Nissan GT-R Black Edition

Group	2
Engine	VR38DETT V6
Displacement	3799cc twin-turbo
Fuel feed and ignition	Nissan EGI (ECCS) fuel injection
Location	Front longitudinal
Transmission	6-speed dual clutch automated manual with rear-mounted transaxle integrating transmission, differential and AWD transfer case, mechanical LSD
Bore and stroke	95.5 x 88.4 mm (3.76 x 3.48 in)
Compression ratio	9.0:1
Cylinder block	Cast aluminium with plasma-sprayed bores, wet sump
Cylinder head	DOHC parallel IHI turbo chargers, 24 valves, variable inlet cam phasing
Redline rpm	7000
Bhp @ rpm	473 @ 6400
lb ft @ rpm	434 @ 3200-5200
Kerb weight/kg	1740
bhp/ton	272
bhp/litre	125
Chassis	Jig-welded Premium Midship platform with hybrid steel, carbon fiber and diecast aluminium construction
Tyres	255/40 ZRF 20" 97Y front, 285/35 ZRF 20" 100Y rear, Bridgestone Potenza RE070R
Wheels	9.5J x 20" front, 10.5J x 20" rear, Super-lightweight RAYS seven-spoke aluminium
Brakes	Ventilated 380mm (15") Brembo with 6-piston front and 4-piston rear monoblock calipers, ABS, EDB
Steering	Electronically controlled rack and pinion PAS
Front suspension	Independent double wishbones, aluminium subframe, Bilstein DampTronic dampers
Rear suspension	Independent Multi Link, aluminium subframe, Bilstein DampTronic dampers
Cabin	2 door; 2+2 seat
0-60/secs	3.5
0-100/secs	8.0
Max mph	194
Fuel tank/l	74
Year	2009
Country	Japan
Price when new	£59,395
Number produced	In production

The new Nissan GT-R was billed to be the ultimate supercar for anyone, anywhere, anytime, and was designed to deliver the ultimate driving pleasure. It was first shown at the 2001 Tokyo Motorshow as a vision of a 21st Century GT-R to continue the line of advanced 4WD cars that started in 1989 with the idea of being a Porsche 959 for the masses. A further prototype of the GT-R was shown in 2005 to Tokyo and the final production version which was 80-90% based on that concept was launched in Japan in December 2007, the US launch followed in 2008 and UK deliveries were mid 2009.

Unlike previous generations which were based on the mass volume Skyline saloon, the new GT-R is a completely new bespoke supercar designed with pure performance and functionality in mind, the exterior shape being primarily governed by aerodynamics and cooling, there is a flat undertray and rear diffuser helping to achieve a very low drag coefficient whilst also producing positive down force on each axel which is very rare for a production car.

"The mission was to achieve a distinctive car, a supercar, but not a normal fast car - it's chunkier, more practical and more muscular," explains design director Shiro Nakamura. "The element of functionality is core to the GT-R. It's not too low; it's easy to get in and out of, has good visibility and is easy to drive. That functionality is reflected in the design. It is clearly not an Italian, German or American car - it is unmistakably Japanese."

"We didn't want a nice elegant shape - we wanted an original shape. Some people who buy this car will also have a Ferrari and a Porsche. This car must be different from all others. I see it as a car influenced not by feminine beauty, like Italian cars, but by masculine beauty - it is strong, well toned, well muscled. It has big deep flanks and is very toned - that's part of the muscled stance."

The VR38DETT engine is also an all new design specially developed by Nissan for the GT-R and is the most powerful production car engine ever built by Nissan, featuring two IHI turbochargers that are integrated into its exhaust manifold to reduce weight, space, and heat loss it produces nearly 500bhp at 6400rpm but more importantly generates it’s maximum torque in a wide band from 3200-5200rpm. It is highly efficient for such a powerful engine partly due to the plasma sprayed cylinder liners that are just 0.15mm thick compared with conventional cast iron liners of 2.6mm they save about 3kg and are much better at dissipating heart and improving efficiency. Fully independent and symmetrical intake and exhaust systems increase air intake and reduce exhaust resistance producing a smooth gas flow, higher output and faster throttle response.

The engine is mated to again an all new transmission exclusively developed for the car with a twin clutch gearbox for efficiency and response that allows the next gear to be preselected - gearchanges are so quick that turbo boost pressure can be maintained through the gears giving one seamless surge of acceleration. The gearbox and 4WD system are rear mounted together with the clutches and torque is transferred back to the front wheels via a carbon prop shaft – another first for a production car that improves weight distribution and enhances front leg space and pedal layout. This rear mounted independent transaxle allows the weight distribution to be 50:50 during acceleration (47:53 at rest), it also helps cooling air pass over the engine to where the transaxle would be and then through a tunnel to cool the transaxle. The 4WD system is naturally rear biased but up to 50% of the torque can be transferred to the front wheels as necessary in slippery conditions but no more than 30% is transferred once above 25mph. There is a mechanical limited slip diff at the rear while the front is operated by an electronically controlled clutch; yaw sensors are also able to divert torque from side-to-side.

The main structural body of the car is built using a mixture of advanced lightweight steels, carbonfibre and aluminium, carbon fibre is used for the front end module and radiator support giving great strength as a crash structure and also for the rear diffuser. The suspension supports and cross braces are all aluminium for lightness and rigidity as are the door inners while the flat under tray is glassfibre. To ensure the dimensional accuracy is maintained, the body and suspension are individually built on a jig, as with a race car. The suspension features highly accurate non-linear springs manufactured to race car specifications working with BILSTEIN DampTronic shocks specially developed for the car with three different driving modes from Comfort and Sport to Race to give the best possible ride and handling balance, in Race mode the dampers adopt a fixed setting at the hardest level for track driving.

Brembo discs and callipers are employed for the braking setup with full floating rotors to stabilise breaking and prevent heat distortion, there are six piston callipers up front on 15" discs and four piston on the rear with ABS all round. The tyres were again specially developed for the car by both Dunlop and Bridgestone, both are run flat technology alleviating the need for a spare and feature very stiff treads essential for high speed driving, they are also Nitrogen filled for pressure stability during track or high speed driving, unusually for runflats they do not have very stiff side walls meaning improved steering feel and ride comfort.


"Respect is due. Big respect. Nissan has built a winner, a new performance icon." ***** evo Magazine, Issue 116