THE ONLY DAMN GT-R THREAD IN HERE, POST ANYWHERE ELSE ABOUT IT AND YOU'LL BE BANNED.

kabob said:

The more I look at it, the more Nissan needs to ditch that effeminate ricer wing.

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Motor Authority said:

Just when you think there’s nothing more to see or read about Nissan’s GT-R super-coupe, images of a mysterious prototype start to crop up on the internet. These latest shots depict car with several features you won’t find on the standard model, leading us to believe this is either a new Group N version of the latest model or possibly the upcoming V-Spec model due to hit the streets in 2009.

There were Group A race versions of the previous model GT-Rs, which were basically stripped out versions of the regular production models but with several racing modifications. The previous V-spec cars, meanwhile, were developed to denote the GT-R’s Group N racing success and included some serious performance enhancements as well.

There are several key details in these images, which turned up on GTR-World, revealing this is no run of the mill GT-R. Some of the elements the prototype features include a tow hook and pins protruding through the bonnet, a lowered ride height, race-spec alloys and tires, a modified front bumper (missing center grille possibly for improved airflow), full roll cage, a new air scoop in the front spoiler, a race-style refueling port and an air-jack adapter positioned below the right headlight.

While the GT-R is comparable with the Porsche 911 Turbo, the new V-Spec will follow the lines of the 911 GT3 in that it will be a bare bones version of the standard coupe and designed for the track but still road legal.

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Motor Authority said:

Mines Nissan GT-R takes to the track

Famous Japanese tuner Mines has taken to the Tsukuba circuit for a time attack in their brand new Nissan R35 GTR, managing a time of 1m 3.1s around the track. This places it in front of the Lamborghini Gallardo, which manages a 1m 3.6s time around the same track.

This car has a reputation to live up to as the old Mines prepped R34 GT-R model achieved a 57.7s time around the circuit. But we’re sure that this car has great potential. Apparently the car was run with the VDC in the R setting instead of turned off and the car’s traction control was affecting its performance on the day.

According to a poster on NAGTROC, the final version of the Mines prepped car will feature an upgraded ECU, high-flow air filter and exhaust, an adjustable suspension package with Mines’ Eibach spring kit, uprated brake rotors and pads, a new air scoop, carbon-aero mirrors, high-capacity fuel injectors and carbon canards on the front spoiler.

Unfortunately, there’s no word on any estimated power figures or if the turbochargers will get an upgrade. One thing’s certain, we can expect to see more boost!

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Rulez said:

Sam, was that meet in the US? I noticed one of the cars had a Washington state tags.

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Autoblog said:

Inside Line performance tests the Nissan GT-R. Oh yes, it's very fast.

2009 Nissan GT-R - Full Test: InsideLine

The Inside Line gang has just returned from Japan, where they performed instrumented testing on Japanese journo Jun Nishikawa's privately-owned 2009 Nissan GT-R. The test car had 1,500 km on the clock and was equipped the same way the US-spec cars will be. Boy, did it ever bring the goods. Zero to sixty came in 3.3 seconds, and the quarter mile flashed by in 11.6 at 120.9 mph. This, according to Inside Line, makes the '09 GT-R the quickest car that they've ever hooked their test equipment to. Some time is spent detailing the GT-R's launch control system, which involves flipping the transmission and damper settings to R mode, killing the VDC, and basically doing a brakestand. Once you let go of the stoppers, you get what IL describes as "crushing acceleration." The full test also touches on the car's predictably good braking and handling.

You're left with the impression that Inside Line feels even more can be wrung out of the GT-R once they get their own tester in the States on a better surface than the Japanese airstrip they used in this case. You can bet that they'll put it head-to-head with the 911 Turbo and Corvette Z06 for good measure. Until then, know that the 2009 Nissan GT-R, at $70,000, appears set to offer drivers some utterly ridiculous bang for the buck.

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Edmunds said:

We know you want the numbers and we're not going to waste your time. Neither is Nissan. Its 2009 GT-R hits 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, quicker than the last Dodge Viper, Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Turbo we tested. Keep your foot pinned, and after another tap on the upshift paddle it will clear the quarter-mile in 11.6 seconds at more than 120 mph.

We know this because we've just returned from Japan where we tested a privately owned Nissan GT-R on an airstrip outside Tokyo. The car we tested was a Japanese-spec example with 1,500 break-in kilometers on its odometer. It's owned by Japanese journalist Jun Nishikawa and packs the same hardware the U.S. car will get: a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 that generates at least 473 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque. It had the same six-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox and the same adjustable dampers which, by now, you've read plenty about.

What you likely haven't heard about is this: launch control. Despite its bold 3.5-second 0-60-mph claim, Nissan has been keeping this little bit of technological wizardry a secret. Test a GT-R in the homeland, however, and the need for confidentiality is quickly overwhelmed by the need for speed.

Controlling the Launch
Activating the Nissan GT-R's launch control is a matter of configuring its transmission, dynamics control and damping adjustments properly. The transmission and damping switches must both be set to the R mode and the VDC must be switched off completely by holding the VDC-R button down for a few seconds. Then it's just a matter of pinning the brake with your left foot and wooding the throttle with your right, not unlike the technique used to produce a tire-shredding burnout in that '85 Camaro you drove in high school.

The result, however, is quite different. The computer holds the engine at 4,500 rpm and waits for you to lift your left foot off the brake pedal. When you do the GT-R produces the most crushing acceleration of virtually any production car in the world. Our test was conducted on a fairly low-grip surface that produced lots of rear wheelspin before the GT-R's sophisticated all-wheel-drive system engaged the front wheels and it thundered down the track. Its 3.3-second 0-60-mph run and 11.6 at 120.9 mph performance make the GT-R the quickest car we've ever tested.

It's even quicker than the Porsche 911 Turbo Tiptronic, but not by much. The German hits 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and blasts through the quarter-mile in 11.6 at 118.5 mph. Due to their lack of all-wheel drive, the Dodge Viper and Corvette Z06 are held back by traction limitations. Despite its 600-hp V10, the last Viper coupe we tested reached 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and finished the quarter-mile 11.8 at 125.3 mph. The Corvette Z06 isn't even close. Once impressive, its 4.1-second 0-60-mph run and 12-second quarter-mile at 121.8 mph are now well off the pace, which is why Chevy is creating the supercharged Corvette ZR1.

In an effort to preserve its drivetrain and relations with the owner, we only activated the launch control twice, but with a few more attempts to calm the violent wheelspin, the numbers would likely have been even better.

Leave the launch control off and the tranny in R mode, and the car is still sick quick. Sixty mph arrives in 4.0 seconds and the quarter-mile disappears in 12.3 seconds at 120.6 mph. All our testing was completed using manual shifting.

World-Class Braking
It requires 15-inch rotors, six-piston Brembo calipers and sticky Bridgestone Potenza RE070R rubber to bring a 3,836-pound GT-R to rest from 60 mph in only 104 feet. That's only 1 foot longer than the Porsche 911 Turbo equipped with the $8,800 ceramic composite brake package. It's also the same stopping distance as the last Dodge Viper we tested and 2 feet shorter than the Corvette Z06.

Experience tells us that the Nissan GT-R's conventional iron rotors aren't going to endure abuse as well as the 911 Turbo's ceramic brakes, but in a one-stop scenario like this, we have no reason to doubt them. With a solid, effective and intuitive pedal, braking confidence is high. Plus, we're guessing future versions of the GT-R will get brakes as advanced as the Porsche's.

Predictable, Accessible Handling
Our makeshift test facility at the AMI Airport near Tokyo didn't allow room for lateral acceleration testing on a skid pad. However, we did set up our standard slalom for comparison. Again, we were somewhat thwarted by the less-than-ideal surface, which had unavoidable painted lines crossing the course.

This served as an opportunity to witness the GT-R's striking at-the-limit composure. Blasting across the bumpy painted lines between cones, you get the sense that this is truly a special car. Its chassis remains composed and it goes exactly where it's pointed despite the ugly surface. There's none of the puckering that comes with driving a Vette or Viper this fast through a slalom. Nor is there the sense that the rear-mounted engine of a 911 Turbo is eventually going to find its way to the front.

The Nissan GT-R is versatile, with plenty of control latitude, and the difference between the limit of grip and the limit of control is huge. It's probably the most easily controlled car we've slid sideways between the cones. More importantly, its abilities are far more accessible for the average driver than those of its competition.

At 72.9 mph, it's quicker here than the Z06 and 911 Turbo but can't quite match the huge-tired Viper (74.2 mph). Still, it will be interesting to see how these numbers compare when all three cars are tested at the same place and time.

The Best Part
Perhaps more impressive than the Nissan GT-R's brain-cell-punishing acceleration or its stellar handling is its price. At just under $70,000 it's within reach of the upper middle-class enthusiast who insists on spending disproportionate amounts of his income on a car.

Plus, it will take an average driver and hurdle them into a realm of speed they couldn't buy with a 911 Turbo. It's world-class fast and relatively cheap. And that's a hard combination to beat.

2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R: The most eagerly anticipated new performance car of the century

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