Nissan GT-R: Nissan GT-R – 470bhp bargain

The Nissan GT-R had to be exceptional. There were to be no compromises,’ Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, told evo after the wraps came off Nissan’s ultimate performance car. ‘The engineers said it would take five years to achieve my goals for Nissan’s first supercar. In the end it took six, but then this car is exceptional.’

He may have a point. Nissan’s definition of a supercar is one that is capable of over 300kph (186mph), can lap the Nürburgring in under eight minutes and has a weight-to-power ratio of less than 4kg/hp. And with a top speed of 194mph (312kph), a lap time of 7min 38.54sec (compared with 7min 54sec for the 911 Turbo) and a weight-to-power ratio of 3.7kg/hp, the GT-R certainly qualifies on all three counts. But the most startling thing Nissan revealed about the GT-R at the Tokyo show was its price.

The original target for the GT-R was that it had to be quicker than a 911 Turbo. This has been comfortably achieved, but Nissan has really upset the applecart by announcing that it will be closer to Cayman S money than the price of a 911 Turbo.

When it goes on sale in Japan on December 6, the entry-level GT-R will cost around £33,500 (less than half the price of the new 911 Turbo in Japan). Whether this price target will remain true in other markets Nissan wouldn’t confirm, but in the US Nissan will be keen for the GT-R to square up to the Corvette Z06, so expect it to be priced just as aggressively there. Ghosn wasn’t joking when he described the GT-R as a ‘real bargain’.

So what makes the GT-R so special? Well, according to Nissan, this really is an everyday supercar, with excellent ride quality and, from what we saw at Tokyo, a beautifully trimmed interior. If you wish, you can cruise along with the DSG-style gearbox set to auto, but such moments are likely to be rare, because like the old Skyline, the new GT-R is a feast of advanced driving technologies.

The range of adjustability of dampers, gearbox and traction control is mind-boggling for a start, and the resulting engine and chassis performance is then displayed on a superb multi-function screen, the graphics of which, incidentally, were designed by a member of the Sony Gran Turismo computer game team.

Underneath the striking bodywork is a unique drivetrain layout. Power from the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 peaks at 473bhp at 6400rpm and is transmitted via a carbonfibre prop-shaft to the six-speed, dry-sump transaxle at the rear of the car. This transaxle can send up to 50 per cent of the available torque to the front wheels via another carbonfibre prop-shaft when needed to maintain full traction. Gearchanges in the DSG-style dual-clutch transmission are completed in 0.2sec, either automatically or by the driver using paddles fixed on the steering column.

Thanks to help from Lotus, the GT-R boasts a sector-leading drag coefficient figure of 0.27, despite generating genuine downforce via its carbonfibre undertray and rear spoiler from 60mph. Weight distribution is slightly nose-heavy – around 53:47 front to rear – the car weighing in at a disappointingly hefty 1740kg.

The GT-R will only be sold via new Nissan High Performance Centres (50 are planned for Europe), which will carry out all the necessary maintenance on the car, including full chassis alignment and adjustment at every service (servicing is free for the first three years).

Tyres for the GT-R are specially developed run-flats available from both Dunlop and Bridgestone. These will only be sold via the High Performance Centres and will not be supplied to conventional tyre fitters, which might be a pain for owners when travelling far afield.

There are some further surprises in store for potential GT-R customers too, as Nissan is doing everything it can to discourage owners from modifying the GT-R in the future. Sophisticated data gathering devices have been installed to monitor performance parameters and detect any variance from the standard set-up. These include g-force sensors logging acceleration and braking and detectors recording combustion temperatures inside the engine. Any infringement discovered during routine software interrogations at the scheduled services could invalidate the factory warranty immediately.

The first market after Japan to get the GT-R will be the US, where it goes on sale in the middle of next year. The UK and Europe won’t be getting the car until March 2009 (300 a year will come to the UK), although it will be shown in European spec at next year’s Geneva show, which is also when the order book opens. So far there are forward orders for around 2000 cars, but as word gets round about the pricing that could change dramatically.

Interestingly, Nissan is expecting the bulk of GT-R customers to be older than you might think. It expects the 30-49 age group to account for 35.2 per cent of sales, the 50-59 age group 33.4 per cent, and 60-68 some 22.4 per cent, all of which is similar to the Porsche 911 Turbo customer profile, apparently.

With the UK having to wait until March 2009 for official cars (even though the GT-R is about to on sale in Japan), expect grey importers in the UK to have a field day, even though one we spoke to reckoned that with shipping, taxes and a warranty, the price would be close to £60,000.