from its performance, is the price. While it has been the “budget” supercar, it has enough punch in it to put most cars to shame. However, for those thinking that saving $69,850 would be enough for you to drive home one of these, you might have to bloat your GT-R shopping budget to $76,480 for the base car and $79,090 for the GT-R Premium with this price bump.

This is just too bad, since the original pricing had many ordinary folk dreaming realistically that they’d be able to own a more-than decent supercar without readily emptying out their 401k. Now, the 10% bump just made the GT-R pricier than a 505-hp Chevy Corvette C6 Z06 which retails at a base of $72,125.

Source: Inside Line

Nissan has undoubtedly found a winner with this the Nissan GT-R and they won’t find any problems milking the product as much as they can. The GT-R V-Spec’s still under wraps so they decided to give the GT-R some in-house tuning courtesy of NISMO.

Well too bad my sister isn’t around to translate the Japanese press release for me but Google Translate does a good enough job to get a few details here and there. Included in the Chassis package is the adjustable suspension courtesy of Bilstein Damp Tronic dampers. The Seat package includes Recaro Carbon Bucket seats and finally the Twin Exhaust Package features a titanium rear diffuser.

Availing of the whole package costs around US$ 50,254 and comes with a 3-year/60,000km warranty. The price is absolutely crazy though as the whole car in itself costs around $69,850. Does this mean that the darned car is only as valuable as these seats, suspensions, and exhaust?

Source: Nissan

This is news is devastating and the phenomenal GT-R might have just been one of those two-good-to-be-true stories. All the reviews and raves about the GT-R convinced me that Nissan made something really awesome. And then came the speculations as to whether the GT-R packs just a bit more punch than what Nissan is actually claiming.

But now comes the bad news. Car and Driver magazine now explores the possibility of Nissan lending reviewers cars that just pack a lot more punch and use the engine-being-handbuilt-that’s-why-no-two-engines-are-alike excuse to explain these differences. Here’s what they found testing a number of GT-Rs.

We soon tested two more GT-Rs, and supporting our suspicions, they were considerably slower. GT-R No. 2 was 0.6 second behind the No. 1 through the quarter, and GT-R numero tres was a disturbing 1.1 seconds slower. Again, we didn’t have enough time to dyno-test those cars, but it seemed clear that the first GT-R was likely a one-of-a-kind rocket.

Reading such news would make any fan boy feel like he got heck of a clenched fist in the gut. Is Nissan really fudging the numbers? Have they really beefed up the reception by lending beefier GT-Rs to testers? Well, this really doesn’t concern me as a consumer as getting one for myself will just be a distant dream (unless I win the lottery tomorrow) but it does blow a big hole in Nissan’s credibility.

Source: CARandDriver

Nissan might want to be a bit more definite on how they’ll be working on the cars in their development pipeline. It was interesting seeing their push to catch up on green technologies with their hybrids and EVs but I think they might want to reconsider how they make announcements regarding their more exciting technologies.

Last time we heard, the souped-up GT-R V-Spec was announced to be delayed but now, they’re saying that the V-Spec will indeed debut in the Paris Motor Show this October. But that was after some rumors stating that they will be launching the “Evolution” (what a unique name for a Japanese performance vehicle) before the V-Spec.

Still, the latest buzz has it that the V-Spec might not be called the “V-Spec” but will get the “Evolution” badge instead. Now this kind of confusing news can drive many a rabid GT-R fan mad.

Performance-wise, this “improved” GT-R will get 100 hp more (and with actual horsepower ratings varying), we could just wonder how much punch this car will pack. That combined with a slimmer body (a 200-lb drop) might just make the GT-R better.

Source: Nissan

Those who are still trying to uncover The Stig’s true identity should give it a rest. There’s a great degree of magic surrounding that and every Top Gear fan should just take whatever which way Jeremy or Hammond introduces The Stig as the truth. Blame grown-ups for destroying our faith in the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. But come on, let’s be responsible for keeping the Stig mystery alive.

And here’s probably one of the rare times (if not the only time) communicates to the public at large with his review of the Nissan GT-R. And here’s an excerpt from his take:

……………………………………….. ……………………………………….. ……………………………………….. ………………………..

Now, whether this is some alien language, Morse code, or Stig-lish, remains to be known. This not being ones and zeroes might hint that Stig is not a machine. We know that the Stig refuses to speak even one word out loud even when the police nabbed his ass. Though I still wonder how it teaches stars to go around the test track in the reasonably priced car.

Source: Top Gear

Okay, okay. Before GT-R fans puke on the spot with the idea, take solace in the fact that this is just a relatively well-done Photoshop image (by Trung’d – Trung Nguyen Design) of the GT-R with its top cut off.

Unlike babes in the beach, some cars don’t just get much more appealing when their tops are taken off. I mean the GT-R as it is wouldn’t compare to an Aston. And again, case in point, the DB9 Volante cabrio didn’t look as good as the hardtop.

I wouldn’t get it why, after achieving a masterpiece, Nissan would do this at all. The GT-R is a performance demon. Making it into a soft top would mess with the weight and the structural integrity of the car affecting everything. But what if Nissan suddenly gets the idea and have the ball rolling on this one… Oh my.

Via: Autojunk

If in last Sunday’s Top Gear episode, the Nissan GT-R damn (near?) broke Jeremy Clarkson’s head, TG’s print counterpart were gracious enough to return the GT-R the favor – by crashing one. And we thought only our friends in Asia were gracious enough to share with us some pictures of their wrecked brand-spanking new GT-Rs.

This here’s the same GT-R that the The Stig took around their test track and since the whole TG organization shares resources, the Magazine team took it out to the Isle of Man. Unfortunately for them, an Audi R8 failed to stop in time to avoid rear-ending the black GT-R.

The GT-R’s rear looks like it was plowed real good. Too bad no pictures of the R8. R8 plus a GT-R. Whanging either car is a mortal sin. So the guy responsible should at least be cast to hellfire or something. I wonder from whose paycheck that would come out of.

Source: GT-R UK Forums

Hello and welcome to our weekly Top Gear recap.

First up, answering the question, “Can a car ever be art?” And to answer that, they seamlessly tie-in their take on Alfa Romeos from last week’s show to this review of the Alfa Romeo 8c. I wonder how many times Clarkson has ever dubbed a car, “the best looking ever made.” But he does it here (again?). Typical Clarkson nitpicking for this one and yes, he concludes that this one is “fourteen feet of art.” And The Stig takes it around the track posting a 1:38.2 (very wet). Quite very slow.

For the news, there’s the typical skinny on Internet photos, the Fiat Panda Mamy, the now-lame Dacia Sandero quip. Oh and a guy complained that Jeremy clipped a double-white road line in last week’s episode. Geek! And a continuation of their war against signs.

Oh, and next up is the buck that stops all. Introducing it as the successor to the Datsun 120Y, Top Gear’s take on the Nissan GT-R! And not just a simple take – an epic race. Nissan GT-R versus Japan’s bullet train from Japan’s west coast to the east coast! As always the race is not without its twists and turns with a supposed intense finish with the GT-R weaving through a mountain pass. Very nice. But it was a drag that it ended up as a foot race.

Oh, I totally skipped the Stars in a Reasonably Priced car but they had Fiona Bruce and Kate Silverton (newscasters). Again, if you’re stateside and don’t get BBC 2, have the Intarwebs help you out.

Nissan is just giving buyers more and more things to move towards getting their latest wonder. Nissan UK just launched its Race Academy program for customers who have placed their orders beforehand. Just a day before getting their shiny new GT-R, buyers would be treated to a one-on-one class around Silverstone or Nurburgring.

Now that’s an interesting treat, probably a way to prevent those WTF! moments with amateurs whanging their new GT-Rs while on the road. The soon-to-be owners will be treated to a 45 minute session in the GT-R and, as part of the treat, learn the art of drifting/powersliding inside a 350Z.

Vincent Wijnen, marketing director for Nissan GB said, “we want to share the excitement and the thrill of the GT-R with our customers. To do that, we will give those GT-R customers the chance to spend some quality time with the car before they take delivery of theirs.”

Source: Autocar

Watch out, folks! This is what many have been waiting for – the day when we can find Nissan GT-Rs on American soil. And not just some test unit sent over for motoring critics to drive but a lot that will soon see some action on American roads.

Just check out this Jacksonville, Florida lot that contains a whole fleet of Nissan GT-Rs still wrapped up with protective film and plastic. Mmm…

Just the site of GT-Rs filed up like a battalion of mean machines can send chills down your spine. Watch out, everyone! This is it!

Source: Autoblog

Looking at this blog’s archive it seemed that I can’t get enough of the Nissan GT-R. I won’t go as far as saying that I am a die-hard fan. I mean, I haven’t test-driven one yet but based on countless testimonies and by the sheer numbers alone, it just is a great car.

The fact that it burned records set by supercars around Nurburgring is enough to send chills down your spine especially if you take into consideration its $70000 price tag. Still not for the average Joe, but to think that a BMW that performs half as well costs $30k more, you start to think that this might just yet be the supercar that you can own.

So what’s so special about this newsbit? Well it’s because reports have it that the V-Spec (victory specification) GT-R will be unleashed late this year. And yes, if it means anything, that V-Spec label means that this will be one faster machine than the “plain old” GT-R.

Just the thought… Brrr…

Finally! I really have to admit that Jeremy Clarkson is my favorite motoring journalist. Sure he can be a real arse at time but his wit and humor always manages to hit points home. Many might disagree with his views about cars but paying attention to the things he like and don’t like about them does give you some thinking points, his witty metaphors included.

One car that I’ve been waiting for him to review is the Nissan GT-R. I’m not the type of person who can readily put his hands on a car like the GT-R or any other car priced as such, but Clarkson can. And whether he’d consider the car “rubbish” or something “absolutely phenomenal” is something to take note of. All the reviews that this car got is pretty much the same – that the GT-R is an engineering masterpiece. So did Clarkson find it as such?

So what did Clarkson have to say about the car? Probably that is best summed up by his bottom line:

I dare say that if Michael Schumacher were to find himself in the eye of an Arctic blizzard, escaping from an exploding volcano, he might discover 10% of this car’s abilities. But you? Me? Here? Forget it.

Nissan, then, has done something odd. It has built a car for a time and a place and a species that simply don’t exist.

Now if Top Gear would just air now…

Source: Times Online

With all the unofficial times set around the Nurburgring, I’d probably be content in waiting for official records to be set. The fact remains the title of the King of the (Nurburg)Ring is still yet to be decided and it’s bound to be taken by some new machine sometime in the future. The Nissan GT-R is said to have trumped the Pagani Zonda F’s record but Nissan has yet to officially announce it. Then again, thank the YouTube gods for bringing us this unofficial video of the Nissan GT-R lap.

Via: eGMCarTe
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