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THE
motoring world virtually stopped for a few moments when
Nissan unveiled its new dimensional, multiperformance
supercar—the all-new GT-R—on October 24 during a media
presentation at the jampacked 40th Tokyo Motor Show in
Makuhari Messe Nippon Convention Center in Tokyo, Japan.
The
iconic car was introduced personally by Carlos Ghosn,
the chief executive of the Nissan Alliance Board, after
it crossed the finish line of Germany’s Nurburgring
racetrack in a new record time in an elaborate video
presentation.
“This is
an ultimate supercar for anyone, anywhere, anytime,”
Ghosn blurted out as soon as he emerged from the silver
GT-R that entered from behind the stage to the blaring
sound of music and loud cheering from the throng of
media people who gathered at the large Nissan enclosure.
“The GT-R is an act of passion for Nissan,” Ghosn added.
The
all-new GT-R will be on sale in Japan this December and
will reportedly be priced at $70,000, or P3.15 million.
The car is expected to be launched in the United States
in June, while its global introduction is expected to be
in March of 2009. The price outside of Japan could not
be ascertained as of this writing.
It was
Kazutoshi Mizuno, chief vehicle engineer and product
specialist, who gave the media an insight into the
vehicle, which traces its roots to 1969, when its
forebear was introduced in Japan as the Skyline GT-R
muscle car.
Mizuno,
in a well-attended press briefing inside the huge Aomi
Minami Port Park Underground Parking, where the all-new
GT-R was first shown, said that the GT-R is now “reborn
as the supercar that creates the greatest inspiration to
the world and it also shows the way for all future
Nissan vehicles.”
Mizuno
said that there are two major purposes in the making of
the all-new GT-R.
“First
and foremost, represented by dynamic performance and
active safety, as well as an approach toward
environmental-friendliness and safety by a supercar, the
Nissan GT-R was born with the role to appeal Nissan’s
technology to all corners of the world. Beginning with
the development of new technologies, the developmental
process and engineering team structure, methods for
measurement in testing and production, quality
guarantee, performance guarantee, and through to the
unique sales and services structure at special Nissan GT-R
dealerships, we aimed to demonstrate the future for all
Nissan models through everything created for the Nissan
GT-R project,” Mizuno said.
“Traditionally, elements such as the roads it could be
driven on, weather conditions and driving techniques,
put supercars in a market supposedly for a very limited
class of users. We were committed in developing the
Nissan GT-R with a whole new concept—a supercar which
offers a safety and a high-performance supercar life for
anyone, anywhere, at anytime. It is a supercar that
offers speed and fuel efficiency, power and clean air,
high performance and safety. Nissan’s new GT-R, a
multi-performance supercar, creates a whole new position
for supercars,” he added.
The
multiperformance supercar Nissan GT-R raced through the
Nürburgring circuit—where the condition of the most
feared high-speed corner, the “Kesselchen,” was wet with
a record time of seven minutes and 38 seconds.
Aside
from the speed record, the Nissan GT-R has also made
another important new breakthrough: it is a supercar
designed to return environmental-friendliness and
safety.
Extensive testing was also undertaken at Japan’s
demanding Sendai track that, like the Nürburgring,
features undulations, a mix of fast and slow corners,
and is regarded as an especially taxing and difficult
course. Most racing circuits were avoided. ‘They were
too easy,’ said Mizuno.
Several
locations were also chosen for high-speed performance
testing. Stretches of the German Autobahn, where there
are no speed limits, were used regularly. “They are the
best real-world testing laboratories available,” Mizuno
said. The Nissan GT-R was able to meet its goal—quiet,
fuss-free 300-kph performance—thanks to its superb
aerodynamics, precise alignment of body panels and its
advanced technologies.
While
the Nissan GT-R has a clear advantage over most rival
supercars on a racing circuit or at high-speed on the
public roads, its superiority in difficult
conditions—ice, rain, slush, snow—is far more
noticeable. This is because of its advanced
four-wheel-drive system, which offers unmatched traction
and handling security, and the perfect weight
distribution across the four corners of the car.
Most
supercars feel like caged animals in the
city—ill-tempered and frustrated by traffic and poor
road surfaces. Not the Nissan GT-R. A simple touch of
the set-up switch softens the suspension, turning this
extraordinarily fast vehicle into a supple, comfortable
coupe. You can even choose full automatic transmission,
for an even easier ride.
Under
the hood of the vehicle is the VR38DETT, a brand-new
engine specially developed for the Nissan GT-R. The
3.8-liter unit uses twin IHI turbochargers. Its maximum
power is 480 ps (353 kW) at 6,400 rpm. This makes the
Nissan GT-R one of the world’s most powerful road cars
and the most powerful production car ever built by
Nissan. The engine is very tractable and that means it’s
very easy to drive with its maximum torque of 60 kg-m
(588 Nm) delivered seamlessly from 3,200 to 5,200 rpm.
It is
also a very efficient engine, reducing emissions and
fuel consumption. Environmental performance is further
reinforced by its satisfying Japan’s U-LEV (ultra low
emission vehicle) standards.
The engine’s high environmental standard is partly due
to the innovative plasma-coating bores, which improves
cooling, boosting fuel efficiency and power. The
plasma-sprayed cylinder liners are just 0.15-mm thick,
compared with conventional cast iron liners of 2.6 mm.
Not only are they much better at dissipating heat,
improving efficiency, they’re also lighter—saving about
three kilograms in a V6 engine. |
